2ND EDITION OF ADEKYEM FESTIVAL WAS LAUNCHED IN THE TANO SOUTH DISTRICT,BECHEM

The 2^nd edition of the Adekyem festival which was launched by the chiefs and people of Bechem Traditional Area to establish an education fund to cater for the needy and brilliant children entering into second cycle institutions.

In his welcome address, Nana Fosu Gyeabour II, Omanhene of  Bechem Traditional area and president of the Bechem Traditional council who chaired the function  said the name Bechem was derived from the word share since the Ashanti’s  booties gained was shared there when the Ashantis were returning to their place from the Brong Ahafo Region.

Nana Fosu Gyeabour Akoto II, said festivals are celebrated to rekindle the rich cultural heritage of the people of the area and also to bring citizens together as a home coming and also as a tool of bringing development to the area. Nana Gyeabour  hinted that the Traditional councils in the process of establishing palm oil factory at Bechem and as such a factory  the building is almost 80% complete whilst machinery for the factory which was built by the Rural Technology Facility at Bechem is ready for installation  when the building is completed. Nana said this venture had become possible due to the oil palm plantation established in Bechem under the President Special Initiative since fruits derived from the plantation had to be sent to Juaben for extraction factory established there.

In his address, the Tano South District Chief Executive Hon. Bukari  Zakari  Anaba congratulated Nananom for the foresight in instituting the Adekyem festival since it had gone a long way to bring development in the area.

Hon. Anaba said though the District Assembly had instituted a scholarship package to boost education in the area and the establishment of the Atanofo Educational fund established under the auspices of the Adekyem festival planning committee had also gone a long to help the needy but brilliant children in the Traditional area. The District Chief Executive hinted that the district assembly would also do all it can to help the investors who are willing to invest  in burnt bricks, pot and earthenware on the clay deposits found in the area.

Hon. Anaba charged the people to take advantage of the rural technology facility and acquire basic machinery which will help them in their various fields.

The secretary to the education fund Mr. Yaw  Adu  Gyamfi in a report said 27 children have benefited from the scholarship package since the establishment of the fund for the 2011-2012 academic year and hoped a good number of children would be helped in the ensuring years. Mr. Adu Gyamfi hinted that the beneficiary children would be helped through the second cycle school to the tertiary level and charged the people to embrace the idea and contribute genuinely to the fund.

The Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister Hon. Justice Samuel Adjei said celebrations of festivals in the country is an essential part of our culture and admittedly festivals are also very important occasions, because of the political, social, economical, moral and religious significant they impact on the people.

Hon. Adjei said government recognizes and appreciate Nananom as custodians of our culture, customs and traditions and the institution of festivals through the kind of leadership of Nananom often times serve as an eye opener which enable both the indigenous of place and foreigners who visit such occasions to know more about the culture and history of the celebrating the festival.

The Deputy Regional Minister used the occasion to admonish the youth to always aspire to be patient, disciplined, diligent and hardworking and also learn to accord respect to Nananom and the elderly in the various communities and desist from taking the law into their own hands but learn to always communicate their issues and grievances through the appropriate channels and institution in their various communities for their amicable settlement or redress.

The Deputy Minister pleaded that Nananom will always be there to provide the people with good leadership skills and advice in times of difficult situations and hoped Nananom will continue with the relentless efforts, towards the amicable resolution of the numerous chieftaincy and land disputes that threatening the peace and unity of the people of the region.

Hon. Adjei said today’s occasion should therefore remind us of the chords of unity, love, tolerance and brotherliness that exist among our forebears.

Hon. Adjei said he found the theme for the celebration “Adekyem Festival as a tool for the social economic development of  Bechem Traditional Area” very important and a positive event which should be given all the support it deserves to make it a reality and duly launched the festival.

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

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

The meeting which attracted fifty one (51) out of the member assembly saw on its agenda the election of a presiding member which was very paramount as according  to an Assembly member in the person of Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi who moved a motion in this respect calling on the entire membership to consider the election of the presiding member as the first on the agenda so that the elected presiding member could preside over the meeting or the meeting be postponed.

