Kwaku Asomah Cheremeh flanked by Joe Danquah and Mavis Hawa Koomson
THE Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Kwaku Asomah Cheremeh, has called for an effective synergy among the three Development Authorities – Northern, Middle Belt and Coastal and the Regional Co-ordinating Councils (RCCs) to achieve the development agenda of the government.
He said the Development Authorities required the full support of the RCCs to implement the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP) and the disbursement of the ‘one million dollars per constituency’ to each of the 275 constituencies in fulfillment of the President’s commitment made to the development of the country.
Mr. Cheremeh made the call at the opening session of a day’s workshop to operationalise the activities of the Middle Belt Authority and also to exhibit the roadmap for the implementation of the programme in Kumasi yesterday.
“The overall objective of the workshop is to provide a forum to begin addressing the critical issues in implementing the Authority Act and take actions needed to operationalise the development initiative”, Minister for Special Development Initiatives, Mavis Hawa Koomson, said.
In July 2017, a 10-member regional IPEP teams were inaugurated all over the country to identify investment potentials, deficiencies and basic needs at the various metropolitan, municipal and district assembly levels.
So far, the IPEP teams have identified actions that need to be taken to address the critical barriers to development in the country. And issues of sanitation and water featured prominently in the deliberations.
Madam Hawa Koomson stated that the programme had started as the money for the disbursement of the ‘one million dollars per constituency’ was duly captured in the 2018 budget statement.
According to her, the fund would be used in the areas of water and sanitation, construction of dams for agricultural purposes and provision of warehouses.
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, said it was very heartwarming that finally the Authorities were now in place and thanked President Adufo-Addo for his commitment.
“I also wish to commend the Hon. Minister for Special Initiatives Development for working behind the scenes to operationalize the Authorities,” he added when he welcomed the participants to the workshop.
He disclosed that the 10-member IPEP team for the Middle Belt Authority had been on the ground for a while, and expected the Authority of the Middle Belt to hit the ground running.
“It is my expectation that at the end of this workshop, participants will have an in-depth and profound understanding and appreciation of this very laudable programme meant to accelerate the pace of development in our dear country,” he stressed.
From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi