By Dennis Peprah
Duayaw-Nkwanta (A/R), March 28, GNA – The tragic death of a-five-year-old boy has attracted the sympathy of Dr. Freda Prempeh, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tano North constituency, to construct two major storm drains to control flooding at the Duayaw-Nkwanta Zongo in the Ahafo Region.
The Ghana News Agency (GNA) learnt from residents that flood waters washed away the boy at the Duayaw-Nkwanta Zongo, due to poor drainage systems and uncontrolled erosion in the neighbourhood.
However, during an inspection visit, Dr. Prempeh, also a Minister of State at the office of the President, funding the project said though construction of the drainage system was expensive, that was the surest remedy to protect the residents, particularly, children of school-going age.
“Life is precious and as an MP, I can’t look unconcern for another disaster to strike before the authorities at the Tano North Municipal Assembly sit up,” the MP stated.
Dr. Prempeh said politics was meant for development and called on the people to vote and retain her and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Election 2024 to get more projects in the area.
Throwing more light on the project, being executed by the Feeder Roads Department, Mr Kwaku Duodu, the Ahafo Regional Director of the Department of Feeder Roads, said the two storm drains had 34 metres and 36 metres each.
He added the project, which was expected to be completed within six months, had also provided decent jobs for some of the youth in the area, and expressed appreciation to the MP for funding the project.
Some of the residents told the GNA, the poor drainage system was a headache to them, saying the Zongo community would forever be grateful to the MP for the project.
“In fact we give a plus to the MP for this particular project because we have made several appeals to the Municipal Assembly but nothing fruitful has come out of it,” Salifu Seid, a resident stated.
As part of the visit, the MP cut the sod for work to begin on the construction of a kindergarten block at Kofi-Nkrankrom, a farming community in the constituency.
The GNA gathered school children in the community, trekked hours to school, a situation that has demotivated most of the children to go to school.
Expected to be completed within three months, the facility has two classroom blocks, toilet and urinal facilities for boys and girls and a teacher’s office.
Dr. Prempeh said nothing should deny children of school-going age access to acquire formal education, and promised to furnish the facility with tables and chairs and other teaching and learning materials.
She advised the people to cooperate and support the contractor, saying with their support the contractor would be able to complete the project on time.
Mr Ekow Quansah, the Tano North Municipal Director of Education, said some of the farming communities in the area had no kindergarten schools, and appealed for more support, and lauded the commitment of the MP towards enhancing the development of education in the Municipality.
Many of the schools in the remote communities also needed teachers’ accommodation so that teachers would accept posting to serve in those areas, he added.
GNA