MUSLIMS IN BECHEM PRAY TO CELEBRATE EID-UL FITR

Prayers were said at Bechem the Tano South District Capital by the muslims community to end the Ramadan.

 

A CROSS SECTION OF MUSLIMS IN PRAYERS

Celebrating the Eid –ul  fitr, muslims at Bechem converged at the Islamic primary school park to say prayers which was led by the Chief Imam Alhaji Bukari Gariba . Alhaji Gariba said, muslims used the Ramadan Fasting to seek the blessing of Allah and used the occasion to urge muslims especially the youth to be law abiding.

In a speech, the Tano South District Chief Executive, Hon. Bukari Zakari Anaba said, the Tano South District Assembly in collaboration with the Member of Parliament for the consistuency, Hon. Dr. Hanna Louisa Bisiw has been able to mobilize funds totalling five thousand Ghana cedis (GH   5000) to complete the remaining part of the Islamic Junior High School project which he felt when completed would provide a suitable place of teaching and learning for the community.

                                     

THE TANO SOUTH DCE. HON. BUKARI ZAKARI ANABA ADDRESSING THE MUSLIMS

Hon. Anaba advised muslim parents to send their wards to school in order for them to acquire good education to brighten their future since education is the key to success and pleaded with the muslim youth to do away with violent behaviours which they have  been tagged with so that peace would aways prevail in their community.

Hon. Anaba told the gathering that the government has received the Senchi Acord Report prepared by some eminent Ghanaians grouped together to find solutions to the ailing economy of the country and promised that the government would work on it to ensure that the economy is transformed.

Mr. Kingsly Owusu Achiaw (Agaama) who is the manager of Bechem United Football Club entreated the muslims to pray for the team to improve upon their previous performance in the just ended premier league.

   

MR. KINGSLY OWUSU ACHIAW (AGAAMA) DONATES ITEMS TO MUSLIMS

Mr. Owusu Achiaw said, Bechem United placed fifth (5^th) in the last season’s league and said all efforts would be put in place for the team to qualify to play in the top four next season and said the management of the team alone cannot work in isolation to achieve its goals and aspirations and called all and sundry especially philanthropist to support the team in cash and kind for the team to achieve its goals and aspirations.

Mr. Owusu Achiaw later presented four crates of soft drinks and a ceiling fan to the muslim community.

TANO SOUTH DISTRICT CHIEF EXECUTIVE PAYS WORKING VISIT TO COMMUNITIES

The Tano South District Chief Executive, Hon. Bukari Zakari Anaba, accompanied by Heads of various Departments of the Tano South District Assembly has paid a two-week working visit to communities in the District.

Hon. Anthony Opoku, Presiding Member (standing) and other heads of departments

The visits which aimed at interacting with the people and disseminating of government policies and programmes and knowing the problems facing the people saw the D.C.E. and his entourage visiting forty four (44) communities in the District.

At different durbars organised in the various communities the D.C.E. visited, he informed the people that Ghana is at the moment facing some economic challenges due to various factors and mentioned some of the factors as the implementation of the Single Spine Pay Policy, the 2012 election petition at the Supreme Court and Ghana’s attainment of middle income status.

Hon. Anaba said the implementation of the Single Spine Pay Policy has increased the public sector wage bill and for that matter government has to use seventy percent (70%) of its total revenue to pay its workers and the remaining thirty percent (30%) used to finance government projects.

Hon. Anaba explained that Ghana’s attainment of a middle income status meant that grants which the country was receiving from donor countries had been withdrawn and for that reason the government has to finance all project and social intervention programmes which hitherto was been financed with grants.

                                  

Hon. DCE interacting with the people in one of the communities

On the 2012 election petition at the Supreme Court, Hon. Anaba said proceedings at the Supreme Court also affected productivity as most Ghanaians abandoned their work at their various work places to listen to proceedings and spend most of their time watching proceeding at the Court on television.

