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.

TANO SOUTH DISTRICT ASSEMBLY DISBURSES DISABILITY FUND

The Tano South District Assembly through the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development and the Association of Persons with Disability Management Committee have held a mini durbar at the premises of the Tano Souh District Assembly to present to beneficiaries of the scheme their quota of the two per cent (2%)  share of the district Assembly Common Fund.

The Dignitaries and the Beneficiaries Disabled Persons at the  Programme

In a speech to welcome the gathering, the Tano South Director of the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development Mr Samuel Kyeremeh expressed content on the prompt response and the high turnout of the beneficiaries and all gathered and indicated that though the monies that will be received would not be enough to solve all problems the beneficiaries may be encountering he hoped they would use it judiciously to meet some of their demands and the purposes of which it was intended for.

                          

Mr Samuel Kyeremeh District Director of the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development giving his welcome address

Addressing the gathering, the Tano South District Chief Executive Hon. Bukari Zakari Anaba expressed gratitude to be part of the ceremony as he recognises the role Persons with Disabilities play in the socio economic development of the District and the country as a whole and indicated that the government has set up a scheme to allocate two per cent (2%) of the District Assembly’s common fund solely to serve the needs of Persons with disabilities and affirmed that the allocation for the disabled persons is governed by detailed guidelines that includes the opening of a separate account in which the two per cent (2%) share of the District Assembly Common Fund is paid into and the formation of the Disability Fund Management Committee.

                             

The Tano South District Chief Executive Hon. Bukari Zakari Anaba delivering a speech

Hon. Bukari Zakari Anaba said the disbursement of the PWD’s fund is to support them in income generating ventures, children’s education, and provision of technical Aid and registration of the National Health Insurance and urged all persons living with disabilities to register and join the Association of the disabled so as to benefit from the fund. He said aside the disbursement of funds to its beneficiaries the District Assembly also support the Disability Fund Management Committee in diverse ways including organizational Development, outreach programmes and workshops for training in employable skills and apprenticeship.

Hon. Bukari Zakari Anaba said that since the inception of the scheme in 2011, an amount of three hundred and fourteen thousand six hundred and seventy eight cedi’s (GH¢ 314,678.00) has been paid to a total number of one thousand one hundred and eighty (1,180) beneficiaries. He indicated that this year alone a total amount of eighty two thousand six hundred and thirteen cedi’s (GH¢ 82,613.00) have been disbursed to two hundred and thirty eight (238) beneficiaries district wide and entreated them to use the money for the intended purposes.

On The Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme, Hon. Anaba said the programme has been designed to alleviate the plight of the poor and to help the needy and vulnerable persons in a household to achieve social integration. He included that though the Tano South District became part of LEAP in 2014, the District started receiving funds in 2015 with twelve (12) communities selected and two hundred and sixty seven (267) people hooked to the programme and added that the district has witnessed seven cycles of LEAP payments with an amount of GH¢ 157,878.00 paid to 267 households.

In a speech, the Member of Parliament for the Tano South constituency Hon. Dr. Hanna Louisa Bisiw said that the President John Dramani  Mahama in his quest to equitably distribute the National wealth and desirous of improving the living conditions of persons living with Disabilities across the country has ensured that a separate account be created for the allocation of the two per cent (2% )

                              

Hon. Dr. Hanna Louisa Bisiw Member of Parliament for the Tano South constituency addressing the gathering

share of the District Assembly’s Common Fund to be paid directly into to enable the PWD’S access it through their respective District Assembly’s  and the Disability fund management committee which can serve as seed money to enable them meet their numerous demands in the field of establishing their own businesses, medical care wards education and many more.

Hon. Dr. Hanna Louisa Bisiw said her outfit has been able to register one hundred and seven (107) persons living with disability and called for massive education on the Disability Fund Management Committee since most disabled persons are not aware of such so as to enable them register and join the scheme in other to be beneficiaries and pleaded with those present especially those  who access the funds on behalf of the bed ridden disabled persons to make sure these monies get to them directly and on time so as to relieve them of their suffering and entreated all and sundry to rally behind the NDC and vote massively to retain President John Dramani  Mahama and the NDC in power so as to enable them continue with their good works.                          

The Member of Parliament and the District Chief Executive then made some payments to some beneficiaries of the scheme and supervised the rest of the disbursement by officials of the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development.

32ND FARMERS DAY CELEBRATION HELD IN THE TANO SOUTH DISTRICT

The Tano South version of the 32^nd Farmers Day Celebration was held in the District Capital Bechem. The day which saw all categories of farmers from the District with their farm produces displayed at the grounds saw a large number of people attending the days function which had for its theme “AGRICULTURE : A BUSINESS RESPONSE TO ECONOMIC GROWTH”

In an introductory speech to mark the day, the Tano South District Director of Agriculture Mr. Kyei- Baffour Owusu –Achiaw said the purpose of the days gathering was to say “AYEKOO” to our gallant farmers who through their sweat and toil have been able to produce enough for domestic consumption, provide raw materials for some of our agro based industries and also for export.

Mr. Kyei- Baffour said it is increasingly becoming a worry to see most farmers regarding themselves as unemployed and this is so because in the past many of such people have taking farming as a way of life not a business venture. He said even those who take farming as a business also fail to abreast themselves with the value chain as if Agriculture is not a profitable venture.

Mr. Kyie –Baffour asserted that the department of Agriculture will be focusing on some thematic areas  in the years ahead to improve their status despite inadequate  logistics coupled with low number of Agriculture Extension Officers which enable some farmers to complain  that they don’t get services.

