Hon. Helen Adjoa Ntoso, the Eastern Regional Minister has called on Municipal/District Assemblies to be abreast of government policies and programmes towards the achievement of the Better Ghana Agenda.

The Minister said that the development of any society began at the grassroots so the efficiency and effectiveness at the Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) level could not be compromised.

“For this reason, I have personally requested for the appraisal of all MMDAs using their Annual Action plans as a basis for assessment,” she added.

Madam Ntoso made this known at a stakeholders meeting with Municipal/District Chief Executives and their Planning Committee Units at the Conference Hall of the Regional Co-ordinating Council, Koforidua.

She used the occasion to urge Chief Executives to carry out their plans and programmes effectively and take advantage of the forum to support the planning, monitoring and co-ordination of their activities in the Eastern Region.

The Eastern Regional Co-ordinating Director, Mr Abdulai Zakari on his part said the purpose of the programme was to bring stakeholders together to review activities for the year 2013, refreshed and addressed gaps so that activities in 2014 would be well managed.

He noted that another facet of the programme was to monitor government’s interventions such as the Street Naming and Property Identification; Disaster Management as well as the Youth in Agriculture programme.

Various resource persons took participants through these; Street Naming and Property Addressing Exercise-status of implementation, the role of MMDAs in Disaster Management, Monitoring Indicators in addition to the Youth in Agriculture Programme.

Evelyn Harvey/ISD