The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Hon Elizabeth Kaakie Mann, has assured residents of the Municipality of her commitment towards ensuring their deplorable roads are improved in line with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s “Year of Roads” agenda.
The Hon. MCE made this pronouncement at a Town Hall held at the Haatso Calvary Presbyterian Church of Ghana.
The Town Hall Meeting saw the Assembly present its 2022 Annual Action Plan and Composite Budget to the people, made by the Municipal Planning Officer (MPO) Mr Daniel Baah Tenkorang Municipal Budget Analyst (MBA), Benedicta Obeng-Nyarko.
Various stakeholders including traditional and religious leaders, Heads of Departments and Units, Assembly and Unit Committee Members, representatives of Residents’ Associations, trades associations, Market Queens and Leaders, youth groups, Civil Society Organizations, and Federation of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), among others, attended the meeting.
The Assembly is expected to raise a total revenue of 26.9 million Ghana Cedis in 2022 with 9.9 Million Ghana Cedis from the Internally Generated Fund (IGF) and the rest from grants, including District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF).
11.4 Million Ghana Cedis is earmarked for Capital projects out of which 1.7 Million Ghana Cedis is expected to be spent on roads and related projects, while 8.3 Million Ghana Cedis will be used for Goods and Services with the remaining 7.2 Million Ghana Cedis expected to be spent on Compensations including Salaries.
In her address, the Ga East MCE underscored the significance of the Town Hall Meeting and observed that democratic governance has transformed tremendously under President Akufo-Addo and NPP-led administration.
“Since the coming into office of H. E. the President, Nana Akuffo-Addo-led government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the practice and role of decentralization in Ghana’s development agenda has seen a new and significant paradigm shift whereby ‘Decentralization’ has been given impetus in the governance structure with the sector Ministry now called “Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Decentralization”, and the introduction of the National Town Hall Meeting concept which is replicated at the district levels”, Hon. Kaakie Mann posited.
“This is to further enhance and increase the participation of the grassroots people and ensure they have a say in the development of their localities. The recent processes through which the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) were appointed into the office gives credence to this government’s commitment to ensuring the growth and sustenance of our democratic governance to the benefit of all, irrespective of one’s position or status in society”, she further stated.
Hon. Elizabeth Kaakie Mann indicated that she was aware of the numerous challenges facing the Assembly before coming to office, especially with the roads sector and promised to work extra hard to ensure road networks in the Municipality received the needed facelift.
“I am very much aware of the poor nature of roads in most of our communities. I am passionate about and committed to finding speedy and workable solutions to this challenge. Since assuming office, I have made strenuous efforts to visit some of the areas with very deplorable roads and discussed with Management the way forward”, Hon. Kaakie Mann stated.
“I have also invited and held discussions with the contractors working on some of the roads especially Abokobi area roads; Abokobi-Teiman, Abokobi-Pantang, and Abokobi-Old Ashongman. Again, the Assembly has mobilized resources to do reshaping of our community roads which include critical ones like the Abokobi-Boi and Cosway Down-Kwabenya roads, Haatso, Agbogba, Akatsi Abor, Dome Pillar 2, Taifa North and South, Kwabenya, Bohye-Summer Hut, Ashongman Estate and surroundings”, she added.
The Hon. MCE also disclosed that the much-awaited construction of the Old Ashongman Pure Water road which connects through Ashongman Estate to Kwabenya Abuom Junction would soon commence.
“I am glad to inform you that the Pure Water road, at long last, is going to be constructed. As I stand before you today, the contractor has already begun moving materials to the site and I want to assure you all that we will ensure that the work starts quickly to alleviate the plights of all road users and residents living in and around that area”, she revealed.
The meeting was also used to educate the residents on the impending implementation of the “Operation Clean Your Frontage” (OCYF) campaign as part of the “Let’s Make Greater Accra Work” agenda rolled out by the Regional Minister, Hon. Henry Quartey.
The Municipal Environmental Health Officer (MEHO) Charles Ampomah Asabre, who took the participants through the Bye-Laws governing the programme emphasized the call by the Hon. MCE on the citizenry to be responsible for the general sanitation within and around their residential and business premises.
He said the Assembly would soon roll out fully the OCYF programme in the Municipality and charged them not to wait till the Assembly visits their premises and issue notices before they do the right thing in order to avoid prosecution.
A minute silence was observed in the memory of the late Municipal Urban Roads Engineer (MURE), Aboagye Foster, who sadly and shockingly died at the Ridge Hospital in Accra on Tuesday following a short illness with the actual cause of his death yet to be established.