Mr. Kyei – Baffour indicated that despite challenges his outfit face, the District was able to chalk some successes and said the officers in the District stood among their colleagues in the Region through their hard work and dedication to duty.

Mr Kyei- Baffour again said the major problem facing the Agriculture industry is Climate Change and added that each one of us have contributed to this in one way or the other through indiscriminate felling of trees, bad farm practices, combustion of engines and burning of rubbish and fuel in households and cautioned that it is in this regard that we must all rise up and help restore the natural love otherwise generations to come will never forgive us and used the occasion to thank the Tano South District Assembly especially  the District Chief Executive, the District Agriculture Development Committee, the Planning Committee, Nananom, Assembly members, the good people of Bechem and its environs and our gallant farmers for making the celebration a success.

The Tano South District Chief Executive Hon. Bukari Zakari Anaba in his address stated that the farmers’ day celebration is set aside to honour our gallant farmers whose contribution to the development of this country cannot be under estimated and remain core to the transformational agenda of the government.

Hon. Bukari Zakari Anaba attested that, the government is keeping to Changing Lives and Transforming Ghana agenda which has the principal objective of achieving National Food Security continue to put in place critical interventions to modernize Agriculture to improve yield.

Hon. Anaba said the theme for this year’s celebration “Agriculture a Business Response to Economic Growth” could not have come at any better time considering the clarion call to expand the economy through Agriculture and numerous opportunities that exist in the sector and its potential to grow the Ghanaian Economy. He affirmed that majority of the workforce in the country are engaged in Agriculture and the sector serves as a backbone to the Ghanaian economy and any effort to grow the economy to the anticipated levels would have to depend largely on Agriculture and when the sector is seriously looked at could serve as a panacea to the myriad of the economic challenges that the country occasionally faces and help to further improve the economic fortunes for the betterment of all.

Hon. Anaba said the Tano South District Assembly knowing the critical role the sector plays and on its quest to increase Agriculture productivity procured some farm inputs for farmers in the district during the early part of this year and said government is doing its best to make Agriculture attractive to encourage investors to consider investment in the sector lucrative so that a lot more jobs could be created to absorb the teaming youth and said the effort to improve Agriculture sector be left to government alone since each and every one of us has a pivotal role to play if Ghana were to achieve economic growth through Agriculture as there should be a deliberate effort by all well-meaning Ghanaians to show interest.

Touching on cocoa production, Hon. Anaba added up that the government in its effort to increase cocoa production continue to supply cocoa seedlings and fertilizers to farmers and under the programme 1, 250, 00 cocoa seedlings were produced within Bechem, Techimantia and Derma nursery sites and distributed to 1,952 cocoa farmers in the district and hinted that the District cocoa officer also received different varieties of fertilizer and accordingly distributed district wide.

Hon. Anaba informed the gathering that whilst the government continue to improve conditions of roads in farming communities in the district the Tano South District Assembly is also working tirelessly to improve the condition of feeder roads in the District which are all clear indications of the President’s commitment of making agriculture sector attractive to businessmen so that they would invest to increase output which would bring about economic growth of the country.

Hon. Anaba in conclusion reminded the people that this year is an election year and therefore appealed to all and sundry to comport themselves before ,during and after the Elections to ensure the sustenance of peace that exist in order to once again show to the whole world our maturity and advancement when it comes to democracy. He commended and expressed gratitude to our gallant fishermen and farmers for providing food for us.

Nana Fosu Gyeabour Akoto II, Omanhene of Bechem Traditional Area was adjudged the overall best farmer in the District.

TANO SOUTH CONSTITUENCY MEMBER OF PRALIAMENT DONATES FOOTBALLS AND JERSEYS TO BASIC SCHOOLS IN THE DISTRICT

The Member of Parliament for the Tano South Constituency in the Brong Ahafo Region has presented footballs and Jerseys to both private and public basic schools in the District for use during football Competitions organised in the District. 

The distribution and presentation of the items which took three days to complete was under the supervision of Hon. Joseph Asare Fofie the Constituency Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress on behalf of the Member of Parliament. The constituency was divided into three educational circuits namely Bechem, Derma and Techimantia with Hon. Anthony Opuku the Persiding member of the Tano South District Assembly leading the Techimantia circuit team of officials and Hon. Yaw Ofosu Amoateng taking the Derma circuit with his team of officials from the party and the education Directorate.

Carrying the message of the gesture being an incentive for the pupils and children of the various areas to harness and develop interest in sports, the various team leaders implored the pupils and children of the recipient’s schools to develop their interest in sports in other to keep them healthy.

In all the presentation ceremonies at the various schools, it was made clear to them that the footballs and jerseys had come at an opportune time as the schools were preparing for an impending inter schools footballs competition of which some schools were seen to lack some of the basic tools to promote the sport such as football and jerseys which she has presented to the schools. She also made available one trophy to be competed for in the three circuits during their inter schools sports competition.

Commenting on the gesture of the Member of Parliament, Mr Frimpong Kyei Collins a circuit supervisor of the Tano South District Directorate of Education Commended the Honourable Member of Parliament for her kind gesture and coming to the aid of the schools. He said most of the schools in the district lacked this basic amenity and it has become a big relief for the school to receive those amenities. He commended the Member of Parliament also on her efforts to raise the standard of education in the district and urged all heads and sports teachers of the beneficiary schools to put the items into good use.

Head teachers and Proprietors of beneficiary schools upon receiving the items expressed their profound gratitude to the Member of Parliament for her kind gesture and promised to use the items for the intended purpose for which it was donated so as to enhance the efficiency of the pupils in their sporting activities.