Taifa residents look inward for development

Accra, March 8 GNA - Residents of Taifa North Ridge (Taifa Burkina) in Accra, have formed an association to channel their dissatisfaction about the slow pace of development in the community and lobby the relevant development agencies to extend their activities to the area. Mr Sammy Ologo, Secretary of the newly formed Taifa North Ridge Residents Association, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Monday that members would liaise with the utility services, the Ga District Assembly and the Member of Parliament (MP), to give the area the necessary facelift.

Of priority attention would be the establishment of a lorry station, provision of streetlights, refuse containers, good access roads and pipe-borne water.

Mr Ologo said every resident would pay 100,000 cedis each as a special levy to start with the grading of the roads while efforts were being made to secure a site for the proposed lorry station.

He expressed regret that thieves had stolen 23 pipes valued at 11 million cedis, which the Association secured to boost efforts to extend pipe-borne water.

Some anxious residents, who spoke to the GNA, expressed the hope that the Association would help reverse over 10 years of lack of pipe-borne water, erratic electricity supply, inaccessible roads and poor communication network.

They expressed concern about infrequent electricity supply and the lukewarm attitude by Water Tanker Drivers to honour request for water supply.

An angry resident, who only described himself as a Pioneer Citizen of Taifa, said electricity supply was so irregular that last week alone, residents experienced five days of electricity outage. "I personally visited the Electricity Company Office at Legon and the official explanation I had was that it was due to a technical problem.

"This problem had persisted for sometime and unfortunately we have nobody to complain to".

Some residents also demanded a meeting with the MP for the area, alleging that that they had never seen him or her before, to seek redress for problems in the area.