Meeting of the minds: In Koforidua, the government engages chiefs and the public in projects.

The 2024 town hall meeting and exhibition have been organized by the Ministry of Information and the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council to engage citizens and showcase government project interventions.

All 33 Chief Executives of Municipalities and Districts attended the meeting in Koforidua to view the progress of ongoing and completed projects and government interventions.

The event provided a forum for community participation and discussion, facilitated discussions about development projects, encouraged collaboration, addressed concerns, and ensured that the requirements of all stakeholders were taken into consideration.

During the meeting, important government officials, like Minister of Information Fatimatu Abubakar; Minister for the Eastern Region, Mr. Seth Kwame Acheampong; The Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr. Alex Ampaabeng; The Health Advisor to the President, Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare; and Chief Executives of Districts and Municipalities gave updates on various projects in the region.

In addition, the officials responded to inquiries from the general public and the chiefs, providing additional clarification on topics like project timelines, budgets, and anticipated outcomes.

According to Ms. Abubakar, the Information Ministry aimed to promote socio-economic empowerment and enhanced democratic citizenship by facilitating the free flow of accurate, timely, and dependable information and feedback between the public and the government.

She stated that the Ministry must decentralize communication and disseminate information at the local level in order to improve democracy and accountability.

She stated, “Accountability is the foundation of democracy, and it was time to come and show the people of Eastern Region the developmental projects that have been carried out during the period of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s leadership.”

The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr. Acheampong, emphasized the region’s significant accomplishments in the areas of social services, roads, governance and security, sports infrastructure, agriculture, the economy, and tourism.

He stated, “We are committed to transparency and accountability, and this engagement at the town hall provides the platform for open dialogue between the government and the people.”

He emphasized to the general public that everyone’s efforts were necessary for the development of the eastern region and that “We can continue to work hard to achieve greater milestones for the region.”

The Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr. Ampaabeng, stated that the government had done a good job of getting the country to where it is today in light of global obstacles like the COVID-19 pandemic and wars in other nations that had impacted trade.

The Deputy Minister stated, “This is not to say that everything is perfect, but benchmarking from where we were, how we got there, and how we are going to get there shows that the country is on the road to the pre-pandemic era.”

Source: GNA