Mr Henry Quartey, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, has outlined some strategies to guide his efforts to make ‘ to stop the indiscipline in the National capital and restore order under his ‘Accra Work’ agenda
The strategies include dealing with security, issues of Chieftaincy, sanitation, and water, indiscipline on the road by both drivers and traders, abuse of the sirens, and education.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has charged the Minister with the responsibility of making ‘Accra work.’
Mr Quartey, speaking at a maiden press soiree of the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), said “This is a charge I promise to keep and execute to the fullest but I cannot do this alone considering the nature of the task.”
He said on his assumption to Office as Regional Minister, he decided to engage stakeholders in the Region, including the Media to share in the vision “Let’s make Accra work”.
The Minister said on April 9, 2021, he would launch the “operation clean your frontage” campaign, where every institution or Corporate Body in the Region, would be required to use an hour to clean their environment before work begins.
He assured the media that his Office would ensure that recorded cases of COVID-19 in the Region were reduced to the barest minimum.
“I will also like to use this opportunity to encourage all to get vaccinated,” he said.
He said the Medical Experts had advised that even with the vaccine, “we should continue to adhere to the COVID-19 safety protocols to avoid further spread, including wearing of nose masks, hand washing with soap under running water, and social distancing.
Mr Quartey said to curb the traffic situation in the Region, he had started embarking on an exercise to principal streets noted for traffic congestions, including Madina Zongo Junction and Circle, to observe and monitor the traffic and indiscipline of drivers, pedestrians, and hawkers on roads in the mornings.
The Minister said he had accordingly engaged Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in Greater Accra, met with the Regional Police Command, including the Director-General Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate to form task forces, and had also tasked the Department of Urban Roads to barricade unauthorized zebra-crossings to manage the situation.
He said to successfully discharge the responsibility outlined in his vision, he would need everybody, especially the Media to come on board and help reach out to all persons.
The Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council intends to formulate a Stakeholder Consultative Committee at the Regional Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies.
Mr Henry Quartey, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, said the committee would engage major stakeholders in the formulation and execution of policies.
He said he had met both Senior and Junior and Regional Heads of the 22 decentralised Departments of the RCC and also planned to meet the 33 Members of Parliament in the Greater Accra, including Chairmen and Secretaries of the New Patriotic Party and National Democratic Congress in the Region.
“Again, I will meet all former Regional Ministers as well as former Mayors of Accra in the coming week,” he said.
The Minister said he would meet the leadership of Traders Associations, the various Transport Unions, and Traditional Authorities to discuss how they could support in making Accra work.
He called on the media to collaborate with his Office in disseminating information to educate and sensitize the people.
The Minister assured the citizenry that the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCE) and their staff would not indulge in any “Rambo style approach” in the execution of their mandate.
He said the RCC would be gentle but firm and would ensure the right things were done while the recalcitrant would be dealt with according to the bye-laws of all the Assemblies and the laws of the land.
Mr Quartey said he had directed all MMDCEs to take preventives measures to curtail the recurrence of flooding, following the warning by the Meteorological Authority to expect more rains this year.
“I have also tasked them to use the Information Services Department in sensitizing the people to avoid indiscriminate dumping of waste and refuse into the drains,” the Minister added.
Source: GNA