This motion which was seconded was carried out and the staff of the electoral commission were called in to conduct the elections which saw the outgoing presiding member in the person of Hon. Anthony Opoku as the sole candidate for the position.The election  saw Hon. Opoku polling fifty (50) votes out of the total fifty one (51) votes cast.

In an acceptance speech the Newly elected presiding member Hon. Opoku expressed his profound gratitude and appreciation to members for the confidence they have reposed on him by re – electing him through popular acclamation to lead the August house as the presiding member for the second term. He stated that he enjoyed working with them during his first term and was his expectation that they would grant him the necessary attention and co – operation in order to deliver to the people as expected of them. He told members that his success in theirs as his failure would also be their failure for which reason they need to guide against any act that would bring disgrace to the Assembly.

Hon. Opoku took members through Act 462  part l section 8(1) and sub section (2) which dealt with cassation of office as a member of District Assembly and also informed the house that a motor bike belonging to Hon. Bright Samuel Amankwaa has been stolen from his house in Derma and called on all gathered to   look out for the missing motor bike and on behalf of the entire house expressed their sympathy to the honorable member.

In concluding his address, Hon. Opoku thanked Hon. Members, Heads of Departments and other bodies that had contributed in diverse ways to make his first term in office as the presiding member a success and hoped they would continue to cooperate and support the house so that they can provide effective and productive leadership. He requested that they support him in his second term in office.

In his address to the house the District Chief Executive Hon. Bukari Zakari Anaba welcomed honorable Assembly members and all gathered into the year 2013 and back to the house for the 3^rd ordinary meeting of the second session of the house. He said they have gathered as the Assembly and the main development agent of Government at the local level to evaluate their performance over the past months. He said he was particularly impressed about the smart turn out of Hon. Members,Heads of Department, Nananom and indeed of gathered.

Hon. Anaba said the meeting was in fulfillment of the standing orders which required that the Assembly meets from time to time to deliberate  on issues affecting the district and suggest solutions to them. Hon Anaba acknowledged the presence of a representative of the Omanhene of the Bechem Traditional Area and  Hon. Dr. Hanna Louisa Bissiw the new member of Parliament for the Tano South Constituency and Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture who he said will henceforth participate in the Assembly’s meetings as an Ex – officio member and congratulated her though she was not personally present due to equally important National assignment on her election as MP and also her appointment as Minister of staff.

On revenue generation Hon. Anaba reminded members that, we all know money is the live wire of any District Assembly as the ability of any Assembly as the ability of any Assembly to embark of development projects depends on the availability of revenue and in the light of this this it behoves on the Assembly to strategize and use every available and acceptable means to mobilize enough revenue especially internally generated funds for the development of the district.

Hon. Anaba said whilst talking about the need to raise more revenue for the District he wished to state that the Assembly’s performance was nothing good to write home about which he said was seriously affecting the performance.

Hon. Anaba said out of the total budget of GHȼ 449,945.00 for the year 2012 an amount of  163, GHȼ 336.91 was  collected which represented 36,31% of the total budget and said as at the end of March 2013 and amount of GHȼ 30,922.89 out of the budget figure of GHȼ474,509.00 representing 6.52 % of the total budget for the year 2013 had been realized, a situation which needs much attention because less than half of the estimated 25% for the first quarter was achieved. He said in an effort to address this unfortunate trend management has rolled out various strategies to take the issue of low revenue generation in the District.

The Hon. District Chief Executive briefed the house on the status of development projects, current projects, on ongoing and completed, Education, Security, and gave out recommendations of the executive committee.  

Hon. Anaba concluded his address by expressing his gratitude to Hon. Assembly members, MP, Heads of Departments and Nananom for their continued support for the development of District and again warmly welcomed all and wished them a fruitful deliberations in advancing the Better Ghana Agenda and finally s introduced the new District Coordinating Director in the person of Mr. Stephen Kofi Agyei his three deputies and all the newly posted staff to the District   Assembly to the house