By Laudia Sawer
Tema, June 10, GNA – The Tema West Municipal Assembly (TWMA), in the first quarter of the year completed 29 of its 110 budgeted activities contained in its 2024 Annual Action Plan.
Madam Felicia Edem Attipoe, the Tema West Municipal Chief Executive, announced this in a speech read on his behalf by Mr. Emmanuel Kwame Kungi, the TWMA Coordinating Director, during a town hall meeting.
Madam Attipoe indicated that 40 of the planned projects were ongoing, while 41 were yet to be started.
She noted that over the years, the TWMA has used more than 60 percent of its financial resources accruing from its Internally Generated Fund (IGF) to improve infrastructural delivery and sanitation services within the Tema West Municipality.
“Just to mention a few, we have completed since last year the construction of a 6-unit classroom block at the Star Basic School in Community 5, the construction of drains along Kojo Mensah Loop at Community 14 Annex, the construction of U-Drains along Tensil Town roads in Lashibi, the construction of U-Drains along Community 19 Annex Roads, the dredging of streams from 5th Avenue stream to Collins Dawuda and Community 18 road to Corpus Christi JHS Road, and the construction of a 10-seater WC toilet at Texpo Market,” she noted.
The MCE, touching on revenue generation, stated that in 2023, the assembly was budgeted to collect 80.53 percent of its targeted GHC of 26,139,015.95, describing it as a commendable feat.
She added that out of the total revenue accrued, the assembly’s IGF for the year 2023 was GHC14,858,284.80.
“Likewise, this year, out of the target of about GHC 27,706,589.78, the Assembly as of the end of the first quarter has mobilised 20.9 percent.”
This she explained sought to deepen their revenue collection drive by enhancing their data collection within the municipality, as well as by installing new pay points and intensifying public education and sensitization programmes.
Madam Attipoe urged the residents to support the assembly in its measures to enhance collection on property rates in the quest for her outfit to continue providing the much-needed development projects.
Residents who participated in the town hall meeting expressed their grievances about some deplorable road networks in the municipality, a poor drainage system that leads to flooding when it rains, poor sanitation issues, and security challenges.
Mr Emmanuel Wordey, the Tema West Municipal Road Engineer, responding to some of the misgivings from the residents, said the government, through the lobbying of the assembly, was
conducting asphalt overlays on some of the roads, such as community 20, Sakumono and Community Three Sites A and B.
Mr Wordey said that even though some work is being carried out in the municipality, he acknowledged that more needed to be done. noting that a place like Adjei-Kojo, for instance, has over 300 kilometres of road with only about 200 metres of drainage.
He noted that “some residents associations have started something, but if you want to sit and wait for the central government, it will come, but the timing, if we are expecting the government to come and fix every road immediately, that will not be possible; it does not mean that nothing is being done.”
He urged residents to support the work of the assembly by looking out for some of the things they can immediately handle by themselves and work on while the central government and the assembly prepare to tackle the many issues.
GNA