A former Chief Executive for the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, has said massive investment is needed to make Accra the cleanest city in Africa.
According to him, the involvement of private investors both domestic and foreign, can be a strong backbone.
This comes on the back of a promise made by President Nana Akufo-Addo to make Accra the cleanest city in Africa by the end of his first term in office.
Speaking to Citi News on the sidelines of brief press event to outdoor a six-member business delegation for the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) on Thursday, Mr. Vanderpuije, who is also the Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South, said the metropolitan assembly must involve investors in their projects and desist from solely depending on government for funds.
“Accra can be the cleanest city, but we have to infuse a level of investment to make it happen, we need to get private investment and private business people to partner with the city authorities be it Accra, Kumasi, Cape Coast, Tema and other cities. The time has come for our decentralization system to take a new level. I wish today we will be walking into level of our mayors and chief executives of our cities having the authority and power to engage investors so that they don’t have to go to the central government.”
Mr. Vanderpuije further advised government to prioritize infrastructural development in the country.
“We should also find a way to invest into some of our infrastructural needs, be it bridges, drains, roads and economic empowerment in our community,” he added.
In September 2016, the NBMBAA invited Mr. Vanderpuije to make a presentation at a conference in Philadelphia in the United States on Ghana’s business potential to members of the Association.
The business delegation, led by NBMBAA President and CEO, Dr. Jesse Tyson, is in Ghana to get first-hand knowledge about the business climate and to identify viable sectors for investment.
The six-member delegation currently in the country, is the outcome of the former Mayor’s sterling presentation on Ghana as a viable business environment.
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By: Philip Nii Lartey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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