ADMINISTRATION & HUMAN RESOURCE
Hon. Presiding Member, I wish to inform you that Mr. Derrick Obeng Dapaah –the District Planning Officer – has been posted to the Offinso North Municipal Assembly of the Ashanti Regional Co-ordinating Council. The Assembly is still waiting for a new Officer to be posted to the district to replace him.
I am very happy to inform Hon. Members that work on the creation and designing of a website for the Assembly has been completed so the Ellembelle District Assembly can now be found on the worldwide web at www.eda.gov.gh .
ASSEMBLY’S SUB-STRUCTURES
Hon. Presiding Member, to ensure the effective operation of the Area Councils of the Assembly, a team of officers from the Assembly embarked on a visit to Atuabo, Aiyinase, Awiebo and Asasetre Area Councils on 26th and 27th April, 2016 to interact with the executives and the traditional authorities about the operation of the sub-structures. The traditional authorities generally pledged their support for the effective operation of the Area Councils.
Gladly, the traditional authority at Atuabo have released a room at the Traditional Council building for use as office by the Area Council, the chief and elders of Kikam have also released a room at the chief’s palace for use as office for the Kikam Area Council while the chief and elders of Awiebo have released a piece of land for the construction of the Awiebo Area Council office. I am happy to inform the House that the contract for the construction of the Awiebo Area Council office has been awarded and the contractor will soon move to site.
To ensure the transfer of ceded revenue to the Area Councils, the Assembly has opened accounts for all the 7 Area Councils (3 at Ankobra West Rural Bank, Esiama and 4 at Nzema Manle Rural Bank). For proper checks and balances, the signatories to the accounts include the District Finance Officer (principal signatory), the chairpersons and the secretaries. Any withdrawal from the accounts will pass through the Assembly’s normal approval process. All the Area councils have been tasked to identify revenue collectors within their areas of jurisdiction to be bonded to help them mobilize revenue for their activities.
Hon. Members, the Assembly transferred funds into the accounts of all the Area Councils for their first meetings which were organized between 15th April, 2016 and 26th May, 2016. The major recommendations made by the Area Councils to the Assembly for their effective operation include:
The provision of office accommodation, office equipment and other logistics;
The ceding of all toilet facilities constructed by the Assembly in their respective areas of jurisdiction to the Area Councils for their management; and
The clear specification of areas to be ceded to the Area Councils for revenue mobilization, among others.
Even though the Assembly has not yet posted administrative staff to the Area Councils, Management has decided to post some National Service Personnel who will be received by the Assembly for the new service year to the various Area Councils to assist them in executing their mandates.
Meanwhile, the Assembly has already assigned staff in the Revenue and Environmental Health Classes to the Area Councils as follows:
| S/N | AREA COUNCIL | NAME OF OFFICER | CLASS |
| 1.0 | Aiyinase |
|
Revenue
Environmental Health |
| 2.0 | Atuabo |
|
Revenue
Environmental Health |
| 3.0 | Asasetre |
|
Revenue
Environmental Health |
| 4.0 | Awiebo |
|
Revenue
Environmental Health |
| 5.0 | Esiama |
|
Revenue
Environmental Health |
| 6.0 | Kikam |
|
Revenue
Environmental Health |
| 7.0 | Nkroful |
|
Revenue
Environmental Health |
Besides, Management has assigned its members to the various Area Councils as co-ordinators to offer technical support for their effective operations. They include the following:
| S/N | AREA COUNCIL | NAME OF OFFICER | DESIGNATION |
| 1.0 | Aiyinase |
|
District Works Engineer
Procurement Officer |
| 2.0 | Atuabo |
|
District Planning Officer
Assistant Director IIB |
| 3.0 | Asasetre |
|
Head of Revenue
District Budget Analyst |
| 4.0 | Awiebo |
|
Assistant Director IIB
Town & Country Plan. Officer |
| 5.0 | Esiama |
|
Assistant Director IIB
Dist. Feeder Roads Engineer |
| 6.0 | Kikam |
|
Dist. Env’tal Health Officer
District Internal Auditor |
| 7.0 | Nkroful |
|
Assistant Director IIB
Social Development Officer |
SECURITY
Hon. Members, the security situation in the district is relatively calm. I am happy to inform the House that the new Fire Service Station has been officially commissioned on the 4th of July, 2016 and is in operation. Accordingly, a new and first Fire Service Officer in the person of A.D III Comfort Quarmyne has been posted to the district to oversee the operations of the Service in addition to 9 other staff. Besides, 13 Fire Service Assistants have been posted to the Service under the Ghana Youth Employment Agency.
As you are aware, the District Magistrate Court building is also complete and plans are being made for its official commissioning sooner than later.
To further strengthen efforts by the security agencies in maintaining peace and order in the district, the Assembly has received approval for the establishment of Immigration Service office in the district. Work on the office accommodation to house the Service is complete.
