NEED TO CHANGE PEOPLE'S ATTITUDES (PAGE 29)

ONE of the challenges that the newly approved Sekondi/Takoradi metropolitan chief executive will face is how to change the attitude of people in the metropolis.
Residents of the twin-city need to change their attitude to development issues while the assembly also needs to make socially-just decisions in its quest to position the twin-city as the financial hub of the region.
At the moment, the assembly is confronted with the indiscriminate dumping of refuse, congestion at the Takoradi Central Market, hawkers selling along the streets with impunity, double parking on the streets, creation of unauthorised bus terminals, the development of appropriate parking lots for private vehicles, fixing of malfunctioning traffic lights and improvement in the deplorable link roads.
The twin-city is one of the best metropolises in the country which hitherto had unique features of clean street corners and little traffic congestion, but for some time now it has had to battle with increases in traffic, refuse generation etc.
One of the problems former chief executives faced was the fierce resistance to the strict enforcement of the assembly’s core functions and the implementation of its development programmes by residents.
With the discovery of oil, there has been sharp increase in the population in the metropolis and many companies, especially those that deal in oil and related goods and services, are competing to relocate to the metropolis.
This has resulted in an increase in the number of applications to the offices of the assembly for permits to put up structures to facilitate their operations. Corporate bodies have identified places in the metropolis to be developed into modern office complexes, but people occupying government buildings, especially those of the assembly, are reluctant to relocate for the buildings to be renovated.
Some of the companies claim they bought the structures from the then Ministry of Local Government and made part payment, so they will not vacate them.
The population of traders around the Market Circle has tripled, as traders have taken over the streets around the market, and shop owners battle with hawkers for the spaces in front of their shops.
The efforts of the former metropolitan chief executive, Mr Philip Kwesi Nkrumah, to decongest the Market Circle were thwarted by traders who threatened to vote against the government of the day if the assembly went ahead with the decongestive exercise.
All the 62 assembly members overwhelmingly voted to endorse Mr Kobina Pra Annan, who is popularly known as Marlon, as the metro chief executive. The challenge for Mr Annan is how to decongest the central business district.
In Sekondi, traders have abandoned their sheds in the market and prefer to sell along the streets to the market because the structures are very weak and unfriendly.
There is every indication that the assembly members voted overwhelmingly for Mr Annan because they think he has the interest of the metropolis at heart.
All the assembly members have expressed concern about the congestion at the central business district and urged politicians to educate their followers on the need for the decongestive exercise.
Some of the assembly members said it was necessary for the city to be redeveloped to conform to the standards of modern cities.
During many meetings with the chiefs and other opinion leaders in the metropolis, prior to his confirmation, Mr Annan asked for their support and told them they all had a role to play in developing the metropolis into a modern city so there was no need to politicise the exercise.