Regional News of Monday, 18 February 2008

Source: GNA

ECG urged to replace burnt transformer at Gomoa Ofaso

Gomoa Ofaso, (C/R), Feb. 18, GNA- Nana Essilfie Ahimako IV, chief of Gomoa Ofaso has appealed to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), to replace a transformer which supplied power to the community, but was brunt three months ago.

Making the appeal at a durbar to climax the annual Akwambo festival of the chief and people Nana Ahimako said reports had been made to the Agona Swedru and Cape Coast Regional offices of the ECG before Christmas last year, as the people spent the Yuletide in darkness and could not watch the just-ended Ghana 2008 matches on television. Nana Ahimako said the inability of the ECG to install a new transformer for the community had also halted all power driven small scale businesses.

The chief appealed to the Minister of Energy, the Central Regional Minister and the Gomoa District Chief Executive to use their good offices to help the community to procure a new transformer to enhance development in the community. He also appealed to the Gomoa District Assembly to construct a block of six classrooms for the local junior high school, saying the pupils had to walk over a mile to Gomoa Afransi to attend school, which was impeding their studies.

The Assembly he said should assist the people to construct a modern place of convenience to keep the surroundings clean. He urged citizens who had attained 18 years and above but had not registered as voters to take advantage of the re-opening of the voters' register in May this year, to enable them to cast their votes in the December parliamentary and presidential elections. The chief also urged those who had not registered with the National Health Insurance Scheme to do so without delay to enable them to get quality and affordable healthcare. When the GNA contacted Mr Bismarck Awuku, Swedru Area Manager of ECG, he confirmed that the transformer got brunt before Christmas and that company was making efforts to replace it. He said the 33 KVA transformer and the 50 KVA had ran short in the country, and that the company had imported some which were expected to arrive in the country by the end of February, 2008. According to Mr Awuku in order to ascertain the truth of the matter, he had led the chief and some opinion leaders in the community to the Regional Director of the ECG in Cape Coast and he gave them the assurance that it would be installed as soon as the transformer arrived.