Regional News of Monday, 2 April 2012

Source: GNA

Ga East enjoying fair share of national cake

Mr John Kwao Sackey, Ga East Municipal Chief Executive, has noted that the Assembly’s quest to facilitate development is spreading in all spheres including, health, education and agriculture.

He said, the Local Enterprises and Skills Development Programme, Ghana School Feeding Programme, and National Youth Employment Programme are making the desired impact in the Municipality.

Mr Sackey made this known at the first ordinary meeting of the second session of the Assembly at Abokobi in Accra.

He said, through the Ghana Education Trust Fund and the District Assemblies’ Common Fund, 3,000 dual desks have been provided to a number of schools within the Municipality.

Mr Sackey said, the area has witness the change of the shift system whilst classrooms have been provided for schools under trees.

He said the provision of resources to the educational sector reflected in the performance of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), adding: “The Ga East maintain its first position in the BECE in the Greater Accra Region.”

He noted that the Assembly has intensified efforts to acquire land for the construction of a senior high school.

Mr Sackey said, as a result of the collaboration between public and private health care providers, the Municipality had witnessed improvement in the usage of healthcare facilities considering the increase in Out Patient Department attendance.

He said, access to the National Health Insurance Scheme has improved, whilst immunisation against various diseases were carried out.

“Service delivery saw an increase in antenatal care from 67 per cent in 2010 to 93 per cent in 2011.

He said the Assembly has created seven functional Community Based Health Planning Service (CHPS) zones with four at Dome, Two in Madina and one in Taifa.

“Through the CHPS Basic health service are rendered to the communities.”

Mr Sackey said last year, farmers received credit facilities in kind and the total land cultivated under the Block Farming Programme was 157.85 per cent.

He said farmers were also supplied with seeds, fertilisers and other agro- chemicals on credit and are expected to pay back in cash or in kind after harvesting.

Mr Sackey said the National Fertiliser subsidy programme for 2012 would commence soon and would be launched in the Municipality by the Minister of Food and Agriculture, under the improved seeds programme.

He said the Ghana Urban Transport Project with its overall objectives of improving mobility through a combination of traffic engineering measures, management improvement and regulation of urban passenger transport is on course in the Municipality.**