EDUCATION
Hon. Presiding Member, the Government, and for that matter, the Assembly continue to give education the needed attention and support it deserves for the development of the human resource base of the district. In this regard, the Government has distributed brand new school buses to Kikam Technical Institute, Esiama Secondary Technical School as well as the Nkroful Agricultural Senior High School as part of its efforts to changing lives and transforming the country.
The Assembly has also distributed a total of 1,625 dual desks to 52 basic schools across the length and breadth of the district to enhance educational performance. Again, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) has awarded a contract for the manufacture of 1,035 mono desks, 69 dual desks, 6 tables and chairs for teachers, 12 staff Common Room chairs, and 8 cupboards for the Nyaniba Primary School at Nkroful.
As it has been the practice by the Assembly in collaboration with the Hon. Member of Parliament (M.P), and the District Directorate of Education, an amount of GH¢ 1,000 was released by the Assembly for the organization of this year’s mock examinations for all B.E.C.E candidates. The Assembly has, again, released GH¢7,000 to the Education Directorate to support students in the district to participate in this year’s regional Science, Technology and Mathematics Innovation Education (STMIE) which is currently on-going in Takoradi.
AGRICULTURE
Hon. Presiding Member, to help boost cocoa production in the country, the Cocoa Health Extension Division of the Ghana Cocoa Board has, through its CODAPEC/HITECH programme, distributed the following inputs to the Aiyinase Cocoa district for onward distribution to our farmers:
- Three Hundred and Ninety (390) pairs of Wellington boots for use by spraying gangs;
- One Hundred and Eighty (180) cartoons of Lifet A Liquid Fertilizer for nursery and young cocoa;
- Two Hundred and Forty (240) cartoons of different Fungicides for the control of black pod disease; and
- A total of 15,770 bags of granular Duapa Fertilizer for application on mature cocoa.
Hon. Members, the 10-Member District Taskforce for the 2016 CODAPEC/HITECH programme inaugurated early this year has really worked hard to ensure that these inputs were distributed with some difficulties but fairly to farmers in the district. The Assembly and the taskforce will continue to monitor the activities of the programme for it to yield the desired result.
PROJECTS
Hon. Members, as indicated in my first address to the House, the projects awarded on contract early this year from District Development Facility (DDF), District Assembly Common Fund (DACF), Minerals Development Fund (MDF) and Internally-Generated Fund (IGF) funding sources have reached various stages of completion. Status of the projects is as follows:
| S/N | PROJECT | STATUS |
| 1.0 | Construction of 1 No. 2 bedroom semi-detached Teachers flat for NASS at Nkroful | 70% |
| 2.0 | Construction of 1 No. 3 bedroom semi-detached flat for District Police Commander and Magistrate at Nkroful | 45% |
| 3.0 | Construction of 1 No. Area Council Office at Awiebo | 5% |
| 4.0 | Construction of 6 No. refuse bays at Nkroful, Esiama and Aiyinase | 20% |
| 5.0 | Construction of 11 No. bore hole with hand pump at selected locations District wide. | 40% |
| 6.0 | Construction of second floor of the decentralized offices block at Nkroful | Yet to start |
| 7.0 | Renovation of Midwifery block at St. Martins de Porres Hospital at Eikwe | Yet to start |
| 8.0 | Rehabilitation of Kwame Nkrumah Motel & the administration block at Nkroful | Yet to start |
| 9.0 | Manufacture and supply of 1,000 dual desks and 500 hexagonal chairs | On-going |
| 10.0 | Manufacture and supply of 500 mono desks, 200 Teachers table and chairs | 65% |
| 12.0 | Construction of 1No. 16 Seater W/C at Azuleloanu | 66% |
| 13.0 | Construction of 1No. 16 Seater W/C at Menzezor | 60% |
| 14.0 | Construction of 1No. 6 unit class room block with ancillary facilities at Ankobra | 15% |
| 15.0 | Rehabilitation of 70KM selected feeder roads District wide | Yet to start |
| 16.0 | Rehabilitation of Aidoosuazo – Madugbane bridge at Aiyinase North | 100% |
ROADS
Hon. Presiding Member, I am glad to mention that work on the wooden bridge at Aidoosuazo –Madugbane is completed as indicated above. The reshaping of selected roads at Aiyinase North will soon commence after the rains.
Hon. Members, work on the bituminous surfacing of town roads at Atuabo, Baseke, Awiaso, Akoto-Aloakpoke, Kikam, Eikwe, and the Esiama Nursing School captured under the Oil and Gas Enclave Roads project has commenced at Atuabo while others are yet to start. Besides, work on the Nkroful –Teleku-Bokazo town roads will commence soon.
Hon. Members, work under the road component of the Ghana Social Opportunities Project (GSOP) for the Rehabilitation of a 3.7km Sanfo Junc. – Old Sanfo – New Sanfo feeder road and the Rehabilitation of a 2.5km Bomoakpole –Agbeyeye feeder road will also commence soon.
