Garu-Tempane District records unprecedented development

Garu-Tempane District in Upper East Region is among the lucky districts that have recorded unprecedented development in four years, thumps up for the efforts of Mr David Adakurugu, outgoing District Chief Executive (DCE).

Historically, the District was inaugurated in 2004 by former President John Agyekum Kufuor and as a newly created District it was faced with a number of teething problems which were centered on how to harness human and material resources to improve the socio-economic conditions of the people.

Development under the able leadership of Mr Adakurugu just within four years has been marvelous and impacting positively on the livelihood of the people.

On the educational front, the District Assembly and its development partners constructed and rehabilitated 60 school buildings across the area and sponsored the education of 50 teacher trainees.

The Assembly had also distributed motorbikes, sports kits, laptops, school uniforms, furniture and exercise books to a number of beneficiaries.

Apart from the 30 schools that were benefiting from the school feeding programme, an additional 33 schools have been brought on board thus increasing enrollment of school children and giving jobs to 64 caterers.

On health, the Assembly has built six Community Health based Planning Services Compounds and one office block for the National Health Insurance Scheme and sponsored at least 150 student nurses and six medical students to pursue university education.

It also provided 10 pickups to facilitate the transportation of referral cases to the nearest health centres.

Another remarkable intervention adopted by the Assembly is the development of community roads.

“About 80 per cent of the electoral area had so far been covered under the road opening project and the remaining 20 per cent will be covered soon,” the DCE remarked.

Touching on water and sanitation, the Assembly from 2009 to date had constructed close to 240 boreholes.

Two Small Town Water and Sanitation projects at Denegu and Tempane had been completed and handed over to the beneficiary communities.

Referring to good governance, Mr Adakurugu said: “As a Secretariat, we have tried as much as possible to evenly distribute resources to the benefit of the District without fear or favour to any group of people.

“The Assembly still recognises the functions and support of the Area Council as a means of generating revenue for the Assembly and this has tremendously improved the revenue generation of the Assembly.”

The Ghana Social Opportunity Project, a livelihood improvement programme being implemented in the District had also contributed to improve the socio-economic wellbeing of the people.

Apart from the three projects under construction at Gbanteraga-Kpatua, Kugur and Woriyanga dams, there are 10 other similar projects earmarked for construction this year.

These include the rehabilitation of Abagmori, Garu, Gagbiri, Dusuliga and Bugri Dams.

The District Assembly also won the competitive District Development Facility (DDF) test which has impacted significantly on the development agenda of the District Assembly.

For the past three years, the District Assembly has been scoring 96 per cent of the DDF assessment, making it one of the best districts in the country.

Funds from DDF are to be used for construction of culverts, boreholes and classroom blocks, among other development projects.

The out- going DCE had secured 160 plots of land which would be used this year for the construction of a District hospital.

He has also acquired 40 plots of land for the construction of a lorry park. Tipper trucks, graders and bulldozers have also been acquired under his leadership.

The Assembly also established a large track of mango plantation under the climate change programme.

“Action boy”, as he is affectionately called, told the Ghana News Agency that funds for the development projects were not only from the Central Government Fund but through development partners.

He said as a newly elected Member of Parliament for the area he would continue to partner the Assembly to champion the development of the area.