New Edubiase (Ash), May 16, GNA- Nana Assiamah Guahyia Ababio, Chief of new Edubiase in Adansi South district of the Ashanti Region, on Tuesday called on the Government to encourage investors to take advantage of the availability of raw materials in the area to set up more manufacturing industries there. He said the area was the leading producer of cocoa in the region and also the nerve centre of timber industry in the Adansi area with about six forest reserves.
Nana Guahyia made the call at a durbar of chiefs and people of new Edubiase in honour of Mr Emmanuel Asamoah Owusu-Ansah, the Regional Minister, who was on official working visit to the district to inspect government completed and on-going projects. The Chief who is also the acting President of the Adansi Traditional Council, said cocoa husks could be used in the production of assorted produce as recently exhibited by the Cocoa Research Institute at Tafo, and timber could be processed into lumber and furniture for sale locally and export.
Nana Guahyia said the absence of industries to offer jobs to the unemployed youth in the district was creating serious social problems and affecting the development of the area. He commended government for the rehabilitation of the Edubiase-Oda road but appealed to the authorities to tar it. Mr. Owusu-Ansah said the Government was committed to the development of the rural area to end the rural-urban drift, which was impeding the rapid development of the country. He said he would liaise with other departments of state to address the problems facing the people in the district. Mr. Owusu-Ansah urged the chiefs to support the Government policies and programmes, especially the National Health Insurance Scheme so that people would be healthy to go about the duties to support the development of the country.
He also appealed to the people to encourage the children to go to school especially the girls so that they could take up their proper position in nation building. Mr. Owusu-Ansah later inaugurated the Assembly's guest house built in the town at a cost of 806 million cedis.