On social intervention programmes, Hon. Anaba said the government is committed to providing portable water for the rural communities in order to eradicate water borne diseases facing the people,  provide CHIP compounds to rural communities for them to access good health care delivery and urged them to practice good sanitation and also use communal labour to clean their environment to avoid the wide spread of mosquitoes who carry  the malaria parasite so as to avoid the contracting of the malaria disease.

Hon. Anaba informed the people that, the electoral commission would soon embark on a Biometric registration exercise to register Ghanaians who have attained the age eighteen (18) and have not registered to vote. He entreated those people to take advantage of the registration exercise to register so as to be able to vote in the 2016 general elections. He again informed the people that the National Health Insurance Authority is registering children below five (5) years of age and the aged who are seventy (70) years and above free of charge in the District.

    

A cross section of audience at various durbars

On measures to combat the economic challenges facing the country, Hon. Anaba said the government has obtained a one hundred and fifty six million Dollar ($156m) loan facility from the world bank to tackle some of the challenges in the educational sector and again mentioned that government would continue to subsidize the price of fertilizer to enable farmers get access to it at low prices and said the government is also distributing fertilizers free of charge to cocoa farmers whose cocoa farms are twelve (12) years and above of cultivation and is four (4) acres and above and again reminded  the cocoa farmers of the on-going mass cocoa spraying exercise.

The District Chief Executive on behalf of the Member of Parliament for the Tano South Constituency, Hon. Dr. Hanna Louisa Bissiw, presented some exercise books to some primary and junior High Schools in some of the communities he and his entourage visited.

Hon. Anaba presenting the exercise books to heads of some of the beneficiary schools

COMMUNITY WATER AND SANITATION AGENCY TO PROVIDE BECHEM WITH TWO OVERHEAD TANKS

A signing of a performance agreement and a sod cutting ceremony and handing over of site for the provision of two (2) overhead concrete water tanks to be sighted at Bechem and Bechem Junction has been held at Bechem the Tano South District Capital.

  

 

Signinhg of MOUs by  stakeholders         and the Old tank to be replaced

The three (3) tier ceremony was aimed at finding lasting solution for the expansion of the water system at Bechem by providing the tanks to supply enough water to the people of Bechem for the next ten (10) years and beyond.

The two (2) 200 cubic metre and 100 cubic metre tanks would be supplied by the community water and sanitation agency with Tabcon Consulting Firm as the consultants to the project and Blessfield Limited as the project contractors.

In a ceremony to sign the performance agreement, handing of site and sod cutting ceremony for the commencement of the project , the Regional Manager of the community water and sanitation agency of Brong Ahafo, Mr. E. F. Boateng said he was happy the dream of the chiefs and people of  Bechem has

                                           

Mr. E.F. Boateng- Regional Manager CWSA Brong Ahafo

come through, he said consultations between his office and the District Chief Executive for the project has for some time taking place and it now that all has been completed hence what we are witnessing.

Mr. Boateng pleaded with the people of Bechem to give the maximum support and cooperation to the consultants and the contractor in the course of their work for the work to be completed on schedule. Mr. Boateng hinted that since Bechem is to get two tanks, they should bear in mind that, the old tank would be faced out.

The consultant of the project, Mr. Samuel Yoyowah explained the criteria for which the 200 and 100 cubic metre tanks were selected for sighting. He said a projection for the population of the people of Bechem in the next 10 years (2013-2023) was used to select the capacity of the tanks and the places where they were to be sighted and also gave reasons for choosing concrete tanks.

                                         

Mr. Samuel Yoyowah – Project Consultant

In a speech at the function the Tano south District Chief Executive, Hon. Zakari Bukari Anaba said, looking at the existing tank which has been in existence for the past 30 years, there was the need for replacement since Bechem has seen an expansion in both population and size and the existing tank has not been able to supply 48 hours of flowing water when there is power cut.

