In 1988, the Fanteakwa District was carved out of the then vast East Akyem District.
The new district shares borders with Kwahu South on the west, Kwahu North (Afram Plains) on the south, Manya and Yilo Krobo on the east and Atiwa on the south-west.
Its fast growing population which was estimated at about 96,000 (according to the 2000 Population and Housing Census), is composed of mainly Akyems, the land owners, with large numbers of Krobos and others from different tribes, especially from the three northern regions.
Since the area is mostly covered by secondary forests, most of the people are engaged in agriculture, cultivating cash crops such as cocoa and other foodstuffs such as cassava, maize, varieties of tubers, and plantain while others also are in petty trading.
Apart from cocoa which is exported, the food crops find their way to big market centres at Ahomanhomanso, Deedeso and Begoro for onward delivery to other big towns in the country. The area is also blessed with various tourist attractions.
They include the beautiful waterfalls at Akrum, Besiboum and Trudu as well as the Abegogro and the Umbrella Rock, believed to have sheltered various species of wild animals in ancient times.
Although the area has been provided with some of the basic amenities such as good drinking water, school buildings, decent public places of convenience and roads by previous governments, some of the communities still lacked such amenities.
It is in this direction that after taking office, the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Abass Fuseini Sbaabe, has taken steps to make such facilities, especially good roads available to communities which do not have roads.
He has also come out with a plan to improve the tourist facilities to attract tourists, especially foreigners to rake in the necessary revenue to support development projects.
According to Mr Fuseini Sbaabe, the construction and rehabilitation of roads is being given priority since the bad nature of the roads constitutes 60 per cent of the district’s problems.
Some of the roads to be rehabilitated are the seven kilometre Ahumanhumanso-Bomoden road, Dadeso-Akumerso-Amotare roads, the 3.15 kilometre Busoso-Kplade road, the nine-kilometre Asare Kwao-Miaso road and the reconditioning of a two-kilometre road with bitumen surface at Begoro, the district capital where the durbar grounds is also being paved at a cost of GH¢50,000 to befit its status.
A grader has also been procured by the district assembly at a cost of GH¢230 to periodically rehabilitate the feeder roads.
While the rehabilitation of some of the roads are being funded by the assembly, others are being funded by the Government and donor agencies such as the Danish Development Agency (DANIDA) and the Japanese Government.
Apart from the road projects, other social amenities some of whose construction work had already started, would be provided in the various communities. They include boreholes at Asigya, Akumso, acqua-privy public place of convenience at Nsutam near the Bunsu Junction on the main Accra-Kumasi highway to serve the travelling public.
A new market would also be built at Deedeso while the existing ones at Bososu and Ehiamankyene will be renovated.
A radio station being built by the assembly will be in operation by December this year to entertain and educate the people on various issues, including culture and governance.
On education, a GH¢5,000 incentive fund has been set up to support newly-trained teachers who have just been posted to the area.
The beneficiaries will receive between GH¢100 and GH¢150 each, taking into consideration the remoteness of one’s duty post. Those in very deprived communities will get more money.
The assembly is also setting up computer centres on a pilot basis at four schools within Begoro, namely the Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist and Roman Catholic schools.
Addressing the assembly at its inaugural meeting at Begoro, Mr Shaabe said the assembly was committed to the provision of basic amenities for the people, adding that every community in the district would have its fair share of the national cake.
“Apart from these amenities and facilities, the assembly is also sponsoring local students in the colleges of education and the nurses’ training colleges so that they will come back to work in the area after completing their courses.
“The assembly will soon come out with a well laid programme to harness the tourist potential in the district, especially the waterfalls while support will be given to the manufacturers of beads and bicycles produced from bamboo, all at Abompe”, the DCE stated.
Although Mr Shaabe has come out with such a laudable programme to transform the district, much will however depend on the co-operation of the assembly members.
But taking into consideration the DCE’s personal commitment and good relationship with the assembly members, all of whom have the desire to develop their electoral areas and communities, most of the deprived communities at Fanteakwa will in the near future have some of the basic amenities.
No comments:
Post a Comment