Good leadership and governance key to poverty alleviation

from Joy Online

The Omanhene of New Juaben Traditional Area, Daasebre Oti Boateng, has charged the government to take another look at poverty alleviation and come up with a better means of improving the living conditions of the people.

He said poverty could never be alleviated by simply providing amenities for the people or providing them with funds to embark on a gainful venture.

Rather, he asserted that poverty could only be alleviated when good leadership and good governance combined to hasten the development of a nation.

Daasebre Oti Boateng made these points at a dinner he hosted at his palace for fellow Old Vandals, the alumni of Commonwealth Hall of University of Ghana, who were attending the national congress of their association in Koforidua.

According to Daasebre, there were signs of accelerated growth and development for Ghana and that this must be sustained in the years ahead to ensure improvement in the living conditions of Ghanaians.

Earlier at the national congress of the Old Vandals at the Regional Coordinating Council Hall in Koforidua, Daasebre Oti Boateng, who was the special guest of honour, added his voice to the call for a change of attitude by students of Commonwealth Hall in order not to destroy the hard-won reputation of the hall.

The Omanhene agreed with the views expressed by Mr Africanus Owusu-Ansah, a former national secretary of the association, in his paper calling for the return to the old practice of "vandalism" which was a positive and non-violent expression of youthful exuberance.

Mr Owusu-Ansah, who is now a Deputy Commissioner of CEPS, reminded the current students of the danger of the job openings being closed on students of Commonwealth Hall if they continued to misbehave in public.

In this direction, Daasebre Oti Boateng called for a dialogue between the Old Vandals and the current students as a way of improving discipline in the hall and also advised the students to confine their "vandalism" within the four walls of the hall.

At the end of the congress, it was resolved to extend the mandate of the current national executive headed by Mr Kwesi Essel-Koomson by another term of two years.

However, Mr John Mbroh was brought in, as the new vice-president to replace Mr. Tsri Apronti who is now with the World Bank office in Sierra Leone, while Mr. Humphrey Coffie became the new national organiser in place of Mr Godfrey Cobblah, who was murdered by land guards at Amasaman near Accra two years ago. The other members of the national executive are Mr Kwame Takyi, secretary, Mr Kofi Agbogah, assistant secretary; and Mr Isaac Nketia Sarpong, treasurer.