By Laudia Sawer
Tema, Aug. 27, GNA – Mr Yohane Amarh Ashitey, the Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, has called on captains of industries to support the development of the town.
Outlining the vision of the Assembly to ‘Make Tema Shine Again,’ Mr Ashitey noted that Tema which was the first planned city south of the Sahara was now bedevilled with a lot of challenges due to the increase in population.
He said the city now had unauthorized wooden and container structures everywhere, indiscriminate dumping of solid and liquid wastes, dark and poorly lit streets, and deplorable school, and health buildings, among others.
The TMA brought together over 100 top management of industries in Tema at its maiden ‘Tema Mayor’s Ball’ which has an aim to rally the support and goodwill from corporate institutions and industry players operating with the Tema Metropolis to help the Assembly address the developmental gaps in the area.
Mr Ashitey explained that unauthorized structures and squatters dotted in the meridian enclaved would be demolished to make way for the needed development and beautification.
The MCE said it was worrying to see animals roaming in the Metropolis, therefore, the assembly resolved to create a pond where such animals would be arrested and sent, adding that owners of such animals would be charged a fine before they are released.
He said schools in the metropolis had not seen any major renovations and called on the industries to adopt such schools for a facelift.
He said to promote the learning of information, computer and technology, there was also the need to provide well-equipped ICT labs to the public schools.
Mr Ashitey said health facilities, including the Manhean Polyclinic and CHPS compounds, were all in a deplorable state and needed urgent attention, adding that there were inadequate sports and recreational facilities for the communities.
He noted that the existing markets were old and had less or no space for expansion, resulting in selling on roads, pavements, and other unapproved places.
The MCE also indicated that TMA’s internally generated funds were not sufficient to handle the challenges posed by the rapid rate of urbanization.
He, therefore, appealed to the corporate institutions to use part of their budget for corporate social responsibility to help in bettering the education, health, security, tourism, environment, and sanitation sectors of the metropolis.
Mr Michael Okyere Baafi, the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, on his part, appealed to industries to bear with the government during the current economic hardship, saying the government was doing its best to solve the issues.
Mr. Baafi said, “we also want to assure you that what we are going through is temporal and we believe that we will be able to surmount the challenges and things will be better tomorrow.”
Mr Daniel Nii-Noi Adumuah, the Municipal Chief Executive of Adenta, representing the Greater Accra Regional Minister, said Tema was a very important city in Ghana, and developmental issues needed to be tackled as it had the largest port, and planned city, among others.
Mr Adumuah said the tourism potential of the area must also be well developed to ensure that people would visit the area because it was the centre of the world, and has a rich culture.
Representatives of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) and the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) pledged their support for the vision.
GNA