The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government has promised to strengthen the capacity of local government’s units and Chieftaincy to enable these institutions become vibrant agents for rural development. Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, a member of the NPP 2008 Campaign team, who announced this, said the party believed that the fate of the country was tied to what went on in the rural areas. He was speaking at a Rural Development Forum dubbed “My Party’s Vision on Rural Development”, organized by the Bureau of Integrated Rural Development (BIRD) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), in Kumasi on Thursday. The event was to enable political parties that would be contesting the 2008 Election outline their vision and plans for the nation, to enable Ghanaians to make informed decisions concerning the 2008 Election. Dr Apraku said the NPP was committed to providing a more responsible local government capable of delivering quality services and ensuring accountability to the people. On tourism, he said the party would invest in infrastructure at areas having tourist sites, build hotels and provide skilled labour to manage the sector. Dr. Apraku, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Offinso North, reiterated the party’s resolve to maximize the value of tourist sites and attractions such as festivals and eco-tourism, predominantly located in the rural areas. He pledged if retained in power, the NPP would establish agro-based industries in the districts, under the Rural Enterprises Initiative plan, to ensure food security. Source: GNA