Regional News of Tuesday, 23 September 2014

Source: GNA

Afigya-Kwabre makes progress on administration block project

Construction works on a three-storey administration building for the Afigya-Kwabre District Assembly is steadily progressing.

The Assembly, created seven years ago, has been struggling with office space and operating from part of a filling station.

Its decentralized departments are located in rented premises, also at different communities that are far apart.

Mr. Kwaku Oppong-Kyekyeku Kaakyire, the District Chief Executive (DCE), is however upbeat that this would soon be over.

He gave the assurance that they would go to all lengths to ensure that the project was completed without delay, adding that, the roofing over the structure should be ready by December.

It would require enormous financial resources, but that would not in any way deter or prevent the Assembly from getting the job done, Mr. Oppong-Kyekyek said.

This was after he had inspected the project with a team of reporters from the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to acquaint himself with the work done so far.

Reporters of the nation’s wire service had gone to the area under STAR-Ghana’s media auditing and tracking of development projects, an initiative launched to put a spotlight on how government’s resources were helping to transform the lives of the people, particularly the rural population.

The goal is to aid transparency, promote accountability and good local governance.

The building was started in 2008 and the delay had been due to inadequate funding.

Mr. Oppong –Kyekyeku said the Assembly was established without seed money and that was to blame for its problem with office and residential accommodation.

He explained that the dispersed nature of the decentralized departments had not been helpful to smooth, compact and well-coordinated administration.

The project would, however, not take the assembly’s attention from the provision of schools, health, water, and sanitation facilities alongside other social amenities to improve the quality of life of the people.

Separately, the Assembly has completed three bungalows to house some of its officers to save them from high rent payment.

The DCE accommodation is also almost completed, he added.