The Ministry of Local Government Decentralization and Rural Development (LGDRD) has begun a tour to inspect ongoing projects in the Western and Ahafo regions which form part of the newly-created regions under President Akuffo Addo’s administration.
The import of the visit was to give the ministry first-hand information on ongoing developmental projects which began due to the creation of the new regions.
It will be recalled, that in February 2019, Parliament approved GHC2,079426,613 as the DACF for Ministries, department and agencies for 2019.
Out of that, GHC200million was devoted to the construction of offices for the new Regional Coordinating Council, with an amount of GHC80million for their operations.
As part of this and at the behest of Hon Daniel Botwe, the minister is embarking on a nation-wide tour of the various regions to acquaint themselves with the progress and challenges facing the execution of the projects.
The team which is led by a Deputy Minister for Local Government Decentralization and Rural Development who doubles as the Member Of Parliament(MP) for Offinso North, Hon Augustine Collins Ntim, first touched base with the Akontombra district in the Western North region where he, on behalf of the Minister, commissioned a newly constructed district assembly block for the Akontombra district.
At a brief ceremony for the chiefs and people, the Member Of Parliament, management and staff of the Assembly, to commission the two storey assembly complex, Hon. Collins Ntim said the creation of the western north region which is inclusive of the Akontombra district was to help fasten development across the length and breadth of the country.
Hon Ntim said, “Following the large increase in national population and governments resolve and ability to employ more staff at the district level, the infrastructure capacity of the assemblies became woefully inadequate to cater for the intake of district assembly staff, hence the need to construct these assembly blocks nationwide with Akontombra been a major beneficiary, to provide a conducive working space for the various MMDA’s.”
He further stated, “Today’s commissioning is an example of governments’ deliberate policy to sustain the development of infrastructure for economic growth in all new created regions in the country.”
He tasked management and staff of the Assembly to exhibit high levels of
professionalism, decency, culture of maintenance and observe their own work ethics and further charged the District Chief Executive to plant Ornamental and shade trees to help mitigate the effect of climate change, green and beautify the assembly environment.
”You are the face of Akontombra, everybody within the district looks up to you. Per your own work ethics as civil servant, it is incumbent on you to report to work latest by 8:30am and leave office by 5:00pm,at no point should you come to work after 8:30am and leave before 5:00pm,you need to be professional in your duties, you must again have that maintenance culture to preserve this huge edifice to give it the importance it deserves, and again as part of government policy every assembly is to embark on the tree planting exercise,” the Minister stated.
He has therefore asked me to charge you (Hon Chief Executive) to take steps in planting trees around this area, through the department of Parks and Gardens which is a decentralized department under the ministry, to help in the beatification of Akontombra and also mitigate the effect of climate change.
The Hon Deputy Minister of behalf of the Minister for Local government decentralization and rural development thanked the chiefs and people of Akontombra for their keen interest in the development of the district, by letting out about 20acres of land to government at no cost for infrastructural development.
”The Hon Dan Botwe wishes to express his profound gratitude to you in particular, Nana Kwabena Ebi II(Akontombra Manhene) for this kind gesture and love for your community, in given out for free, lands for infrastructure development, which sinks into the agenda of governments committed to developing every part of the country on a district and regional bases, to ensure an equal distribution of national cake, I would like to urge all chiefs to emulate the kind gesture of the Akontombra chief, by leasing out lands to government for infrastructural development,” he added.
The paramount chief of Sefwi Akontombra, Nana Kwabena Ebi II who doubles as the Benkumhene of the Sefwi Wiaso Traditional Council expressed his gratitude to His Excellency the President, Nana Akuffo-Addo, for the creation of the Western North region and the construction of the district assembly block and other projects ongoing within the Akontombra district.
