By Kwabia Owusu-Mensah
Kumasi, Jan. 25, GNA – The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) is seeking support from the academia to develop a new rural development policy for the country.
To this end, the Ministry is in close contact with the Bureau of Integrated and Rural Development (BIRD) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to obtain scientifically proven and evidence-based inputs to support the development of the policy.
Mr Dan Kwaku Botwe, Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, who announced this, said the objective was to come out with a practical tailor-made policy to promote effective and sustainable rural development in the country.
“It is important that we collaborate effectively with the university to design and implement workable policy that will ensure effective planning and development in rural communities,” he told a meeting of senior editors in Kumasi.
Ghana’s spatial planning and physical development in urban and peri-urban communities have been characterized by many challenges, making these areas vulnerable to natural and human made disasters such as flooding and fire outbreaks.
Mr Botwe explained that BIRD and other departments of KNUST had done a lot of research work on rural development and community planning schemes and there was the need for the Ministry to tap into this wealth of knowledge to develop effective and efficient policies that would stand the test of time for the country’s rural and community development.
As part of the strategy, the Ministry was working to strengthen its Community Development Department through the training of staff to provide efficient community services for the people.
Mr Botwe said the Ministry was committed to ensuring that the development process in communities was workable for the benefit of the people.
GNA