Chiefs within the Kwabre municipality in the Ashanti region are gravely concerned about what about what they say is the neglect by government to the plight of the indigence and residents in the area.
Led by Barima Saasi Ayeboafo II, the Mampongten hene in the Mampongten district capital, the chiefs stated at a press conference last Tuesday, that “Nothing could best describe the deliberate neglect and dangerously punitive generational political culture than the conspicuous absence of Mampongten, the Municipal capital, from the Government ambitious AGENDA 111 programme to construct hospitals across the country. The agenda 111 policy neglect, institutional inertia, against the background of not a single purpose state hospital in Mampongten, the municipal capital, is the last straw which triggered this petition, release and subsequent resolution by the Chiefs and people of the Municipality.”
Read excerpts of the press statement below:
The neglect of the Fawode Junction-Kenyasi road in the Kwabre-East Municipality which is fundamental to easing the perennial traffic congestion on the Main Tafo Arterial road, and strategic to opening up the place for development remains a major issue of concern.
Nothing could best describe the deliberate neglect and dangerously punitive generational political culture than the conspicuous absence of Mampongten, the Municipal capital, from the Government ambitious AGENDA 111 programme to construct hospitals across the country. The agenda 111 policy neglect, institutional inertia, against the background of not a single purpose state hospital in Mampongten, the municipal capital, is the last straw which triggered this petition, release and subsequent resolution by the Chiefs and people of the Municipality.
What is more worrisome is that Kwabre-East Constituency, which posted the highest votes for the ruling party in both the 2016 and 2020 elections in the whole of Ashanti Region, has been in total neglect for the past 35 years: a clear case of the neglect of the goose that lays the golden eggs for the ruling party.
Our state of development remains a major scar, a worrying narrative and an affront to our collective dignity to exercise our right to some basic development facilities fundamental to the comfort, security and survival of our people.
We demand immediate action by the President of the Republic and relevant government authorities to change this narrative which is fast threatening the very survival of the Kwabre East Municipality in the face of basic infrastructural deficits.
If the tone of this petition is strongly worded, it only measures the degree of frustrations amongst our people to what appears to be a deliberate discrimination by Government to deprive Kwabre-East of its due in respect of development.
We are by this petition, release and resolution conveying to the government, and all relevant stakeholders, including the media fraternity, the state of extreme neglect of basic infrastructural facilities in the Kwabre East Municipality, for the entire Ghanaian public to appreciate the dire state of our development and generational neglect. It is our conviction that this would be urgently addressed to prevent any unpleasant situation arising out of our current state.
ITEM 1.0: THERE IS NOT A SINGLE KILOMETER OF TARRED ROAD IN MAMPONGTEN
We can say with emphasis or without any fear or contradiction that, Mampongten is the only Municipal capital in the country without a single kilometer of tarred road since it was carved out of the Sekyere district 35 years ago.
We are greatly disappointed, and it is important to communicate the fact that, a sod-cutting event in October 2019 by H. E Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo for the commencement of a 5.5km town roads project for Mampongten was immediately abandoned by the contractor after the fanfare and excitement that greeted the ceremony.
The sad part of this short-lived project is that the uncovered dug-out trenches left abandoned by the contractor has been posing danger to the town folks claiming victims especially women and children. There are numerous victims, some with serious impairment currently at the hospitals, with a lady victim at the Theatre and emergency unit of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. We certainly cannot be enthused with these developments.
This is certainly not the best story for a municipality that holds such a huge electoral fortune for the ruling party and government.
We are no longer going to accept our current status as Voting Electorates and basket for the ruling party in Ashanti Region. We are now shifting our status from voting electorates to policy electorates for meaningful development engagement for the Municipality. In other words, meaningful development engagement would now determine the voting pattern of the electorates of the Municipality given the painful history and lessons of generational policy neglect.
ITEM 2.0. MAMPONTENG CLINIC NOT SEEN ANY FACELIFT FOR THE PAST 35 YEARS
It is quite strange to note that the MAMPONGTEN CLINIC, the only facility serving the Mampongten township, the Municipal capital, built under the benevolence of the Late Nana Adu Tutu II, uncle of our current traditional leader, has not witnessed any significant upgrading to accommodate the current population increase for the past 35 years.
What is more serious is the conspicuous absence of Mampongten township from the government most comprehensive and ambitious health policy to build hospitals across the country: THE AGENDA 111.
ITEM 3.0. NO PUBLIC S.H.S IN MAMPONGTEN, THE MUNICIPAL CAPITAL
- The conspicuous absence of a public SHS in Mampongten remains a significant backlog in education against the background of the existence of 20 public and private JHS. This is quite strange considering the fact that Mampongten is central to 6 other districts supposed to benefit from such 2nd Cycle government educational institutions. This certainly is a huge GAP impacting directly on the future prospects of the
- This is further compounded by the absence of TVET or STEM centers required for access to skills training in the current competitive job market. The basic schools in Mampongten, the Municipal capital, are in very deplorable state lacking many basic essential
ITEM 4.0. THE MAMPONGTEN MARKET, THE NEGLECTED FOOD BASKET OF ASHANTI REGION
A project to develop the Mampongten Market, established about 200 years ago and once described as the food basket of Ashanti region, has suffered perpetual neglect with dire consequences for the stability and security of Mampongten. The then government in 2012 initiated the Jubilee Market Project to transform the market into an ultra-modern state as a major trading centre in the Region. This project was abandoned since 2013.
The project which led to the evacuation of the traders to pave way for the construction has since displaced the numerous traders in the township who have no alternative space to ply their trade. This has resulted in traders using any available space across the township creating nuisance with wooden structures in places not earmarked nor suitable for such purposes.
The painful aspect and our most dreaded nightmare being looked upon helplessly is that the market women, our innocent mothers, are now trading under an Electricity Palon which could trigger a disaster of a national scale if not urgently addressed.
ITEM 5.0. ABANDONED ASTRO-TURF PROJECT
An Astro-turf project for Mampongten was embarked upon by the National Youth Authority to serve the Municipality but was equally left abandoned thus depriving the children access to the school park for sporting activities.
RESOLUTION
- We demand that government come forth with a definite plan, a blueprint based on the concerns raised to assure the Chiefs and people of the Kwabre-East
Municipality of immediate steps being taken towards addressing these critical infrastructural issues.
- We are of the deepest conviction that these engagements would set the stage for effective partnership with government, to ensure that these basic development facilities are taken on board, before the presentation of the next budget by the government this year.
