"The People of Ghana spoke loudly and clear about change in December and whether or not this cry for change would be truly reflected in the lives of the people will depend very much on the type of Chief Executive they get”.

The President thus urged them to serve as agents of change by ensuring support to livelihoods and create jobs for the teaming unemployed youth in their various districts, municipalities and metropolis.

“People will know there is change when the quality of local support improves, people will know there is change when there are jobs for the young people, and they will know there is change when officials come to work on time”.

President Akuffo Addo noted this when speaking at a four-day orientation programme for newly appointed MMDCEs at the Institute of Local Government Studies in Obgojo in the La-Nkwantanang Municipality of the Greater Accra region.

The theme of the programme: Creating Prosperity and Equal Opportunities for all Through Effective Decentraliasation, according to the President, thoroughly reflects the vision of the NPP government which is change, agenda for jobs and also creating prosperity and equal opportunities for all through the country’s limited resources.

He therefore tasked the newly appointed MMDCEs to develop various mechanisms to ensure that the numerious government initiatives and projects are implemented to help improve the lives of the ordinary Ghanaian citizenry.

MMDCE ELECTIONS

President Akuffo Addo has reiterated government’s strong stance to amend the constitution to ensure that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) are fully elected by their electorates.

According to him, this is aimed at deepening the country’s democracy and also ensure better accountability to the people.

“The process of the amendment of the constitution will soon be underway, which makes you the last batch of chief executives to be appointed under the current system”.

POVERTY ERADICATION

On poverty eradicating, he said, government targeted all the programmes that have been set forward and are introducing to grow the economy at the district and constituency levels to help create jobs for the youth.

He added that these programmes will focus on agro-industriliation, adding value to agricultural products, agric modernization, achieving food security, improving production, ensuring efficiency as well as ensuring profitability to farmers.