From Samuel Agbewode
The Keta Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr. Sylvester Tornyeavah, has asked residents to have confidence in the government, and support it in its quest to address the development needs of the people.
The Municipal Chief Executive said the Assembly was mindful of the high expectations of the people, in terms of development, and assured them that their hopes would be met at the appropriate time.
Mr. Tornyeavah, who addressed the media at Keta, after touring 32 completed and ongoing development projects in the Municipality, pointed out that development was a process, and that all the needs of the people could not be provided within a specific period, and that communities which did not benefit from any development project within the past two years, would, in due course, have theirs.
The MCE mentioned health, education, agriculture, and road construction, among others, as some of the major priority needs of the people. He further said that when the projects were completed, it would help open up the Municipality for investors to explore, which would go a long way to improve upon the living standards of the people.
He continued that Keta , a former regional capital of the Volta Region, still has numerous opportunities in the areas of tourism, agriculture and business, which needed to be made attractive. He said also that the sea defense project had helped in claiming more land that could be used to build hotels, as well as guest houses, to accommodate holiday makers and tourists.
Mr. Tornyeavah also mentioned Fort Prizeinstein, which was one of the tourism attraction sites in the Municipality, and said that market sheds were being provided at the Keta and the Anloga markets, and reaffirmed the Assembly’s preparedness to make the area one of the most attractive Municipalities in which to transact business.
The MCE pointed out that the completion of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) Center at Keta would go a long way to encourage students and other members of the community to learn more about ICT, and be abreast of the changing trends in the information communication world.
A visit to the completed accommodation for senior staff of the Assembly at Keta was a moment of joy for the MCE, who noted that the project would help to ease the problems associated with accommodation for senior staff, who presently lived in rented premises, and commended the Member of Parliament (MP) for Keta, Mr. Richard Quashiga and MP Anlo, Mr. Kofi Humado, who supported in the implementation and execution of the projects in the area.
Mr. Tornyeavah said projects such as classroom at the Anlo-Afiadenyigba Senior High School, provision of stores at the Abor market, as well as providing pavement blocks at the Abor lorry station, tarring of the 10-kilometre Afiadenyigba-Havedzi road, and the ongoing construction of the Blamezado-Bekpo-Trekume road to link the Hatorgodo community through Tsime to Ho, were priority projects among others being executed.
The MP for Keta, Mr. Richard Quashiegah, explained that the two MPs have been working closely with the Municipal Assembly to ensure that development projects were not duplicated, stressing that this had demonstrated the sound relationship between the Assembly and the Members of Parliament, which was crucial for the rapid development of the area.
The Assistant Headmaster of the Anlo-Afiadenyigba SHS, Mr. S.K Doku, lauded the effort of the Assembly and the two MPs, because the 6-unit classroom block being constructed would go a long way to address the classroom challenges confronting the school.
He disclosed that currently, the school was managing between 70 and 80 students in a class as a result of the lack of classrooms.
Mr. Doku appealed to the government to, as a matter of urgency, the complete girls dormitory project started five years ago under the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), as well as a boys dormitory started within the same period.
He further called on the government to grant boarding house status to the school, because the current situation where all the students were day did not promote discipline among them.
A taxi driver at Anlo-Afiadenyigba, Mr. Divine Kumakpor, commended the Assembly and the MPs for tarring the 10-kilometre Afiadenyigba-Havedzi road, had improved transportation in the area. He stated that before the road was tarred, drivers used over one hour from Afiadenyigba to Havedzi, instead of 30 minutes.
Mr. Kumakpor explained that apart from drivers experiencing improved business, the health hazards associated with the dusty road was a thing of the past.
A Chief Fisherman at Adzido, Mr. George Akakpo, said the community members appreciated the accommodation provided for them by the Assembly, and asked that electricity and potable water be extended to the new residential area.
Mr. Akakpo observed that accommodation for government workers in the community was a major challenge, and appealed to the Assembly and Member of Parliament to help provide accommodation for teachers, and said that there was over 200 acres of land available for such projects.