UNTIL April 2008, the Akyemmansa District formed part of the vast Birim North political entity.
Despite its rich natural resources such as arable land for the cultivation of food crops such as maize, all types of tubers, oil palm, citrus, cash crops including cocoa and also containing timber and gold, the mother district is the least developed in the region.
Its huge size with numerous communities made it difficult to administer, particularly in respect of the provision of social amenities such as roads, school buildings, clinics and potable water.
Although the previous administration did its best to ensure that the partitioning of the area would accelerate its development, most of the towns and communities in the new district are yet to benefit from the necessary social amenities and other poverty-alleviation programmes.
In reality, the new district, with big towns such as Akyem Ofoase and Akyem Ayirebi and numerous big and small communities such as Akokoaso, Otwereso, Adubiase, Breku and Nyamebekyere, lack the necessary infrastructure and social amenities.
For instance, Ofoase, the District Capital, is located on the untarred Ayirebi-Ofoase-Nkawkaw road; the main artery to the area is also the only district headquarters in the region with all of its streets not tarred.
While visitors to the capital are greeted with dust during the harmattan, the rainy season also made it difficult for vehicles to ply on the roads as almost all the roads linking the various communities are not tarred.
Another worrying factor is that almost two years after its creation, the assembly is still operating from a classroom-like structure.
The residential facilities for the District Chief Executive (DCE), the District Co-ordinating Director (DCD) and other top personnel who are to direct the development of the district, are not yet completed so they have to make do with unsuitable rented premises elsewhere.
To address these hydra-headed challenges, the district assembly under the leadership of Mr Tom Budu, the DCE, shortly on assumption of office about a year ago, has put in an elaborated programme to address such challenges.
Prominent among the projects are the provision of the vital social amenities for the very deprived communities, as well as the institution of poverty-alleviation measures for the people, especially the physically challenged.
Some of the projects entailed in the programme, which are progressing steadily, include market sheds at Bontodiase and Adjobue on which GH¢5,041.17 has so far been spent, continuation of a six-unit classroom block at Ayirebi on which ¢15,190.04 has been expensed, bungalows for the DCE, and the District Co-ordinating Director (DCD), re-shaping and clearing of feeder roads at a cost of GH¢12,576 and a the construction of a court building.
In respect of the programmes, paltry sums such as GH¢400 has been made available for HIVAIDS campaigns, GH¢500 for the District Health Management team for its activities and GH¢3,600 support for the physically challenged persons.
To ensure that more communities are provided with the necessary infrastructure this year, the district tender committee has given approval for the execution of 15 Common Fund-sponsored projects at a total cost of GH¢750,000 and two Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund)-assisted projects at a cost of GH¢180,000 in the various communities, especially the very deprived ones.
Some of the common fund projects are the rehabilitation of the Krania Islamic Primary School at Akyem-Ofoase, a three-unit classroom block at Nyame-Bekyere Number Three, the Akokoaso District Assembly Junior High School (JHS) and Adubiase Primary ‘B’, cladding of primary schools at Breku and Otabil and the construction of a six-unit classroom block with an office, a store, a staff common room and a library, and a four-seater KVIP public place of convenience at Boso Villa.
Plans are also being made to hook some of the communities to the national grid.
Addressing the assembly at its ordinary meeting at Ofoase recently, the DCE, Mr Tom Budu, said although the assembly had focused school buildings, the provision of safe drinking water had also been placed on the agenda, under which 10 communities would soon be provided with boreholes.
The communities are Ofoase Kuma, Apertey, Breku, Ayeboafo, Otwereso Camp, Bokor, Bereku, Kantamanto and Techiman.
“We are on course despite the challenges. The assembly is impressing upon the government to repair the deplorable roads in the district, especially the main Ayirebi-Ofoase-New Abirem road, which makes it difficult for people to come here to transact business” Mr Budu told the house.
The DCE said the assembly could not rehabilitate the main road due to the heavy financial capital involved.
He was thankful to the chiefs in the area who took up the issue with the government and expressed the hope that the road would be given the necessary attention as soon as possible.
“This is our main concern because coming to the district capital through such a bad road is not the best because it has the tendency of driving away investors to such an area rich in natural resources,” Mr Budu added.
In view of the commitment of the DCE, who is being supported by the District co-ordinating Director, Mr E. Ashalley, a technocrat well versed in rural community initiatives, and the assembly members all of whom are making the necessary contributions towards the development of the communities, it will not be long for the numerous communities to have their fair share of the national cake in terms of social amenities.
No comments:
Post a Comment