Akrofuom District Assembly to clamp down on okada related crimes

Okada usage and its brouhaha have been a great topic of interest in the country since it has grown to become one of the leading means of transportation especially in the small communities where access to vehicles has been difficult.

Over the years, there has been reports of upsurge in armed robbery and other related crimes using okada in some communities in the Akrofuom District. This has informed the assembly led by the District Chief Executive, Maurice Jonas Woode to act and nip the activities of such criminals in the bud.

In his sessional address at a general assembly meeting held on Tuesday, June 28, 2023, Woode said commercial motor business known as Okada has threatened the lives of the people in the district.

He said to curtail their activities the assembly through the District Security Council (DISEC) has tasked the Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate (MTTD) to conduct regular swoops on the riders, confiscate the motorbikes of suspects and release them only when they are able to provide evidence of registration and licenses from DVLA.

Progress in revenue generation

The District Chief Executive revealed that the Assembly was able to raise GHC 769,000 as at May, 2023. This was against an annual budgeted figure of GHC 880,000 representing 87.45%.

He however mentioned that there has been a proposal for an upward review of their revised target stressing that the assembly has resolved to construct a Kindergarten block using their Internally Generated Fund.

Education

The Akrofuom District Directorate has taken measures to improve student-teacher ratio. This according to the DCE is evidenced in the posting of 68 teachers to the district with 48% of them currently at post.

He however expressed the Assembly's commitment to creating a congenial atmosphere for the teachers to work in the district. He also called on the people in the district to be more hospitable to teachers.

Agenda 111 project

Giving accounts on the Agenda 111 hospital project initiated by the government, the Akrofuom DCE said so far the project in the district has been temporary halted due to technical challenges with the main hospital block.

"Work is ongoing on the accompanied residential accommodation. I am hopeful of resumption of work very soon", he said.