FEATURE: Kpone deserves attention

Kpone, a community which lies at the south-eastern part of the Greater Accra Region on the geographical map of Ghana has a population of 106,398 with a total number of 24,800 which represents 4.0 persons per household according to the 2010 population census.

With the same arithmetic, children account for 38.4%, constituting the largest proportion of household. About 42%, out of the total account, is married from age 12.

A large percentage of the population is into agriculture but now, heavy industries are enveloping the residential area with industrial activities which have put most residents’ lives at risk of hazardous ailments like respiratory infection.

The siting of heavy industries such as those into power producing, steel manufacturing and oil refinery has collapsed the agricultural business which most people of Kpone depend on.

Despite the many heavy industries in the area, most of the youth are unemployed in the industries as a result of poor literacy.

A visit to the area exposed the illegal activities of these unemployed youth who have virtually resorted to gambling and irresponsible smoking of marijuana. Their joblessness has rendered them financially hopeless and so it is conspicuous to see ghettos springing up in the area.

Information revealed that there are about 21 ghettos with about 20 to 25 members meeting at each ghetto daily.

When one engages some of the youth who are into hard drugs they say: “We have no jobs, except fishing and farming. But for some time now, we don’t get catches when we go fishing. Our farmlands too have been sold to these industries owners. Therefore we come to our ghettos to entertain ourselves.”

There is heavy disappointment in the companies by the Kpone elders for not employing their youth after releasing their vast lands to them.

Many people also complained about the health implications the hazardous fumes from some of the industries have brought to them.

Based on this, the attention of government is being drawn to the imminent health hazard and urged to as a matter of urgency engage the industries to check the emission of the dangerous fumes they emit in the area.

Additionally, government is being implored to lobby the industries to employ the youth to benefit from their ancestral properties left behind for the future of Kpone.