Elmina (C/R), Aug. 27 GNA - The Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem District Chief Executive, Nana Ato Arthur on Tuesday announced that Cabinet was considering the approval of a 16 million-dollar contract for the dredging of the Elmina Fishing Harbour.

He said this has become necessary due to the silting up of the Benya Lagoon, which is greatly affecting fishing activities in the area. Nana Arthur, who made this known at the second ordinary meeting of the Assembly at Elmina, said the township would also benefit from the provision of 2,000 more telephone-lines.

Under the rural electrification and agro-business linkage programme, three communities in the District, Ayensudo, Abeyee and Dwabor would also be connected to the national grid by the end of the year, he said.

On funds for the Assembly, the DCE said it had for the first quarter of the year, received 1.1 billion cedis from its share of the District Assemblies' Common Fund, while it has also raised an amount of 198.9 million cedis of targeted revenue of 632.8 million cedis internally.

The DCE enumerated several projects being undertaken with assistance from the European Union and with funds from the HIPC Fund and said the initiative, had provided an amount of 804 million cedis for eight projects including toilets, classroom blocks, hand-dug wells and health and sanitation service centre in various communities in the District.

He said 500 million cedis more has been released from the HIPC Fund for the provision of more boreholes, toilets and water supply and improve sanitation in the District.

Nana Arthur, announced that due to the numerous complaints against the conduct of some members and staff of the Assembly, a public relation and complaint committee, would be formed, and reminded Assembly Members that they were not chiefs or queen mothers and should, therefore, not meddle in chieftaincy issues.

Mr Frank Appiah, Presiding Member, expressed concern about the fallen standards of education in the District and about the fact that just two schools in the area recorded aggregate six, while two others, had zero per cent in the last Basic Education Certificate Examination. He, therefore, urged the Members, civil society and all stakeholders to come out with a clear policy on how to deal with the situation and appealed to the Inspectorate Division of Ghana Education Service to step up its supervisory role in schools. 27 Aug. 03