By Yussif Ibrahim
Obuasi (Ash), April 06, GNA – Mr Elijah Adansi-Bonah, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Obuasi, says the Assembly has put in place measures to support community self-initiated projects in the Municipality.
He said self-help projects were catalysts for accelerated development at the grassroots and complemented the Assembly’s efforts in ensuring equal distribution of infrastructural projects.
A self-help approach is a mechanism where the community members identify a need and mobilize resources to start for the Local Assembly to assist with technical advice, equipment, and other support.
Delivering his sessional address at a General Assembly meeting at Obuasi, the MCE underlined the need for communities to adopt this concept and assured them of the assembly’s commitment to supporting such initiatives.
Mr Adansi-Bonah told the meeting that the Assembly exceeded its projected Internally Generated Fund (IGF).
While the Assembly projected to collect GH¢5,050,086.00 in 2022, it exceeded the revenue target by 11.72 per cent by raking in GH¢5,642,060.53.
The MCE attributed it to the improvement in revenue performance and the pro-activeness of the IGF technical committee of the Assembly which he heads.
He said the committee had sealed loopholes hampering the efficient collection of revenue.
He also applauded the efforts made by AngloGold Ashanti in collaborating with the Assembly, to access data and information of Subcontractors working under the mining company.
“The move has enabled the Assembly to issue business operating permits to the contractors which have contributed to the surge in IGF revenue,” he noted.
On education, the MCE said the Assembly entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, to officially hand over KNUST-Obuasi campus facilities to the University.
Established in 2019 with 300 students, the University can now boast over 2000 students.
The MCE said the Assembly had released a 50-acre land at Nhyiaeso, a suburb of Obuasi to the KNUST-Obuasi campus for future expansion.
He said the Assembly, in its resolve to promote quality education of school children in a serene environment, had initiated a process to procure study desks with metal frames to support public schools in the Municipality.
Mr Adansi-Bonah gave an account of the projects undertaken in the past year, saying the Assembly had a list activity to be initiated in 2023 under the Ghana Secondary Cities Support Programme.
He said the year will witness the construction of 400-metre reinforced concrete drains at Mensakrom, Bituminous surface dressing of 1.2 kilometre Government Hill-residency Road with 600 mm U- drain, walkway, bollards, road line markings and pavement of 1,500m parking space.
He also mentioned the redevelopment of the Obuasi urban park into a multipurpose modern recreational park as part of the projects to be undertaken this year.
Mr Adansi-Bonah indicated that though his administration had been hit with several challenges, it had been able to forge ahead and surmounted all the challenges culminating in the Municipality heading towards the right direction.
He called for the support of the people of Obuasi for the Assembly to effectively deliver its mandate.
GNA