MLGRD receives 30 buses, spare parts from Turkish govt

The Turkish government yesterday handed over 30 buses to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) to facilitate the work of the ministry.

The package included a 40-footer container of spare parts for the buses.

The presentation was in fulfilment of a promise made by the President of Turkey, Mr Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during his visit to Ghana in March 2016.

Relationship

The Turkish Ambassador to Ghana, Madam Nesrin Bayazit, who made the presentation, said she was appreciative of the strengthened relations between Ghana and Turkey in recent times.

The presentation, she stated, was to further consolidate the gains made by the two countries in their relationship, particularly in the areas of local governance and rural development.

The Turkish government, she added, was also willing to support government policies such as the “one-district, one-factory, one-village, one-dam and planting for food and jobs.

Ms Bayazit gave an assurance that Turkey would continue to work with the MLGRD to achieve its vision of equitable economic growth through citizen participation and accelerated service delivery at the local level in a decentralised environment.

Minister

For her part, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama, expressed appreciation to the government of Turkey for their support to Ghana over the years.

She gave an assurance that the buses would be put to judicious use to enhance local governance in the country.

According to the minister, the Turkish government had further extended technical support to staff of the Department of Parks and Gardens to enhance its operations.

So far, five staff from the Department of Parks & Gardens have been flown to Turkey to study Horticulture.

According to Hajia Mahama, Ghana could also learn from the local governance and decentralisation systems in Turkey to fine-tune its operations in the country.