Positive Change Glitters in Ketu District

If Positive Change is to be measured solely in terms of projects, then the people and residents ofKetu district in the Volta region could easily be counted as one of the largest beneficiaries of the two-worded policy, a phrase which has become the "guiding spirit" of the Kufuor administration.

This is because in the past two years alone the district has seen or is seeing not less than 77 physical projects, all aimed at bettering the lives of a great majority of its people - 47 of which have been completed.

The projects, which cost between ?15 million and ?1.5 billion each (depending upon type and kind) range from total constructional works to rehabilitation of deplorable structures. They comprise of water projects, market structures, irrigation dams, schools, clinics, KVIPs, teachers bungalows and a sports stadium.

A tour Chronicle recently embarked on which took this reporter to many of these sites revealed that the projects spread across the town, area and urban councils in the two constituencies that make the district.

They include Aflao Urban-13, Aflao Wego-13, Weta-11, Klikor-8, Afife-10, Dzodze-6, Somey Wego-6, Somey Fugo-7 and Penyi-3.

Disclosing the sources of funding, later, at the district assembly, the Chief Executive, Hon. Linus Codman Koffie, named the District Assembly, Danish Support to District Assemblies, Urban V Projects Programme and United States Agency for International Development as some of the financiers.

Others are Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs, Danish International Development Agency, European Union, Emergency Social Relief Programme, Village Infrastructure Programme, HIPC Relief Fund and the Government of Ghana.

Hon. Koffie said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government does not discriminate when it comes to sharing the national cake, and promised that more of such projects are in the pipeline. He hinted that the President's Special Initiative (PSI) on cassava would also be launched in the district this year.

The DCE noted that, with the increase in the prices of petroleum products, fuel smuggling into neighbouring Togo had reduced drastically and hoped that the people would embrace and co-operate on other government policies and programmes like the National Reconciliation Commission.

He lamented that Ketu North, one of the two constituencies, is more deprived than the south and would do his best to bridge the gap.

Earlier in a field interview, Mr. Vincent Hato, headteacher of Logove JSS near Agbozume, said he was glad that his call for a new classroom block had been heeded by the assembly.

At Kporkuve, Torgbui Dzogeggi III, chief of the town, thanked the government for providing his people with a clinic, teachers' bungalow and a multi-million cedi irrigation scheme. He said, "We will ever be grateful for what we are seeing today".

Moses Yevuga, a 42-year old farmer of Tsiyinu and father of seven, was not only glad that his children would be better taught because of a bungalow being constructed for teachers of the only primary school in the town, but also because the project would temporarily engage the youth by employing their services. Currently, teachers trek for over 10 km to teach there.

Other positive observations this reporter made on the trip were the virtual absence of bushfires in the district. And with work just starting on the Accra-Aflao road, Ketu district hopes to get another facelift if that too is eventually completed, and probably be heading towards a "Canaan".