ASUOGYAMAN DISTRICT ASSEMBLY PAYS OFF DEBT (PAG 15, FEB 26, 2010)

THE ASUOGYAMAN District in the Eastern Region has paid off the debt of GH¢83,000.00 it inherited from the previous administration.
The assembly has thus become the first of the 21 political entities in the region to pay off its debts.
This was made known by the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Johnson Ehiakpor, at the assembly meeting on Tuesday.
He said the assembly paid off the debts with its 2009 internally generated revenue, which amounted to GH¢173,944.
Mr Ehiakpor stated that such a significant increase in revenue mobilisation, which constituted 7.3 per cent of the GH¢162,000 projected for last year, made it possible to pay off the debts, most of which were due to contracts awarded by the previous administration.
The DCE, who stated that total payment made by the assembly from the time the new administration took over to date amounted to GH¢96,467.26, said now that the debts were cleared, the assembly could now execute its development projects without much difficulty.
Mr Ehiakpor, who further indicated that the assembly had received its first and second quarterly share of the 2009 Common Fund amounting to GH¢410,982.99, said the payment of the total debt would go a long way in accelerating the development of the various communities to improve the lot of the people in line with the development programme of the government.
According to Mr Ehiakpor, the assembly had also taken a number of measures to enable the people in the various communities to generate a sustainable income.
These, he stated, included tree-planting exercise covering 150 hectares that would engage 300 young persons who would be paid monthly in five deprived communities, namely Apeguso, Fintey, Tortibo, Osiabura and Nkwakubew.
Projects such as construction of a district hospital and rehabilitation of roads such as the one linking Anum and Peki, Frankadua and Abomayaw, Adjena and Manya Yoyim, Adjena and Ponponya, the A.D.A-Residency Road and others at Tortibo and Mpamproase would be executed.
Others, the DCE said, were classroom blocks at Sedorm and South Senchi, a magistrate’s court and a clinic at Atimpoku, 32 sheds at the Sapor Market and paving of the courtyard of the district assembly block.
Almost all viable old projects would also be executed in the various communities, Mr Ehiakpor stated.
On education, he said the assembly had taken delivery of 130,000 exercise books to be distributed to pupils in the district free of charge in line with the government’s programme.
Mr Ehiakpor, who entreated the assembly members to conduct their campaigns for the forthcoming district level elections with decorum and circumspection without maligning their opponents. He also called on members of the House to remain neutral in the numerous land and chieftancy disputes in the area.