Citizenry challenged to build c’nities beyond partisanship

Professor Victor Mensah, a Professor of Development Economist at the School for Development Studies (SDS) of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) has advocated for building of livable, capable, secure and competitive communities to attract investment.

He explained that communities to be created must have all facilities that made life comfortable and also be able to provide an avenue for employees to generate income and stronger collaboration between assemblies, traditional authorities and Town and Country Planning to ensure they are developed to make them attract investment.

Prof Mensah was speaking on the focal topic, ‘Attracting investment for comprehensive, viable and sustainable industrial development in the Central Region’ at the ongoing Central Region Investment Conference.

The four-day conference being organised on the theme, ‘Positioning the Central Region as a preferred investment destination’ is under the auspices of the Central Regional Development Commission (CEDECOM) in collaboration with the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) and the Regional House of Chiefs (RHC).

Prof Mensah observed that “every investor wants to invest in a secured community devoid of robbery, theft, preventable disasters, competitive advantage for authorities to focus efforts on building communities that stand the test of time and due to non-existent spatial planning, ignorance, lack of political will to enforce existing laws, community planning has been haphazardly done.

“Investors mostly estate developers have sited projects in swampy areas, resulting in frequent flooding at the areas but authorities unfortunately look on unconcerned without any action to halt such practices, the government waste resources to salvage situation, urgent need to enforce laws devoid of politics and attitudinal change to turn development narrative,” he cautioned.

Dr Ishmael Edjekumhene, Executive Director of Kumasi Institute of Technology and Energy (KITE) underscored crucial role leadership played in development and urged leadership to be bold and firm for the citizenry to follow, entrust responsibility to people but leadership is crucial, let somebody provide roadmap and we follow.

 Kwamena Duncan, Central Regional Minister, indicated that leadership was key but it required attitudinal change to create threshold for development and called for compliance society willing to promptly obey leadership decisions. –GNA