YOUTH EMPLOYMENT AGENCY
Hon. Assembly Members, I wish to inform the House that Government’s efforts at creating sustainable jobs and developing employable skills for our youth is being given serious attention.
Over the past few months, the Agency has registered and interviewed a number of youth under the following modules:
| S/N | MODULE | NO. REGISTERED | NO. SELECTED | REMARKS |
| 1.0 | Community Health Workers (CHW) | 414 | 111 | Trained. Yet to be posted |
| 2.0 | Community Protection Assistants (CPA) | 73 | 18 | Trained and posted |
| 3.0 | Youth In Fire Service (YIFS) | 60 | 13 | Trained and posted |
| 4.0 | Youth In Coastal Sanitation Mgt. (YCSM) | 340 | 160 | Yet to be posted |
| 5.0 | Environmental Protection Officers (EPO) | 48 | 8 | Yet to be posted |
| 6.0 | Community Education Teaching Assistant (CETA) | 422 | On-going | —— |
LEAP AND SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMMES
Hon. Presiding Member, I wish to inform the House that the Assembly and the Hon. M.P are working hard for the district to be considered for the current expansion of the LEAP and School Feeding programmes by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection. When successful with our discussions, the Assembly will be able to roll-on other households and schools in communities which are currently not benefitting from the two programmes in the district.
REVENUE MOBILIZATION
Hon. Presiding Member, the overall inflow of funds has been better as the Government has released the 2nd tranche of the Common Fund within the same quarter. The total amount of Internally-Generated Fund (IGF) for this half year (January – June, 2016) stood at GH¢968,876.75 out of the budgeted amount of GH¢1,694,596.51 representing 57% while expenditure for the same period stood at GH¢831,084.07.
Hon. Members, revenue collection for the period has not been easy. Frantic efforts are being made to find ways of increasing internal revenue inflows. I wish to indicate that the Assembly is just about engaging a company to re-value all properties in the district for a comprehensive revenue data. It is hoped that the data will not help in the preparation of realistic budget but also boost actual revenue collection for the Assembly.
Besides, the Assembly is currently discussing with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) about the possibility of establishing an office in the district to enhance the mobilization of revenue both for the the country as a whole and the Assembly indirectly.
Let me take this opportunity to urge Hon. Members and the Area Councils to work in contributing their parts in efforts at boosting revenue for the Assembly for development activities.
RURAL ELECTRIFICATION PROJECT
Hon. Presiding Member, I am very glad to inform the House that through the efforts of our hardworking Hon. M.P, 11 communities in the Aiyinase-North have been connected to the national grid. Some of the communities include Asomase, New Baseke, Dadwen, Bonsukrom, among others.
The Assembly will continue with its strong partnership with our Hon. M.P. and other development partners to achieve a 100% connection of electricity in the district.
SMALL SCALE MINING
Hon. Presiding Member, several applications for small scale mining concessions and licenses have been received from the youth, elders and chiefs of a number of communities in the district. I wish to state that Management of the Assembly are currently in dialogue with Adamus Resources Ltd, and the chiefs and elders of Anwia, Teleku-Bokazo and Salman to explore the possibility of the company ceding portion of its concession to the Assembly to be able to organize the three communities under an umbrella body and facilitate the acquisition of the license for their operation
Let me however advise that the chiefs and elders of these communities take a back seat and rather give guidance and directions to the youth to effectively organize themselves for all the processes to be complete.
PARTIAL RESETTLEMENT AT NKROFUL
Hon. Members, I wish to inform the House that despite some initial challenges, the Partial Resettlement Negotiation Committee has finally concluded all discussions and negotiations on the plans for the partial resettlement of the Nkroful community by Adamus Resources Ltd. Payment of compensation to the affected people will soon begin for the project to take off.
SUPPLY OF FISHING INPUTS
Hon. Presiding Member, the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, under the Presidential Initiative on Fishing, allocated 25 out-board motors to 25 fishermen out of 31 interested applicants from our district whose details were submitted to the Ministry. The arrangement is such that the Government absorbs half of the cost of the machine while the fishermen bear the remaining cost. This support by Government is to help boost fishing activities in the district and in the country as a whole.
CAPACITY-BUILDING
Hon. Presiding Member, effective participation of Hon. Members in our local government system requires continuous training and capacity-building. The Assembly is therefore making plans to embark on various capacity-building programmes for Hon. Assembly Members and the sub-structures to be able to execute their mandates effectively.
CONCLUSION
Hon. Presiding Member, I wish to thank Hon. Members for their co-operation and support to the Assembly in the discharge of its mandate so far. Together, let us collaborate and work hard to change the lives of our people and by so doing help in the transformational agenda of the Government.
Thank you and May God bless us all.