Upper Manya Assembly received GHC 233,956.44 Common Fund for 2009

Asesewa Dec. 17 GNA - The Upper Manya Krobo District Assembly received a total of GHC 233,956.44 Common Fund for the year, out of the estimated GHC 1,363,946.00, representing 17 percent.

For its Internally Generated Fund, the assembly as at October collected GHC 81,593.32 revenue out of the projected GHC 205,200 for the 2009 financial year. Mr Joseph Tetteh Angmor, District Chief Executive, disclosed this at the third ordinary meeting of the first session of the assembly at Asesewa on Wednesday. He said even though there had been steady increases in revenue collection, they were not significant enough to meet even half of the assembly's targeted revenue for the year.

Mr Angmor said the assembly had time and again met to adopt strategies to boost revenue collection, including the formation of revenue task force, but those strategies had not yielded the expected result. He mentioned some projects being undertaken in the district as the conversion of four unit classroom blocks into offices at Asesewa and an oil palm factory, which would be turned into offices at Asesewa.

Also the construction of a revenue post at Otrokper, construction of a rural clinic at Samelisi and the construction of staff quarters at Anyaboni, among other projects.

Mr Angmor mentioned the widening of the Korlewa-Apimsu road, rehabilitation of the Asasehene-Asemaneye road, clearing of land for cattle market at Akateng and the levelling of a refuse dump at Akateng as some of the rehabilitation works being undertaken by the assembly with its grader. He announced that the 13 kilometre Asesewa-Abooso road, the 21 kilometre Abooso-Mpeam road, the four kilometre Asesewa town roads and the 23.5 kilometre Asesewa-Akrusu road among others had been awarded on contract for rehabilitation.

Mr Angmor was of the hope that with such a comprehensive roads rehabilitation, most of the rural areas, which had been difficult to access smoothly would now be opened up for farmers to bring their farm produce to the market centres to sell.

On the National Youth Programme, he announced that the office of the National Youth Employment Programme had been established in the district, at Asesewa and a District Coordinator appointed. "Currently the programme has a total workforce of 234 people, made up of Teaching assistants, Health assistants and Sanitation and Waste Management modules".

On afforestation, the DCE said the assembly identified a large tract of land at Anyaboni totaling 1,500 acres for the project, which would offer employment for many jobless youth, who would plant tress to replenish what is being cut down for lumber.