Sixty-two communities in Agona West to get electricity

Sixty-two communities in the Agona West Municipality in the Central Region are to be connected to the national electrification grid by the end of December 2014.

The project, to be executed by TBEN Company Limited, a chinese company, is part of the national Rural Electrification Project under the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum.

Beneficiary communities

The beneficiary communities are Armah, Simpa Village, Aonum, Tettey Ekura, Kobina Kwaa, Nyamedam, Nima, Dwokwaa,Oman, Eyipa, Botsi, Kwame Kyire, Nyametsi, Amposah, Samuel, Kromonkwanta, Odumanyin, Keaa Entsei and Badu Nkwanta.

Others are Akuapem North Aweansado, Osenho, Nkwanta No 1 and 2, Ekwamase, Kwame Mensah, Adwen Ambatem, Yaw Nkum, Ahwiam, Otabilkrom, and Gyamafo.

The rest are Amankwaa, Akueku, James Nkwanta, Akesewa, Adwendaho, Beposo, Nsuansa Ketsewa, Kwaprede, Mangoase, among others.

The Agona West Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Samuel Oppong, made this known when he addressed the first ordinary meeting of the sixth assembly of the Agona West Municipal Assembly at Agona Swedru.

He said that the project was the second phase of the rural electrification project after a total of 56 communities were connected to electricity during the first phase of the project.

He mentioned that the contractor would begin assessment of the beneficiary communities this month, and therefore expressed the hope that the project would be completed by the said date.

According to him, after the completion of the project in the beneficiary communities, it would open up such communities to a lot of opportunities and development.

Finance

He indicated that the assembly estimated to collect a total of GHc1, 073,323 for the whole year as Internally Generated Fund, out of which a total of GHc279, 499.00 representing 26.04 per cent had been collected for the first quarter of the year, stressing that the figure showed that the assembly was on track to achieving its target for the year.

According to the MCE, GHc298, 004.00 was expended for the first quarter of the year out of a total of GHc1,073,423.00 expected to be spent for the year.

School Feeding Programme

He indicated that 17 basic schools with a population of 5,604 pupils were benefitting from the programme, adding that field monitoring report pointed out that the school implementation committees were not functioning.

He therefore appealed to assembly members whose electoral areas were benefiting from the programme to take keen interest and ensure that it was working effectively.

Education

Mr Oppong noted that for the past few years, basic schools in the municipality had not performed well at the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE).

He explained that available records indicated that out of a total of 2,182 candidates who sat for the BECE in 2013, only 848 candidates, representing 38.86 per cent, passed and added that nine schools scored zero per cent in the examinations.

He stressed that the Municipal Education Oversight Committee had instituted measures such as strict adherence to the use of attendance and movement books, embargo on salaries of absentee teachers, queries, bonds and releases would be used to streamline activities, among others, to help arrest the falling standard of education in the municipality.

MP for the area        

The Member of Parliament for Agona West Constituency, Mr Charles Obeng-Inkoom, urged the assembly members to be non-partisan in their deliberations and focus efforts  towards addressing the challenges confronting the people in the area.

He noted that the district assembly concept was non-partisan and therefore told the assembly members to do away with their partisan inclinations and work towards the progress of the municipality.