Ghanaians have been advised to develop a high level of tolerance and preach the message of peace as the country moves towards the presidential and parliamentary elections in November.
Alhaji Collins Dauda, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, gave the advice at the opening of the 19th biennial national delegates’ conference of the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG) on Wednesday in Sunyani.
The three-day conference on the theme “Localising the Post-2015 Agenda: The role of MMDAs in the Effective Delivery of the SDGs in Ghana” is being attended by 1,080 delegates, comprising five each from the 216 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the country.
Alhaji Dauda entreated Ghanaians to avoid acrimony, rancour and violence in the electioneering campaign to maintain the country’s prevailing peace.
He tasked politicians and party activists to address issues that would earn them the votes of the electorate rather than attacking personalities and destroying the nation.
This, he noted, could be the only way to ensure a successful, peaceful and incident-free election and also foster unity for continuous national development.
Alhaji Dauda said the element of unity was for the benefit of all Ghanaians but not for one clan or tribe in the country, and therefore, implored every Ghanaian to exercise the greatest restraint “even in the face of extreme provocation” for the peaceful conduct of the election 2016.
Mr. Justice Samuel Adjei, the Deputy Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, indicated that the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies were mandated to stimulate business development at the local level within the overall national development plan.
Mr. Adjei therefore urged the Assemblies to identify the economic potential of their areas and harness them to increase their revenue generation and create the enabling economic environment for businesses to thrive.
Alhaji Mohamed Kwaku Doku, the out-going National President of NALAG, advised members of the Association to remain united at the end of the conference for that to impact on the development of the various Assemblies nation-wide.
The conference would be climaxed with an election of new national executives to steer the affairs of the Association for the next two years.
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