As part of measures to improve upon the living conditions of the citizens of Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality, the Assembly on Thursday held a special Town Hall Meeting at Essuoso to explain government policies and allow the various communities to air their views on issues affecting them.
Even though the programme was organised in two communities; Dompim and Nsuaem respectively, the Assembly decided to extend it to other areas in the municipality in order to bring decision making to the door steps of the general public.
The Assembly holds Town Hall Meetings twice a year and intends to sustain it with the aim of disseminating information among stakeholders in the development and governance process, which would not be limited to Tarkwa.
This step would enhance allocation of resources and ensure that stakeholders and the Assembly would plan together to enable them implement projects effectively.
Addressing the forum, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Gilbert Kennedy Asmah, said the assembly had over the years implemented a number of programmes and projects for the wellbeing of the people of Essuoso, which included a mechanised borehole, market and six unit classroom block for Bonsawire.
Three hundred thousand hybrid cocoa seedlings were raised at Essuoso and distributed to farmers to support the Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) programme, he said.
In order to improve education, Mr Asmah said the Assembly has projected to construct a six unit classroom block for Essuoso and its neighboring communities.
Touching on the road leading to Essuoso and its environs, Mr Asmah said, the Ghana Manganese Company (GMC) Limited was rehabilitating the said road from Tarkwa Banso to Essuaso.
The MCE said the Scholarship Review Committee was established in the municipality and forty five students in various schools were benefiting from the scheme.
He announced that 3,000 people have also been registered in the municipality for the Community Mining programme, which was introduced by the government and out of the total figure 1,800 were issued with their identity cards.
In a speech read on behalf of the Deputy Western Regional Minister, Mrs Gifty Eugenia Kusi, said the theme for the forum "Participatory governance, our right" was timely because of the upcoming District Level Elections and Referendum, which require all Ghanaian voters to exercise their franchise.
She emphasised that the government needs participation of all citizens in steering the affairs of the nation successfully.
"Participatory governance helps to empower citizens to participate in public decision-making, as an effective means to improve public accountability. Citizens are allowed to take part in free and fair elections to make informed choices to be able to hold political leaders accountable for their electoral promises" she said.
The Deputy Minister stated that the Western Regional Coordinating Council joined in the public education to sensitise the people to vote in support of the National Referendum to amend Article 55 (3) of the 1992 constitutions.
Mrs Kusi assured all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDA's) of government's continuous support.