Do not sabotage government's efforts-Minister

Shama-Komfueku (W/R) April 08 - GNA- Mrs. Angelina Baiden-Amissah, Member of Parliament for Shama and a Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Sports, on Saturday called on the people not to sabotage the efforts of the government to develop the country and improve living standards.

She made the call at a community fund-raising programme in aid of a drainage project at Shama-Komfueku near Takoradi.

Mrs Baiden-Amissah said the government is counting on the support of the people for the successful implementation of its development projects.

She said through her instrumentality, about 5,000 women in the Shama constituency have benefited from loans to undertake income-generating activities.

Mrs Baiden-Amissah noted that the loan recovery rate is low and this could make it difficult for other women on the waiting list to have their turn.

She advised the beneficiaries of the loans to repay them for others to benefit.

Mrs Baiden-Amissah said machines for processing garri have been given to women in the area for a garri project three years ago but the project has not materialized and nobody knows what has become of the machines.

She used the occasion to appeal to the women concerned to let her know the whereabouts of the machines and what has become of the project. Mrs Baiden-Amissah said kindergarten education would be compulsory under the new education that would be soon be launched by the President. She said children who do not have kindergarten education would find it difficult to gain admission to class one.

Mrs. Baiden-Amissah advised parents against taking their children along

to farm, instead of enrolling them in schools. Mr. Philip Kwesi Nkrumah, Shama-Ahanta East Metropolitan Chief, said the Metropolitan assembly has designed a drainage master plan under the Phase Two of the Urban Environmental Sanitation Project for the area. He said the master plan is to combat drainage and erosion problems in the metropolis, adding that within five years time, the area would not have flooding and erosion problems.

Mr. Nkrumah said under the master plan drainages have been designed for all communities in the metropolis.

He said Shama-Komfueku and two other communities are to benefit from six classroom blocks under the GETFund.