                                        

Hon. Zakari Bukari Anaba Addressing the gathering

Hon. Anaba, gave thanks to the Brong Ahafo Regional Directorate of the Community Water and Sanitation Agency who through the instrumentality of Hon. Hannah Louisa Bisiw who was the then Deputy Minister of Water Resources Works and Housing and Currently the MP for the Tano South Constituency has provided a water project at Brosankro and Bechem.

Hon. Anaba hinted that, a memorandum of understanding would be signed between the District Assembly and the Bechem Community (Water Board) on the Bechem water project.

The Omanhene of Bechem, Nana Fosu Gyabour Akoto II in a short speech commended the Assembly, MP and the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) for coming to the aid of the people of Bechem to get a solution to their water problems.

                                    

 

Nana Fosu Gyeabour Akoto II in a speech at the function

A memorandum of understanding on the project, handing over of site to the contractor and sod cutting ceremony later took place to end the programme.

SENIOR CITIZENS DAY MARKED IN THE TANO SOUTH DISTRICT

A reception has been held at Bechem to mark the 54^th Republic Day anniversary celebration. The day which is termed as the senior citizens day is marked every year to celebrate senior citizens for their contribution towards the socio-economic development of the country.

                            

A section of the senior citizens at the reception

In a welcome address at a reception held at the residency of the Tano South District Chief Executive, the presiding member of the Assembly Hon. Anthony Opoku used the occasion to warmly welcome all present at the function. He said Ghana’s attainment of a republican status was a unique achievement that must be cherished by all and as such glowing tribute must be paid to our senior citizens  who worked towards it  hence the setting aside the day as senior citizens day.Hon. opoku urged all present to inculcate into the minds of the present generation the sense of  good morale values and patriotism and urged the senior citizens to continue contributing their quota towards the development of the district and the Nation as a whole.

                                

Hon. Anthony Opoku (P.M) delivering his welcome address

In a speech to mark the day, the Tano South District Chief Executive, Hon. Bukari Zakari Anaba elaborated measures the government is taking to address the economic hardship facing the country. He said Ghana has moved from a lower level income to middle level income status which meant that grants the country was receiving from donor countries had been removed and this meant that the nation would encounter some difficulties in addressing some of its problems but not withstanding the government is doing its best to address the situation and that Ghanaians must be patient and look up to the government for some time to solve the problems.

Hon. Anaba said government has directed all Ministries, departments and Assemblies to reduce expenditure so that the country can save some money to meet some of the challenges. He said it is in this vain that they could see the number of people at the function had reduced as compared to the previous years and called on all to help in this direction to reduce cost.

                                 

Hon. Bukari Zakari Anaba (DCE) addressing the gathering

On developmental projects in the district, the DCE said the Assembly has used its share of the District Development Fund to undertake an extension in electrification projects at Bechem and Derma and also financed some ongoing projects in the district.

 In a related development at the reception, the Tano South District Manager of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Mr. Tachie Agyemang informed the gathering that his outfit will soon start registering people who they considered as the aged and the needy for the National Health Insurance free of  charge  and said his office has targeted eighteen thousand (18,000) people as compared to the sixteen thousand (16000) people they registered free of charge in 2013. Mr. Agyemang hinted that the National Health Insurance Authority has introduced a Biometric card registration which will soon get to the Brong Ahafo Region and called all and sundry to actively get involve in the registration when it gets to the Tano South District.

Nana Kwasi Boampong the Twafohene of the Bechem Traditional Area who deputized for the Omanhene of the Bechem Traditional Area, Nana Fosu  Gyeabour Akoto II as chairman called on all to do their best by honouring their tax obligations and other commitments to the Nation so as to build a solid economy for the country. Nana called on all government officials and all well meaning Ghanaians to be more accountable in their dealings since accountability and transparency would go a long way to put the nation forward.

                             

A section of the VIPs at the reception