Kumasi Metropolis to benefit from 23 micro projects

Kumasi, March. 31, GNA - The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) is to benefit from 23 projects at the cost of two billion cedis, under the third phase of the Fifth Micro Projects Programme of the European Union (EU). The projects will cover the educational, health, sanitation, income generation and water sectors.

Mr Nketia Sarpong, EU Regional Co-ordinator for Ashanti and the Central Regions, announced this at a one-day workshop, organised by the Economic Planning Department of the KMA in Kumasi on Monday to educate stakeholders and beneficiary communities on modalities regarding implementation of the projects. It was also designed to sensitise them on their collective role towards the execution of such micro projects. About 80 stakeholders made up mainly of Assembly members, educationists, health personnel and community development officials attended it.

Mr Sarpong lauded the KMA for the credible execution of the 15 micro projects allotted it under the second phase of the EU micro projects, stressing, the excellent performance paved the way for projects allotted to the KMA to be increased to 23 under the third phase. He advised beneficiary communities of EU projects not to let their desire to complete such projects on schedule to goad them on to resort to shoddy work, cautioning that, "the EU micro projects management abhors such acts and will therefore reject any shoddy work."

Mrs Lucy Owusu-Ansah, KMA Micro Projects Co-ordinator, urged opinion leaders in all beneficiary communities to forge unity amongst themselves, since it was only when there was peace and oneness amongst the leaders that micro projects could easily be executed. She stressed the need for opinion leaders to also hold regular interactions with their people, to disabuse their minds that such projects were normally awarded on contract. Mr Maxwell Kofi Jumah, KMA Chief Executive acknowledged that the EU Micro projects intervention, had brought a variety of developments to the beneficiary communities and had also created employment avenues for a number of unemployed youth.