GENERAL

Ga East holds town hall meeting to present planned activities and budget for 2023
The Ga East Municipal Assembly has held a town hall meeting to present its planned activities and programmes and budget for the year 2023 at the Hosanna Congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Old Ashongman.

Date Created : 11/8/2022 12:00:00 AM : Story Author : Okunyin Boaz Orlan-Hackman/Ghanadistricts.com

The meeting brought together various stakeholders and residents including traditional and religious leaders, Assembly Members, Heads of Departments, youth groups, market women, members of the Association of Small-Scale Industries (ASSI) and Residents’ Associations, and transport unions, among others.

The Assembly’s projected budget for 2023 is 26.6 Million Ghana Cedis from both internal and external sources with 10.27 Million Ghana Cedis expected to be raised through Internal Generated Fund (IGF) and the remaining component form the Central Government and Donor funds including the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), to fund mainly infrastructural projects and payment of compensations such as salaries.

Addressing the stakeholders at the Town Hall Meeting, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mrs. Elizabeth Kaakie Mann, reiterated her resolve and determination to fix the deplorable roads in the Municipality.

She observed that she inherited road projects which had been awarded prior to her coming into office but some of the contractors have abandoned site while others are yet to report owing to lack of funds.

She intimated that the road projects in question are being undertaken by the Central Government through the Ministry of Roads and Highways but the Assembly periodically reshapes to make them motorable to bring relief to motorists and residents.

Mrs. Kaakie Mann appealed to the residents to bear with the Assembly as it works to get the roads fixed in the interim and indicated what is being done currently to address the situation.

“Of particular mention are the Abokobi-Teiman, Abokobi-Boi, Pure Water, and Cosway-Ashongman Estate roads, which have all been awarded long before I took office but the contractors have either abandoned site or yet to report. This is very worrying and I humbly pleading with you all to bear with us as we try our utmost best to fix this situation.”

“There are some works currently ongoing on the Pure Water and Abokobi-Boi roads and we have already, since a fortnight ago, worked on sections of the Abokobi-Teiman road to make it motorable for motorists and mitigate the plights of affected residents.

 All these are being done through our Internally Generated Funds (IGF) and it is your contributions, through the various taxes you pay, which have made it possible”, she further noted.

She used the occasion to encourage the stakeholders and residents not to despair in the face of the current economic situation of the country but have confidence in the President and Government to turn things around.

“While Government works tireless to fix the situation, it is my humble plea that we do not take undue advantage and cause it to aggravate, especially business and transport operators, by overpricing your items and services.”

“We know how the situation is affecting your business, and indeed all of us, but we should have fellow-feeling and the nation at heart and cooperate with and support the Government to navigate us out of this economic downturn. To quote the President, “we are in this together”, she appealed.

The Chief of Abokobi, who is also the President of the Ga East Chiefs’ Association and Government Appointee of the Assembly, Nii Adjetey Mohenu, chaired the programme and commended the Assembly for the numerous projects being undertaken to advance the development of the Municipality.

He however bemoaned the general poor nature of roads and asked the Assembly to expediate action on fixing them.

Municipal Planning Officer (MPO), Mr. Daniel Baah Tenkorang, and Municipal Budget Analyst Mrs. Benedicta Obeng Nyarko took turns to make presentations on planned activities and programmes and budget for 2023 respectively which forms part of the 2022-2025 Medium Term Development Programme (MTDP) policy dimension in line with Government’s “Agenda for Jobs II – Creating Prosperity and Equal Opportunity for All” programme.

There were sensitizations on HIV/AIDS by the Municipal Focus Person, Hamdiya Tamimu and Health Promotion Officer of the Municipal Health Directorate, Samuel Kwaku Agyare, Operation Clean Your Frontage by the Municipal Environmental Health Officer (MEHO), Charles Ampomah Asabre, Alternative Livelihood programmes by Paul Tutu ofthe Agric Department, as well as Client Service and Public Relations and Complaints Committee (PRCC) by the Public Relations Officer (PRO), Okunyin Boaz Orlan-Hackman.

Among the dignitaries at the function were the Presiding Member (PM), Mr. Jesse Nii Noi Anum, Municipal Coordinating Director (MCD), Mr. Emmanuel Kwame Kungi, and the Minister in charge of the Hosanna Congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Old Ashongman, Rev. Winfred Tetteh.

Assembly Members present were Mr. Jacob Ablorh, Ablorh Adjei, Mr. Dennis Mensah Sowah, Agbogba, Mr. Moses Ola Dowuona, Abokobi, Mr. Cornelius Addo, Atomic, Madam. Patience Ofosuhene Okrah, Taifa North and Mr. Joseph Iddrisu Boakye, Dome East.