General News of Thursday, 17 February 2005

Source: GNA

Increases in fuel is in the interest of all Ghanaians -DCE

Agyarko-Buoho (Ash), Feb. 17, GNA - Alhaji Ahmed Akwasi Yeboah, acting Kwabre District Chief Executive, has stated that an increases in fuel prices will be in the interest of all Ghanaians.

He said though the increases would in the short run create some hardships, it would in the long run help the government to effect programmes to ameliorate the social and economic well being of all Ghanaians.

Alhaji Yeboah said this at separate durbars he held with the people of Agyarko-Buoho, Edwinase and Besease near Atimatim in the Kwabre District on Wednesday.

The occasion was used to inaugurate five boreholes constructed by the District Assembly in collaboration with the KFW, an NGO in Germany and the Community Water and Sanitation Agency at a total cost of 86 million cedis for each borehole.

Alhaji Yeboah indicated that the subsidy on fuel was costing the government a lot, saying that for last year alone, the government spent over 800 billion cedis on fuel.

The DCE said the government was committed to the total development of the country and it therefore behoved all Ghanaians to understand its policies and programmes and co-operate with it to accelerate the development of the country.

He announced that the government was going to rehabilitate and tar the Atimatim-Nkukua-Buoho road at a cost of 6.7 billion cedis this year and stressed the need for the people to endeavour to honour their tax obligations to enable the government to embark on more development projects in the communities.

Alhaji Yeboah urged the people to embrace the National Health Insurance Scheme and also send their children to school instead of asking them to indulge in petty business at the expense of their schooling.

He said the Assembly would soon institute a byelaw to deal with parents who refuse to send their children to school.

Nana Osei Kwadwo, Pampaso Krontihene of Agyarko-Buoho, commended the government for the various projects it had initiated in the town and called for their early completion.

Mr Samuel Nyatefe, team leader of the District Water and Sanitation Agency said 50 boreholes had been constructed and so far six of them had been completed with pumps, adding that 20 Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) latrines would be constructed at a subsidy of 480,000 cedis for beneficiary individuals in the communities.

Opanin Kwadwo Ofori, chairman of Besease Unit Committee, called for an additional borehole and the rehabilitation of the half-kilometre road from Essen to the town and the provision of electricity poles.