The New Juaben North Municipal Assembly organized a community engagement with the Oyoko-Asuogya Electoral Area at their New Palace in the Municipality.
The Forum was held on the theme: “Good Governance; The Role of Stakeholders” and also part of Government policy of bringing Governance to the doorstep of the citizens.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Comfort Asante in her address stated clearly what the Assembly has done and what they are still doing to help the Municipality grow. She said the Assembly is still young but trying its best to put the Municipality on a good developmental ladder. She urged everyone to feel free and come to the Assembly when they need any help or any suggestion that will help the Municipality to grow.
Mr. Helbert Danso, the Municipal NADMO Director in his presentation said the flood have affected a lot of people in the communities. The Municipality unfortunately recorded one death and have been buried.
Affected people recorded was 2,686 made up of 977 children comprising 489 males and 488 females, adults 1708 and 203 households completely collapsed.
He further stated that, currently the Assembly is dredging our rivers and gutters in our Municipality and work had started from Oyoko, he therefore pled with the people to stop throwing rubbish into our streams as well as gutters and also stop all the farming activities on its banks.
Mr. Asiedu Benjamin Obeng, the Information Officer, explains how one can secure the Government of Ghana and the World Bank 2nd phase of the covid 19 relief fund for SMEs.
He said eligible SMEs are Agriculture\Agro-processing, manufacturing, Textiles and Garments, Education, food and beverages, constructions, trade, transport and logistics, pharmaceutical production and others.
Also the company have to be registered with Ghana registrar general department with six (6) to thirty (30) employees or more.
He also talked about the youth recruitment training skills to become employable or self-employed in the country by the government and the targeted youth persons are the ages between 18 to 40 years.
Madam Peace Kpodonu from the Ghana Health Service also advised each and every one to take their health issues very serious. She mentioned that the flooding issues have brought a lot of filth in our homes and therefore has caused our wells and streams to be contaminated and unsafe for drinking but advised that, all water fetched must be boiled proper before drinking.
She also advised the people to wash their hands well before eating because cholera out break can happen due to the flooding situation in our Municipality.
She explained to the people why they should make sure their child have been given the polio medicine which is ongoing now in our Municipality.
The Municipal Budget Analyst, Mr. Attah Baah in his presentation on 2023 fees fixing resolutions talked on the Assembly’s plan to ensure that all fees and taxes paid to the Assembly would be the same everywhere in the country (Ghana), as the status of the Assembly was on the level of Municipality. He therefore asked the people to support the Assembly to get more revenue for more developmental projects whiles waiting for central government assistance to the Assembly.
The Municipal Agric Director, Mr. Emmanuel Amenu said that the People should take their farming serious for the reason that the Assembly have distributed 65,000 palm trees seedlings to farmers in the Municipality last year, under the program planting for food and Export and Rearing of Animals ,which about two weeks ago the Assembly distributed 24 piglets to 6 farmers .
ISSUES RAISED
Madam Kate Buabeng a woman from the community asked for frequent desilting of the streams and our gutters.
Mr. Osei Bonsu suggested that the Assembly should make sure after distilling of the water ways all the sand must be collected from the river banks.
Zainabu Mohammed in the community also raised an issue about how Animals are left in the towns and their farms destroying their crops is a worried example is the cows.
Emmanuel Asare asked the Assembly to construct more bridges in their area since the place development is very fast and when it rains it makes it impossible for their children to attend school.
Mr. Richard Osei Kwaku plead with the Assembly to get the Asuogya electoral area a toilet facility due to visitors who normally comes to the town due to funerals.
Mr. Kwame Saahene asked the Assembly to get proper task force to check building permit because people are just building anyhow which is making access roads to their homes blocked and wish to know the officer in charge at the Assembly so that he can see him for any assistance.
Finally another person urged the Assembly to keep organizing many town hall meetings within the Municipality so that people will get the opportunity to interact with the Assembly.
RESPONSE
Reacting to the concerns raised by the residence, the Municipal Chief Executive for New Juaben North, Mad. Comfort Asante said that the Assembly is working around the clock to solve these problems.
She also said the Assembly is ready to build a new toilet facility for Asuoagya electoral area and very soon the contractor would move to site for the project to start.
The Municipal finance officer, Mr. Muntara Alhasan Mohammed promised that the Assembly would go round to desilt all gutters and streams that needed urgent attention in the Municipality.
He also stated that there will be more town hall meetings within all the communities which will help people interact with the Assembly.
Story by
Elizabeth Ansaah
Municipal Information Officer.