Wassa Japa Launches Electrification Project

The chief and people of Wassa Japa in Wassa Amenfi District in the Western Region have launched an electrification project to connect the area to the national grid. in pursuit of this goal, they have alsoagreed to provide concrete electric poles.

In all, about 120 electric poles would be needed for the project, which is estimated to cost about ?25 million.

According to the chairman of the Unit Committee, Mr. Payl Gyabeng, residents are to contribute ?60,000 and ?40,000 per man and woman respectively.

He added that non-residents would, however, pay ?100,000 a man and a woman would bear ?80,000 for the project.

The assembly member for the area, Mr. Donkor, speaking at the function at Japa last week, urged the people to be committed to communal labour activities.

He particularly focused his attention on the women folk, as the project involved the carrying of sand and stones for the construction of the poles.

He urged the youth to rally behind the project seriously and help make it a success.

Donkor stressed that in order to boost the financial situation of the Unit Committee, for every 60 x 80 of any land plot obtained, the owner would have to pay ?50,000 into the committee's coffers.

"Parents of basic schools will pay ?8,000, instead of the ?4,500 a year approved by the government, so that the remaining ?3,500 can go to strengthen the funds of the committee for their development projects," the assembly member disclosed to the Chronicle.

A member of the community whose name was not immediately known cautioned the assemblymember and the unit committee to apply the principles of probity and accountability and transparency to avoid a misunderstanding over how the people's contributions towards the project are used.

He went further to state that the absence of these principles has been a major hindrance in most communities in their development efforts in the course of undertaking self-help projects, the Chronicle can reveal.

The people also stressed on the need for the unit committee to seek expert advice for the eradication of shoddy work.

They also charged the committee to establish frequent contacts with the appropriate quarters, especially the district assembly, for the early completion of work.

A sub-chief of the community, Nana Tufuhene, thanked the people for accepting President Kufuor's advice on the adoption of concrete electric poles, which is said to be cost effective when he visited the Wassa area at Akropong.

He, therefore, advised the people against luke-warm attitude, and rather "put all hands on deck."