Embrace govt policies - Minister

Abiriw-Akuapem (E/R), Dec. 27, GNA - The Minister of Energy, Prof. Mike Ocquaye, has called on the people to embrace policies of government because those policies were meant to improve the standard of living of the people of Ghana.

He assured that the govern ment would not formulate policies that would worsen the economic conditions of Ghanaians. Prof. Ocquaye was speaking at the annual Ohum festival of the Chiefs and people of Abiriw in the Akuapem North District on Saturday. He assured that with the 30 million dollars facility from the Indian Government to support the energy sector, next year would witness mass improvement in the energy sector to the benefit of all Ghanaians. Prof. Ocquaye said power generation in the country had been improved drastically over the years and would continue until a holistic impact was achieved.


The Minister of Information Mr Dan Kweku Botwe, thanked the people of the area for the overwhelming interest they showed in government projects and assured them of government's continued effort to raise the standard of living of the people in the area. He mentioned the provision of 200 electricity poles by the assembly last year, as evidence of the government's preparedness to bring development to the community.


The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Yaw Barimah, said development could not thrived in the midst of illiteracy, hence the need for the youth to be educated and trained to fit into the human resource base. He, therefore, commended the people of Abiriw for the setting up of the Adakasu Education Fund, which had already benefited many young ones in the area.

The Akuapem North District Chief Executive (DCE) Mr Edward Adu-Aboagye hinted that, the district would benefit from 10 projects in the educational, water and sanitation sectors to the tune of 2 billion cedis under a EU-micro projects programme from next year. He said, in addition to that, the district would focus on agriculture activities to train most of the youth, who would be provided with inputs as means of creating jobs in the area. The DCE appealed to the people to make good use of the capitation grant and send their children to school to ensure their future and to register with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which would also provide them with quality healthcare.


The Chief of Abiriw, Nana Kwame Henaku II, appealed for the establishment of a technical school in the area and pledged the traditional council's readiness to provide land for that purpose. He thanked the government for the provision of a clinic and a staff residence, teachers' quarters and the construction of a unit block for the SDA Junior Secondary School and expressed the hope that provision of such projects would continue. Nana Kwame Henaku, later presented awards to five Abiriw citizens, who had distinguished themselves in various fields and championed the cause of development in the area, these included the former speaker of parliament Mr Peter Ala-Adjetey, who happens to be the Akyempimhene of the town and the Minister of Information, Mr Dan Botwe.