Ishmael Nana Asamoah
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Ekumfi in the Central Region, Ishmael Nana Asamoah, has indicated that his administration will oversee the completion of all inherited projects from the past government.
According to Mr. Asamoah, he inherited a myriad of unfinished projects ranging from education, health, road construction, and water, with many contractors owed for their work. He noted that his predecessors were unable to honour these payment obligations due to the allocation of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) under the past administration.
“When I took office last year, I was inundated with a lot of legacy projects. I can mention many of them, but I cannot blame the previous administration; they did their best. Unfortunately, they suffered under unfavourable government decisions on local governance, where the DACF received by the assemblies over eight years was not enough to make such payments,” Mr. Asamoah said in an interview with the DAILY GUIDE.
He noted that the new DACF formula mandates all Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to commit 20 percent of their common funds to completing all abandoned and uncompleted projects, irrespective of the regime or year of commencement.
Nana Asamoah has, therefore, resolved to complete abandoned and uncompleted projects before the end of 2026, adding that he has already started making payments to the contractors involved.
“The difference between the previous administration and the NDC government is clear. Under the visionary leadership of President Mahama, three-quarters of the DACF is almost 9 million, compared to 14 million over the eight years of the previous administration.
“And under this administration, we are to commit a whopping 20 percent – I mean 20 percent of the DACF to the completion of abandoned projects, whether they were started under the NPP or any other period. So I have started paying these contractors, and I can say that by the middle of this year, there will be no legacy projects in Ekumfi,” the Ekumfi DCE declared.
The Ekumfi District was created from the Mfantseman District in June 2012, and the DCE has expressed optimism that after 14 years, the district is on the right track to experience massive development.
From Kweku Afriyie, Central Region