Eastern Region Policy Fair launched
The Eastern Regional four-day policy fair, scheduled for July 23 to 26, was launched in Koforidua on Tuesday.
The event that would be organized on the theme: “Building Together in a Better Ghana,” aimed at creating a platform for the people in the region to know Government policies being implemented by the Ministries, Departments and Agencies as well as the Municipal and District Assemblies
Mr Fritz Baffour, Minister of Information, in a speech read on his behalf, said the fair sought to display pictorially and otherwise the achievements and results of those policies in terms of projects and programmes executed, and for people to assess benefits they had derived from them.
He said “Where the impact has been negative, it would lead to policy review whilst where the impact has been positive; it would lead to policy enhancement”.
Mr Baffour said President John Evans Atta Mills had repeatedly assured Ghanaians of his commitment to an accountable and transparent government, which involved the participation of people in governance.
He said the fair would showcase all programmes, projects and activities of Government in the region and afford the people the opportunity to critically examine the achievements of Government.
“It will also afford the people the opportunity to critique government policies, programmes and projects and be in a position to be part of the decision-making process so far as the continuation of these policies are concerned”.
Mr Baffour said the Government was aware that no meaningful development could take place without the support of the citizenry.
He said there was the need for government to inform the people on its policies, programmes and projects.
Mr Baffour said the Government and the Ministry of Information had initiated ways of disseminating information to the people at the grassroots in order to solicit their support and participation.
He said: “These include the Meet-the Press Series both at the National and Regional levels, the several tours of the Regional Ministers, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives to most of the communities to inform and educate our people on government’s policies and programmes”.
Mr Victor Smith, Eastern Regional Minister, said that the National Democratic Congress Government inherited a challenged economy that needed to undergo intensive “surgical operation” before the economy could be put on a sound footing.
He said pragmatic strategies were put in place to surmount the seemingly insurmountable challenges and with “God on our side, we were able to ameliorate the challenges, which then paved the way for the injection of more adrenalin into our development agenda that ushered the country on the road to prosperity”.
Mr Smith said the Government had found it prudent to showcase its achievements after three-and-half years in office.
Source: GNA