Nana Ama Nketia-Quaidoo, the Director of Community-Driven Development of Advocates for Community Alternatives (ACA), an Accra-based international NGO, says her organisation in partnership with the Fanteakwa South District Assembly has extended various development projects to 30 communities in the area in the last five years.
According to her, ACA has supported each of 30 communities with $8,000 while the Assembly is topping up with $1,000 for each of them.
Some of the beneficiary communities she mentioned are Juaso, Nsuapemso, Saaman, Abompe, Bosuso, Subrima, Nsutam and Nsuta-Dahomey, among several others.
Breakdown
Addressing a Town Hall Meeting organized by the Fanteakwa South District Assembly at Saaman near Osino in the Eastern Region, Mrs. Nketia-Quaidoo said the projects implemented include three clinics, 13 mechanized boreholes, seven school blocks, two teachers’ bungalows, a poultry farm, two black soap production centres, a bridge, concrete road, market, electricity extension and community centres.
Nana Ama Nketia-Quaidoo commended the chiefs and people of Saaman, Subrima and Nsuta-Dahomey for their cooperation and commitment towards the implementation of their projects.
“These are communities whose communal spirit immensely contributed to the fast implementation of their projects”, she said.
She encouraged each community to properly document lands earmarked for development projects to avoid possible ligations when such lands are due for development.
She also mentioned petty squabbles among opinion leaders in some of the communities and the delay in the payment
“Development is continuing, it’s not about how you feel or the position you hold. It’s about continuity. We all have various roles to play to facilitate development in our communities”, she added.
She also stated that accountability is a two-way affair, explaining that much as the citizenry would always want to demand accountability from those in authority, they should also to the authority sometimes about their roles in the development process.
She also proposed that chiefs should also hold similar sessions with their people and account to them about their stewardship.
Agenda 111
For her part, the Fanteakwa South District Chief Executive, Mercy Akosua Korang, said government is taking adequate steps to ensure the continuation and completion of all Agenda 111 projects across the country.
She reiterated that governance is continuing and as such, various projects started by the Akufo-Addo administration, including the Agenda 111 projects, will not be abandoned but will be given the needed attention for the benefit of all.
According to her, government is currently reviewing various contractual documentations about the projects and will resume work on them in due course.
The “Agenda 111” project is a government initiative, spearheaded by the erstwhile New Patriotic Party (NPP), to build 111 hospitals across the country to improve healthcare infrastructure. The project aims to construct district, regional, and specialized hospitals, along with renovating existing facilities, to provide better access to quality healthcare and create jobs. Construction began in August 2021, and some hospitals under the project have been completed and commissioned, with others in various stages of completion.
Responding to a question on whether the Agenda 111 project located at the Nsuapemso Junction in the Fanteakwa South District will be completed and used any time soon, the DCE stated that work will soon resume on the project and asked residents to have confidence in the Mahama-led government to deliver good results.
On-going projects
Addressing the meeting earlier, the DCE said there are several development projects currently on-going in the district, especially in the areas of road construction and the provision of two additional CHPS compounds, renovation works on several school blocks and the construction of several new school blocks as well as the provision of mechanized boreholes.
She called for the support and cooperation of the chiefs and people of the area towards the execution of development projects.
The District Coordinating Director, the Budget Analyst, the Planning Officer, Works Engineer and a representative of the Member of Parliament for the area took turns to address the gathering.
Equitable distribution
Barima Dr. Ofori Nyarko Tetepo II, the chief of Saaman, who presided over the meeting, commended the Assembly for reaching out to the people to account to them and admonished the DCE take adequate measures to equitably spread development across the district.
He called for the establishment of a major market centre in the district to boost commerce and other economic activities, saying he has 20 acres of land available for any such project.
