Ashanti RCC to monitor disabled persons share of Common Fund

Obuasi, Oct. 7, GNA – The Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) is poised to monitor the disbursement of assemblies’ Common Fund set aside for disabled persons.

Dr. Kwaku Agyemang-Mensah, the Regional Minister, who announced this at Obuasi on Thursday, said government was much concerned about the failure of most assemblies in the region to comply with the directive on the guidelines for the disbursement of the two per cent of the Common Fund set aside for persons with disabilities.

“The assemblies are to set up fund management committee to manage the disbursement of the fund to ensure that the funds go to the beneficiaries,” he stressed.

The Regional Minister, who was addressing members of the Obuasi Municipal Assembly and heads of departments as part of his working visit to the Municipality, said “our disabled brothers and sisters deserve our support and encouragement to enable them to have decent and independent living”.

Dr. Agyemang-Mensah, therefore, stressed that efforts would be made to ensure that the little funds provided by the government under the Common Fund actually gets to all of them.

On the Local Government Service Act (Act 656), the Regional Minister said the decentralized departments had now become departments of the assemblies and that they required the support of the assemblies to enable them to discharge their responsibilities effectively.

He advised the staff of the departments to see themselves as part of the Assembly and endeavor to respond appropriately to its demands.

“You must continue to work hard to ensure that the Assembly succeeds in the execution of its programmes and activities.

“The interest of the entire Municipality must always be placed above your individual and departmental interest”.

Dr. Agyemang-Mensah commended the Assembly members and heads of departments for the harmonious relations that existed between them and the Municipal Chief Executive.

He, however, urged them to continue to work together since “Obuasi is key to the economic and social development of the country and therefore any happenings in the Municipality have a reflection on the general situation of the nation.”

Mr. John Alexander Ackon, the Obuasi Municipal Chief Executive, said the roads situation was a major challenge to the Assembly’s development effort.

“Obuasi town roads are a major challenge which needed to be tackled under a certificate of urgency as the roads are so deplorable making commuting very difficult.”

He said the Assembly had since 2009 initiated and implemented 44 new projects out of which 25 had been completed and 19 others were at different stages of implementation.

The Regional Minister is expected to visit AngloGold Ashanti (Obuasi) and to inspect a number of projects in the Municipality.