By James Esuon
Agona Swedru (C/R), Nov 13, GNA-Mr Daniel Kweku Botwe, Minister of Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development, has cut the sod for construction works to begin on a three-storey 180 lockable stores at the Agona Swedru Mandela Market.
The project, expected to be completed within seven months, would include a police post, a fire station with hydrants, renovation of the existing KG school and a toilet facility at the market.
It is a World Bank project being funded through its Ghana Secondary Cities Support Programme and executed by Bea NEWT Company Limited, an Accra-based construction firm.
Addressing the Swedruman Council of Chiefs, market women and heads of departments at Agona Swedru, Mr Botwe assured that the Government was pursuing an aggressive programme to ensure the modernization of all municipalities nationwide.
He revealed that the Government had secured 150 million dollars for the construction of 582 projects in the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the Northern parts of Ghana to improve socio-economic development.
Another 200 million dollars had been secured for various development projects in 25 selected Municipal Assemblies of which Agona West was a beneficiary.
The Minister said the government had a covenant with the people and would remain focused on ensuring the socio-economic advancement of the country.
Mr Botwe assured the chiefs and people of Agona Swedru that the project would be completed on schedule because funds were available to pay the contractor to finish and hand it over to the Assembly for use.
The Ministry would closely monitor the project to stem shoddy work and ensure value for money.
He charged the Agona West Municipal Assembly Engineers and physical planning Department workers to intensify their monitoring and supervisory role so that the contractor would use the required materials for the construction works to be solid.
He urged the people of Agona West to continue to rally behind President Akufo-Addo and Dr Mahamudu Bawumia for their good intentions and ignore politicians with no track records to deceive them.
Mrs Justina Marigold Assan, Central Regional Minister, commended the Agona West Assembly Members for their hard work and dedication to the electorate.
She said the Akufo-Addo government had kept faith with the people in Agona West in the areas of education, health, and economic empowerment, among others, to improve their well-being.
The Regional Minister urged the contractor to utilise the local content component of the contract as stated in the Local Government Acts 936 to employ artisans from the Swedru township for them to derive direct benefits from the project.
The contractor should also purchase building materials from the local businesses to help stimulate the local economy, rather than buying them from Accra.
The Minister called on the market women and other residents who were closer to the project site to clear their containers and kiosks from the area to facilitate the speedy completion of the work.
Mr Evans Onomah Coleman, Agona West Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), said the efforts of President Akufo-Addo could not be overlooked as it was through his dynamic administration that the nation was able to secure funds for the projects.
The MCE explained that the Ghana secondary cities support programme commenced in 2019 with the Agona West Municipality as a beneficiary.
He said the funds from the programme had been used to execute various projects like the bitumen surfacing of Esukanten road (07 km) and pavement of the forecourt of Agona Swedru town hall and the bitumen surfacing of Otabilkrom link and Egya Ebusua streets.
The MCE hinted that the construction of major roads has undoubtedly improved the local economy of Agona Swedru to reflect the economic prospects of the citizenry.
Mr Coleman said the Assembly under the programme had carefully selected projects that would contribute to improving trade and commerce to enhance the living standards of the people.
Under the third phase of the programme, the Assembly would tar some roads aside from the Mandela market project.
Nana Kweku Esieni V, Nifahene and regent of Agona Swedru, who presided over the function, asked the contractor to do quality work that would stand the test of time.
He said the Swedruman Council of Chiefs would also monitor the construction works to ensure efficient jobs, saying that there was a need for the people of Agona Swedru to see quality works to enhance value for money.
The Regent of Agona Swedru assured the sector Minister and the Agona West Municipal Assembly of their full support for the government to execute projects in the area that would bring economic benefits to the people.
GNA
