ER COORDINATING COUNCIL INAUGURATED (PAGE 21)

The Eastern Regional Coordinating Council, a body that oversees the overall activities of the municipal and district assemblies in the region was inaugurated at Koforidua last Monday.
The council with the Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo as Chairman, has the Deputy Regional Minister, Mr Baba Jamal, the 21 municipal and district chief executives, presiding members of the various assemblies, the regional coordinating director and two representatives from the Regional House of Chiefs as members.
All heads of decentralised departments in the region are ex-officio members.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Mr Ofosu Ampofo asked the members to ensure that the municipal and district assemblies in the region as well as the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) would ensure that the vast economic potential of the area would be harnessed to meet the expectations and aspirations of the people.
He said the government was of the view that the assemblies had the potential to resolve the numerous problems confronting the people, especially those in the rural areas.
The regional minister said it was in that respect that it had transferred authority, competence and financial resources, especially the District Assemblies’ Common Fund to the districts.
According to Mr Ampofo, the judicious disbursement of such funds would ensure the success of rural development programmes.
In that regard, he said the coordinating council had to institute measures that would ensure that financial resources brought into the region would make the desired impact on the people.
Mr Ampofo, therefore, urged members of the council to hold in check the activities of the MDAs to ensure that their proposed development programmes would among other things be in accordance with regional development perspectives.
The regional minister traced the history of the region from its creation in 1953, said a number of committees had been set up to deal with issues such as disasters, prisons, procurement, health and policing.
He expressed the hope that members of the council would live up to expectation.
The Omanhene of Akyem Bosome, Nana Oworae Agyekum who is also a member of the council, entreated his colleagues to help improve the lot of the people but not to be an obstacle to development.