Akyem Oda, April 24, GNA- The District Chief Executive of Birim South, Mr Frank Kwame Busumtwi has said there had been significant improvement in the lives of the people in the District in the areas of job creation, health, education, sanitation and water supply since the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government came to power.
During the 2005 fiscal year the district assembly undertook over 15 physical development project including the construction of schools, clinics, Area Council offices and public places of convenience Mr Busumtwi, who disclosed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said these projects generated job opportunities for people in the beneficiary communities He said over 122 jobs were created under those projects, adding that people employed include contractors, civil engineers consultants, masons, carpenters, steel benders, painters and labourers. "Under the Forestry Management Programme, 45 jobs were created while an forestation programme at Moffram had also employed 75 people as at the end of 2005 and the number is likely to increase to 100 by December, 2006," he disclosed.
The DCE said an Inland Valley Rice Development Project, which was funded by the African Development Bank, had engaged 52 farmers from Akyem Swedru and Oda Nkwanta in the cultivation of rice on 18 acres of land.
He said last year an amount of 3.3 million cedis was approved for each farmer for the cultivation of rice and expressed optimism that the acreage under cultivation would increase and employ more people on the farms this year
Mr Busumtwi 130 individuals had benefited by cultivating 132 hectares of maize during the minor season last year with financial support of 132 million cedis.
He said 18 communities in the district were involved in the maize cultivation and expressed the hope that the figure would double by this year.
He said the Canadian Government, through the South Birim and Bosome Rural Banks was supporting individuals, groups and community initiated activities in the district under its Food and Agriculture Support programme.
Mr Busumtwi said three groups and individuals had so far accessed a credit facility of 209 million cedis, adding that the assembly had interviewed another batch of 15 applicants waiting to take credit facility of 206 million cedis.
He said the Hi-Tech Cocoa Spraying programme had created 800 jobs in the area. The DCE said t he assembly was in the process of reactivating the citrus factory at Oda Nkwanta to boost economic activities in the district.
He said over 1,000 farmers were expected to be engaged in citrus production adding that the factory would create over 50 jobs as a start this year.
Mr Busumtwi said the assembly had directly received a total amount of 4.6 billion cedis from the HIPC Fund, which was expended in the areas of health, education and water and sanitation.
In the area of sanitation, a 20-seater septic tank latrine each had been constructed at Akyem Aduasa, Akyem Swedru, Akyem Oda, Akyem Manso, Akyem Akroso, Akyem Asene and Akyem Achiase among other communities. On education, three-classroom block had been constructed at Akyem Aperade, Akyem Apoli and Akyem Asuboa.
Mr Busumtwi mentioned other projects constructed with HIPC fund as a two-storey block dormitory at Oda Secondary and Akyem Swedru Secondary Schools.
On scholarships/sponsorships, he said the assembly, since 2003 had spent 178.6 million cedis to provide scholarship /sponsorship facilities to a number of teacher trainees, senior secondary school students, University students and students of the School for the Blind at Akropong.
Under the Urban five projects, the district capital Akyem Oda had seen marked improvement in the road network, which comprised the rehabilitation of 2.95 kilometre of roads and drains at the cost of 603,394.40 Euros.
