By Caleb Kuleke
Ho, August 10, GNA- Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister has asked Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) in the Region to invest more in local economic development and ensure the highest value for money in all transactions.
He said the Government’s finances were dwindling and it was important that the assemblies invested to provide development for the people at the local level to complement the Government’s effort.
Dr. Letsa, speaking at the first meeting of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC) also charged the MDAs to institute necessary measures to cut down expenditures on goods and services.
The Minister said resources were now hard to come by, hence the little that had been provided and utilised must be put to good use, warning that the VRCC would “not take kindly to projects completed and left in the bush to rot away.”
He said it was imperative for the assemblies to be always guided to minimise cost in every activity they undertook, noting that completed projects not in use would not be countenanced in going forward.
Dr Letsa urged the assemblies to try and avoid delayed projects which sometimes came along with revised contract sums thereby increasing project costs and limiting resources for other investments.
“As heads of public institutions in the region, we have to ensure that projects and programmes are completed on schedule if not ahead of schedule and stick to payment arrangements,” he added.
He said his outfit had taken notice of the increasing trend of contractors and suppliers going to court to demand settlements of delayed payments for works and supplies to the MDAs.
Dr Letsa, therefore, advised the MDAs to engage their service providers and commit to defraying monies owed to them to help cut down the surge of contractors suing assemblies for additional funds.
On security, the Minister said the region had been peaceful and commended the security services for their commitment and the Regional, Municipal and District Security Councils for their efficient and effective monitoring of security situation in the region.
He said the councils would continue to engage relevant state agencies to secure all sensitive and strategic installations, facilitate their operations and protect the natural resources in the region for a safe environment.
The Minister reiterated his call to the Municipal and District Chief Executives to develop mechanisms to prevent illegal mining, logging, and destruction of the environment in their jurisdictions.
“As people who have a strong attachment to our environment, we hold it a sacred duty to protect the environment from the selfish few who want to exploit it for their parochial interest,” he said.
GNA