The Agona East District Assembly in the Central Region has intensified its quest to improve on water and sanitation management across the district.

In view of this, efforts are being made to create an enabling environment where accessibility to potable water by constituents could be achieved, in line with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 6.

This was made known by the District Chief Executive for the area, Mr Dennis Armah-Frimpong, when he addressed the press and showcased his achievements.

With Infographics presentation, Mr Armah-Frimpong showed to the media how the Assembly has initiated a number of projects to ensure that greater proportion of the population had access to safe drinking water.

The presentation also highlighted other interventions in the area of proper hygiene and sanitation which are geared towards the attainment of SDG 6 in the district.

According to the presentation, broken down boreholes at Dibolase, Seth Okai, Duabone, Alesimase and Aboanu have all been repaired to improve the supply of safe water.

Additionally, the assembly, in collaboration with Plan International is currently constructing boreholes at Aboanu, Kwesitwikrom (KTK), Suromanya, Fawumanye, Mensakwaa, Kofikum, Esusu, Assarekwaa, Oboyambo and Fante-Bawjiase.

With funding from the Assembly’s share of the Common Fund, boreholes are being constructed at Agona Coleman, Otabilkwaa, Asarekwaa, Yebinawu, Peterkwaa, Kwame Ntsiful, Akrabong, Osankwaa, Tumfokwaa andSasakwaa

Distribution of Hand Washing Facilities

The Assembly, in collaboration with Plan International, has distributed handwashing facilities to some communities to improve proper hygiene.

They are, Aboanu, Kwesitwikrom (KTK), Suromanya, Fawumanye, Mensakwaa, Kofikum, Esusu, Assarekwaa, Oboyambo and Fante-Bawjiase Goal 6 of the Sustainable Development goals deals with clean water and sanitation.

Its related targets seek to achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation.

The District, in collaboration with Plan International Ghana, commemorated World Menstrual Hygiene Day with the distribution of Sanitary Pads to basic school pupils.

This initiative is in line with SDG 6 which pays attention to the needs of women and girls, as well as those in vulnerable situations.

One Million Per Constituency Initiative

According to Mr Armah-Frimpong, the Assembly is constructing 10 Seater Water Closet Toilet facilities at Nsaba Lorry Station, Asafo, Kwansakrom, Kwanyarko and Duakwa-Zongo.

Girl-Friendly Latrines, he said, were being constructed by the Assembly in collaboration with Plan International at Aboanu and Kwesitwikrom (KTK).

Others are being constructed at Suromanya, Fawumanye, Mensakwaa, Kofikum,Esusu, Assarekwaa, Oboyambo and Fante-Bawjiase.

These initiatives, Mr Armah-Frimpong told the press, were meant to address the open defecation menace in the district and improve solid and liquid waste management.

He noted that: “The boreholes do breakdown easily and it takes time for them to be repaired, a situation that militates against our resolve to provide safe drinking water”.

He, therefore, appealed to NGOs and other philanthropists to come to the aide of the communities so that pipe borne water could be connected to their homes.

Education

Mr Armah-Frimpong accounted that a number of infrastructural projects were ongoing across the district to help improve the standard of education in the area.

With pictorial evidence, he showed that 6-unit classroom blocks were being built at Otabilkwaa, Duakwa Salvation, Duakwaa Catholic, Kofikumand Agona Jacob schools.

Similar facilities, he added, were being built at Duabone, Asafa AEDA Zion, Sasakawa, Kwansakrom, FanteBawjiase, Duakwa and Nsaba Methodist schools.

Also, GetFund, he stressed, was funding the construction of KG Blocks at Kwanyako, Nsaba Methodist and Kokoado AEDA basic schools.

The presentation also showed that work on the construction of 3-unit classroom blocks at Kwanyako Presby JHS, Nkumkum Mangoase and Nsaba Islamic schools were progressing steadily.

“We are also constructing a 4-unit Teachers’ quarters at Nsaba to fulfil our desire to provide safe accommodation for teachers to incentivise those posted to the area,” he stated.

The DCE also pointed out that a classroom block was being converted to Teachers’ quarters at Mankrong to ease the accommodation challenges faced by teachers posted to the area.

According to Mr Armah-Frimpong, a single storey dormitory for girls at Kwanyarko SHS was being built to accommodate the increasing population of the school due to the Free SHS Policy.

The Kwanyarko SHS, he stressed, had again benefitted from the construction of a 6-unit classroom block and a single storey building to be used as Administration Block.

Mr Armah-Frimpong showed to the gathering that Nsaba and Nimta Methodist schools, as well as Oketsiw AEDA JHS, have been reroofed by the Assembly with funding from the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF). He again illustrated how a total of 1,800 Dual Desks have been supplied to Schools District-wide with funding from DDF.

Health

A CHPS compound at Namanwura has been completed while a 4Unit Nurses’ Quarters had been constructed at Nsaba. Both projects were funded with DDF.

In order to improve the delivery of health services in the district, CHPS compounds are currently being constructed at Mankrong Junction and Fante Bawjiase.

Also, Female & Children’s Ward has been built at Nsaba Health Centre. The CHPS compounds and the ward are funded through DACF.

Office Complex

A multi-Purpose office complex is being constructed at Nsaba, the District capital to create congenial working spaces for the staff of the Assembly. Additionally, a 4-unit staff accommodation had been built at Nsaba while a bungalow for the District Coordinating Director had also been completed.

The bungalow of the District Chief Executive had been converted to staff accommodation.

At Duakwa, market stalls and stores have been completed to provide a safe haven for the market women and men to safely undergo their day to day activities.

Planting for food and jobs

The presentation also illustrated the measures that have been put in place by the District Assembly to ensure the smooth implementation of the government’s planting for food and jobs initiative.

According to the fact and figures as presented by MrArmah-Frimpong, 354 beneficiaries benefitted from the distribution of farm inputs.

In 2018, the number of beneficiaries increased to 457 while it shot up to 586 in 2019. Some of the inputs distributed include maize, cassava, cabbage pepper and tomatoes.

The distribution of the aforementioned farm inputs has increased the yields of the farmers and improved their standard of living, a situation some of the farmers who attended the occasion confirmed.