Regional News of Thursday, 15 February 2024

Source: Prosper Agbenyegah, Contributor

Dormaa West MP, Helping Africa Foundation build 10-seater water closet toilet at Duabaakrom

The new facility The new facility

The incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for Dormaa West Constituency in the Bono Region, Vincent Oppong Asamoah, in partnership with Helping Africa Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), has built an ultra-modern ten (10) seater toilet facility for the people living at Diabaakrom.

The toilet facility is part of the numerous life-changing projects and programmes initiated by the MP, made possible because of his lobbying skills, which informed the decision of Helping Africa Foundation to sponsor the project to be done in the area.

The toilet facility which contains auxiliary facilities such as water and veronica buckets for hand washing at an estimated cost of GH¢350,000 was commissioned and handed over to the Diabaa community at a brief but colourful ceremony a couple of days ago.

The MP, being the Ranking Member on the Works and Housing Committee and Chairman for the NDC Bono caucus, said that he is very passionate about the development of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities in the constituency.

He expressed confidence that the toilet facility at Duabaakrom would go a long way to help eradicate open defecation in the area and indicated his commitment to ensure the building of ultra-modern toilet facilities in other peri-urban areas in the constituency.

Addressing the gathering which are made of traditional office holders, youths, traders and farmers at an atmosphere of jubilation, Honourable Asamoah urged the good people of Diabaa to take good care of the project to benefit generations yet to come.

The lawmaker thanked the President of Helping Africa Foundation, Debora Rose and the Executive Director of the Foundation, Mr Japheth Awuku for helping to build the facility for the people in the area.

According to him, the toilet project is being built at Diabaakrom as a result of the instrumentality of Mr Awuku, adding that he [Mr Awuku] consulted the foundation to sponsor the project after seeking his consent and approval.

"One day Mr Awuku came to use the ultramodern Information and Communication Technology (ICT) laboratory that l have built at Nkrankwanta, the capital of Dormaa West, which is a town located in the Bono Region of Ghana, near the border of Ivory Coast and he uses an old latrine in the area and realized that the facility has a hygienic problem.

"Following this development, Mr Awuku has consulted me (MP) and expressed his outfit readiness to support the community of building an ultra -modern seater toilet facility for the people of Diabaakrom since he was not happy of what he has experienced when he attended the mature call by using the latrine toilet facility in the area.

"And that l obliged and supported the Foundation many diverse ways to construct the facility which has been commissioned and handed over to the community to be used.

"So it is important for me as the MP of the area through whom this project was done in the area to acknowledge the vast contribution of these top high-profile personalities of Helping Africa Foundation," MP stressed.

"I am appealing to the other humanitarian organizations and NGOs that in this era of our history, l think that water, toilet, sanitation and hygiene facilities that we have to be encouraged in everywhere; so l need your help to support me to improve this situation. This is because the latrine toilet facilities used the people in the peri-urban areas in my constituency are considered as the practices of unprohibited open defecation.

"I am pleading that l need the help of the NGOs and other humanitarian organisations to quickly come to my aid because almost all the peri-urban areas or communities in my constituency are using latrine toilet facilities which l think is not good for the health of the people," he stressed.

The Dormaa West MP said that he conducted research and found out that the key problem in the various communities, particularly in peri-urban areas within the ten electoral areas was lacking of decent public toilets, water, sanitation and hygiene facilities.

The MP minced no words when he called on philanthropists, NGOs, individuals and organisations to come to his aid to provide these facilities to his constituents.

“With the provision of these facilities in the constituency, I believe they will help contribute to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Goals (UN-SDGs); Goal Seven (7) that focuses on ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all,” he stressed.

The MP used the opportunity to appeal to the beneficiary community to maintain the facility to achieve its intended purpose.

He beseeched the community members to own the projects, make good use of them, and also ensure their periodic maintenance.

He disclosed that he built an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) lab, equipped with over a hundred computers at the Nkrankwatan to develop ICT skills and learn through a computer-aided learning process.

According to him, since he assumed office as MP in the area, the constituency benefited from development in health, sanitation, hygiene, water, education, roads, social welfare, and many areas, adding that the constituency progressing in social and infrastructure development under his good MP leadership.

He stated that every investment that he made in terms in the areas of social and infrastructural life-changing development projects and programmes were straight towards the future development for the youths in the area.

For his part, the Divisional Chief for the Diabaakrom in Dormaa West, Nana Oppong Gyan Ababio commended the lawmaker for fulfilling his promise to the people.

The chief on behalf of some of the residents who thronged the commissioning ceremony of the facilities praised the MP for the kind initiative and appealed for more.

Nana Oppong Gyan Ababio called on the eligible voters in the area to vote massively for Honourable Asamoah in his second-term parliamentary bid to win the constituency seat in the 2024 general elections to continue the good works he is doing in the various electoral areas within the constituency.

The Chief affirmed his support for the incumbent National Democratic Congress MP for Dormaa Constituency ahead of the December 2024 polls.

He emphasized that the MP and the previous NDC administration has a well-known record of delivering on its electoral promises and is no doubt that declaring four more years for Asamoah will only bring progress and prosperity to his people.

According to the chief, Honourable Asamoah remains the constituency’s forerunner for infrastructure development, good governance and capacity-building support from local and foreign sources hence his decision to endorse him.

He said, "I am fully in support of the third term parliamentary bid for the MP because of your selfless, accessible, outstanding leadership, excellent lobbying skills and your active representation of the constituency in parliament which has led to the social and fundamental well-being of residents and has provided social and infrastructure development to the constituency".

According to the traditional ruler, Honourable Asamoah has done a lot for the constituency by helping to connect some communities to be connected to the national grip, undertaking a series of projects, seeking the warfare of constituents that he deserves to lead the area and continue the good works.

The Chief noted that Honourable Asamoah is a competent man with a vision who has the constituency at heart, hence appealing to the voters reward him by sending the MP back to parliament come December 7, 2024.

Nana Oppong Gyan Ababio urged the MP to fix the various poor road networks in the area, advising him and his campaign team to be endeavoured to engage in clean campaign devoid of personal attack and character assassination of his opponents.