The President of the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG), has urged members of the group to help fulfil the expectations and aspirations people attach to the creation of district assemblies. Mr Theophilus Aidoo-Mensah said they could do so by facilitating advocacy, lobbying and collaboration with development partners to facilitate efficient and effective local government service delivery. Mr Aidoo-Mensah, who is also the Gomoa West District Chief Executive, who made the call at the National Conference of Presiding Members in Koforidua, charged members of NALAG to ensure responsive, equitable and participatory development and bring government and decision-makers nearer to the people. NALAG is a body of presiding members and chief executives of the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies. He asked his colleagues to equip themselves with knowledge and skills to authenticate ordinances and resolutions of the assemblies. They must also be fair and firm in their duties. Mr Aidoo-Mensah advised them to involve traditional authorities in local governance and ensure that the structures of the assemblies function effectively to promote the decentralisation policy. The NALAG president appealed to the assemblies to provide presiding members with office accommodation and logistics to enhance the performance of their duties. He affirmed his commitment to ensure that NALAG opens branch offices in all the 10 regions and get the national office complex project in Accra completed. Mr Aidoo-Mensah pledged to pursue discussions to provide assembly members with motorbikes to facilitate their movements. He urged them to educate the masses on government policies and programmes. Mr Joshua Nicol, Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund, advised the assemblies to take the 2010 population and housing census seriously since it would provide the basis for the disbursing of the fund. Mr Ofosu Ampofo, Eastern Regional Minister called on the presiding members to intensify the generation of funds from their local resources, saying over reliance on the District Assemblies' Common Fund was stifling the development initiatives of the assemblies. The conference resolved to increase the assemblies contributions for the office complex from one per cent to two per cent from their share of the Common Fund to fast track the completion of the national head quarters. Source: GNA