Regional News of Wednesday, 4 August 2010

Source: GNA

Apply your experience for development - Opoku-Manu

Obuasi, (Ash), Aug 4, GNA - The Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Opoku-Manu, has appealed to old members of the Obuasi Municipal Assembly and technical staff to apply their rich experiences for the development of the municipality.

The district assemblies, he said, should efficiently manage their affairs to bring progress to the people.

He was addressing assembly members and heads of departments at the municipal assembly's conference room as part of a working visit to the area.

Mr Opoku-Manu said he was happy about the co-operation, mutual understanding and respect among the members of the assembly and appealed to them not to waste time on unnecessary issues that would distract them from the development agenda they had set.

He also commended the police for working hard to reduce crime in the area.

Mr John Alexander Ackon, the Municipal Chief Executive, gave account of challenges facing the municipality and mentioned among these as inadequate housing, problems with water and electricity, waste management and poor road network.

"The poor road network is a singular problem that needs to be addressed as a special case. Aside of the deplorable state of the highways linking Obuasi from Anwiannkwanta, Dunkwa-On-Offin and Assin Fosu which can best be described as death traps, most of the town roads have never seen any construction over the years", he said.

Mr Ackon said "the town roads linking the suburbs are in serious state of disrepair and need special attention to develop them. Unfortunately, the Urban Roads Department is unable to handle the situation with its limited resources."

The Regional Manager Minister, accompanied by the Regional Urban and Feeder Roads Engineers, later inspected some of the bad town roads and school projects at the Obuasi Senior High Technical and Christ the King Catholic Senior High schools.