By Francis Xavier Tuokuu

Nima Watch Group (NMG) has in collaboration with SEND-Ghana; a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) organized a programme for constituents in the Ayawaso East Constituency to sensitize them on Government’s Medium Term Development Plan (MTDP) and the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF).

Welcoming participants to the programme, Mr. Mohammed Sakibu, Secretary to the Group said the aim of the group is to contribute to the development of the community in areas such as Education, Health, Environment and security.

He explained that, the agenda of development will only be attained if community members are made a part of the decision making process adding that, SEND-Ghana has partnered them over the years to undertake many projects including school feeding programme, capitation grants among others.

An Assistant Planning Officer at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) Mr. Ketor Kenneth Yaoh who was a resource person at the programme said since 1993, development has been decentralized across the country so that people at the grassroots can benefit directly from government projects and programmes.

According to him, the first Medium Term Development Programme (MTDP) was introduced in 1996 which was dubbed, “Vision 2020” with the aim of reducing drastically poverty amongst the people. This was subsequently changed to Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS I) after 2000 when there was a change in government.

The purpose of the GPRS was to maintain stability in the economy as well as create many employment opportunities for the youth.

Mr. Ketoe said in 2006, GPRS II was introduced purposely to ensure private sector competitiveness as well as ensure good governance, accountability and human development.

With the coming into office of a new administration in 2009, the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDA) was put in place in 2010 to ensure economic stability, accelerated agricultural development, oil and gas development and transparent governance.

He enumerated many of the projects AMA has undertaken in Ayawaso East, to include a 48 temporary classroom blocks and 1720 furniture with the aim of eliminating the shift system and school under trees in the metropolis. He said AMA has contracted Zoomlion Company Ltd a private waste management company to collect waste in the various households in the metropolis for a fee and appealed to the people to corporate with the company to make Accra free of filth.

He hinted that, Accra has been named one of the six cleanest cities in Africa.

He said Nima will be provided with an ultra-modern polyclinic by the government and urged the community to continue to pay their taxes since the government lacks funds to carry out her agenda fully.

Nima, which falls under the Ayawaso East Constituency of the Greater Accra Region, is one of the deprived communities in the country. It is one of Ghana’s slum areas with poor sanitation and poor infrastructural facilities.