Community leaders must uphold the principles of accountability

Edwenase (W/R), April 21, GNA - Community and opinion leaders in the Mpohor Wassa East District have been tasked to uphold the principles of accountability to ensure that projects handed to the area are properly managed. Mr James Asmah, Mpohor Wassa East Community Development Officer, made the call at Edwenase at a durbar of chiefs and people of Edwenase and Ekutuase.

The durbar was held to assess the state of projects and facilities provided for the two communities by the Area Development Programme (ADP) of World Vision, Ghana and the Mpohor Wassa East District Assembly for the past five years. Some of the projects provided included bore holes, hand dug wells, school blocks, markets and gari processing machines. Addressing the durbar, Mr Asmah said for the past five years World Vision and the assembly had provided 26 bore holes and hand dug wells for Edwenase and Ekutuase.

He explained that more projects would be provided but the decision would be based on how the communities' authorities manage and maintain those provided.

Ekutuase has about 10 communities, he said, adding that some of the communities had refused to pay their token for the maintenance of the bore holes and the hand dug wells thus threatening their existence.

He said that those who used to pay for the water fetched from the wells and the bore holes had stopped with an explanation that the attendants who manned the wells and them pocketed the money without rendering account to the community.

The Mpohor Wassa East District Information Officer, Mrs Shalomina Awuku-Bekoe, charged the Water and Sanitation (WATSAN) Committee members to make accountability their hallmark, saying this would remove doubts from the minds of the community members and thereby attract their support.

She asked the people to keep their surroundings clean to avoid cholera infection, adding that the disease is on the rise and any reluctance on the part of community member to clean their environment could lead to the outbreak of the disease.