TANO SOUTH DISTRICT ASSEMBLY HOLDS SECOND ORDINARY MEETING OF THE SECOND SESSION OF SIXTH ASSEMBLY

The second ordinary meeting of the second session of the sixth Assembly of the Tano South District Assembly has been held at Bechem the District Capital.

                 

THE DIGNITRIES AND ASSEMBLY MEMBERS AT THE MEETING

Opening the meeting, the Presiding Member of the Assembly Hon. Anthony Opoku said their meeting was in fulfilment of their standing order which mandates them to meet periodically to examine their performance as members of the Assembly and map out strategies to surmound the myriad of challenges that confronts them as they endeavour to develop the District.

                         

THE PRESIDING OF THE ASSEMBLY DELIVERING HIS WELCOME ADDRESS

Hon. Opoku said it is also his duty not only to welcome them but to brief them on some key decisions taken at the meetings he attended. He said as honourable members were aware the public relations and complaints committee of the Assembly is very important as they receive complaints from both the Assembly Members and the General Public and makes recommendations to the Assembly on complaints relating to land disputes, rents etc  which have been reported by individuals and groups to the committee.

Hon. Anthony Opoku informed the house that, at a meeting conveyed by the Brong Ahafo Association of Presiding Member on Thursday 23^RD to Friday 24^TH June 2016 he was elected by popular acclamation as the Dean of the Brong Ahafo Association of Presiding members.

He said the National Executive Council Meeting of Presiding Members was conveyed in Accra in August 2016 and the supply of motorbikes to Honourable members Nationwide was discussed. Hon. Opoku said the president of NALAG was at the meeting and he informed the meeting that the procurement process for the motorbikes was in the pipeline and when things get through the distribution will start from the Northern part of the country.

Appreciating the roles of the individuals who have contributed to the development of the District, Hon. Opoku made special mention of the Member of Parliament for the Tano South Constituency Hon. Dr Hannah Loiusa Bisiw and the District Chief Executive Hon. Bukari Zakari Anaba and Nananom for the various roles they have played in bringing a lot of developments project in the Tano South District and on behalf of the former District police commander SUPT Emmanuel Baah who has now been transferred to the Central Region thanked honourable members for their assistance in his administration during his tenure of office in the District.

Hon. Opoku indicated that as we approach the general election on 7^TH December, the political pulse of the Nation is heightened and campaigning intense with various contestants and their supporters working hard for electoral victory and as much as we may belong to various political parties and organisations we have a common project called Ghana and this is a moment everyone is expected to do whatever is necessary at this critical time in our Nation to consolidate the peace that we have enjoyed over the years and urged all and sundry to work towards peaceful elections of our country.

Hon. Opoku congratulated Hon Lucy Mensah for being the best female farmer in the District and urged her to thrive to become the best farmer for the District. Hon. Opoku in conclusion called on members to bring their ideas to build a consensus of enhancing the growth of the District.

In his sessional address, the Tano South District Chief Executive Hon. Bukari Zakari Anaba said he was extremely encouraged by their impressive turnout for the meeting and this was an indication of their sense of belonging and commitment to the services of their dear electorates and urged the

                       

THE TANO SOUTH DISTRICT CHIEF EXECUTIVE DELIVERING HIS SESSIONAL ADDRESS

Assembly members to focus on their core responsibility which is a total dedication to the district so that they can accelerate the pace of development in the district to improve the livelihoods of the people.

Hon. Anaba informed the house that there have been significant progress in the various sectors of the District and as they have gathered today it is his responsibility to lay bare this to all of them. He again mentioned that, the greatest asset to every organisation in the whole world is its Human Resource and effective Human Resource will always translate into successes for every organisation and the Tano South District is blessed with such competent and result oriented staff. He informed the house that management has increased the wages of IGF staff to meet the minimum wage rate and one of the major challenges in this area is the ageing staff especially among watchmen and labourers.

Hon. Anaba said the District has remained relatively calm and peaceful however there have been isolated cases stealing armed robbery and chieftaincy disputes which the District Security Committee (DISEC) is not resting in its efforts to ensure peace and therefore commend all the security agencies in the District for the hard work and diligence with security issues in the District.

Hon. Anaba informed the house the Assembly has also inaugurated a seven (7) member District Security Election taskforce to deal with election related issues before, during and after elections. He added that, the ability of any Assembly to embark on any meaningful development project no doubt depends on the availability of revenue and informed the house that out of the quarterly budget of GH¢ 88,875.00 an amount of GH¢ 65,408.30 and GH¢ 46,699.15 was collected for the 2^ND and 3^RD quarter’s representing 74% and 45% respectively and that management has taken notice of the poor revenue performance on Rent, Building and Houses as well as miscellaneous and therefore have put in place appropriate measures to deal with the situation.

Recognising the important role Persons with Disability play in the socio economic development of the country, Hon. Anaba  disclosed that government has set aside 2% of the District Assembly’s Common Fund for every Assembly in the country for disbursement to Persons with Disabilities and in line with that an amount of six thousand Ghana cedi’s was released between June and July to seven PWD’S to support  them purchase assistance devices and also undergo surgical operation and in addition the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development has processed 189 applications of PWD’s and an amount of ( GH¢ 59,903.00) will be released to PWD’s for various needs including education (school fees), apprenticeship, medical support, income generating activities and organisational development.

Hon. Anaba informed the house that the bio monthly cash transfer to 267 LEAP beneficiaries is on going and mentioned that 1039 people from the 267 households in  twelve (12) communities in the district are currently being registered freely onto the National Health Insurance Scheme. He also mentioned that the administration continues to roll out programmes aimed at making health care delivery accessible and affordable to all, of which a number of on going projects in relation to CHPS compounds are taking place in the District aside the health centres and other health facilities situated in the District.

Hon Anaba said education has received a major boost in the District as a result, B E C E examination results have been encouraging and commended the District Education Directorate and the teacher fraternity and all stakeholders of education enterprise for a good work done and also thanked the member of parliament for the Tano South Constituency Hon. Dr Hannah Louisa Bisiw and parents as well as the district assembly for contributing to the mock examination of the BECE students.

Touching on Agriculture Hon Anaba said it still remains the single most attractive and important sector that seriously engages the attention of the government hence the numerous interventions and enumerated a number of interventions including the supply of cocoa seedlings and fertilizers the district has benefitted from. He said the provision of safe and reliable drinking water is one of the top most priorities of the Assembly and as such the Assembly have invested much to make water and sanitation accessible to the people by sinking boreholes and the construction of toilet facilities.

Hon. Anaba elaborated the number of disasters the district has experienced and the measures taking by the District NADMO office to help the affected victims and concluded his speech by mentioning the number of roads projects currently being undertaken in the District.

                    

THE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT HON. DR HANNA LOIUSA BISIW ADDRESSING THE ASSEMBLY MEMEBERS

The Member of Parliament Hon.Dr Hanna Louisa Bisiw in a short address called for unity amongst the assembly memebers. She said for development to thrive in the District there is the need for a peaceful co-existence and that she is there for the people of the constituency but not for her party alone.

Hon. Bisiw called for co-operation from all angles of the Assembly to move the District forward.