TANO SOUTH DISTRICT ASSEMBLY HOLDS GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING

The second session of the general Assembly of the Tano South District Assembly has been held.

                        A cross section of Hon. Members and dignitaries at the meeting

The meeting held at the Assembly Conference Hall of the district saw the attendance of the DCE, Hon Collins Offinam Takyi, the Presiding Member, Hon. John Dadzie, the District Coordinating Director, Mr. Kofi Kingsley Sencherey, the District Finance Officer, Mr. Agyenim – Boateng Patrick and Nana Fosu Gyeabour Akoto II, the Omanhene of Bechem Traditional Area.

In an opening address, the Presiding Member, Hon. John Dadzie welcomed all and sundry to the important meeting of the Assembly and said the meeting will give platform and privileges to the participants and Hon. Members to deliberate on the developmental agenda of the District. He said, the meeting is also in fulfilment of the standing orders of the Assembly which mandates all Hon. Members to meet as and when necessary to access the critical issues in the district and find the needed ways to address them.

                    

                           The Presiding Member of the Assembly welcoming the Hon. Members

Hon. Dadzie thanked the MP, Hon. Benjamin Yeboah Sekyere for procuring a double decker refrigerator to the office the Presiding Member and called on the MP to provide the Office with a Television Set to enable it befits the status. Since time lost is never refundable, he urged all Hon. Members to respect time in everything they do especially in attending Assembly Meeting and other official functions and urged them to contribute their quota to make the meeting a success.

With regards to the Public Relations and Complaint Committee, he said, the committee is one of the statutory committees of the Assembly responsible for educating the general public on the activities of the District. He said, the committee has held its first meeting to discuss the best ways to perform its constitutional mandate and encouraged them to inform the electorates to use their office to address the emerging issues.

Hon Dadzie said, the Annual Presiding Members’ Conference for 2017 was held at the Institute of Local Government Studies in Accra, where a number of issues were discussed including the procurement and supply of motorbikes to the Assembly Members. 

In a sessional address, the DCE, Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi said, he was very glad to be given the opportunity to address the August House for the second time since his assumption of office.

He expressed the good wishes of His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo – Addo , the President of the Republic of Ghana, the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Hon. Kwaku Asomah Cheremeh, the MP for Tano South Constituency Hon. Benjamin Yeboah Sekeyere and his own behalf to all members present and said the turnout for the meeting is an indication that Hon. Members are eager to collaborate with Stakeholders, Institutions and Agencies to  work as a team to improve the living standards of people in the District.

On security matters, Hon. Takyi said, the District continues to remain relatively calm and peaceful due to the prudent strategies put in place by the District Security Committee (DISEC) and assured Nananom and other stakeholders that the Assembly will do all it takes to support the committee to enable them to perform its core mandates.

                     

                                       Hon. DCE for Tano South addressing the House

On finance, Hon. Takyi stressed that the Assembly acquires its financial resources through the District Assembly Common Fund, Internally Generated Fund, District Development Fund and Donations. He said, since the Assembly has limited financial resource, it finds it difficult to meet the expectation of the citizenry and urged the Assembly members to support the revenue collectors to mobilize more revenue for the Assembly to enable them to address issues affecting people in the District.

Since education is the key to success, Hon. Takyi said, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo – Addo has rolled out the Free Senior High School Programme in line with 2016 manifesto promise of the New Patriotic Party and hinted that the programme is aimed at making the Ghanaian child of school going age have access to Free Senior High School. He said, there are three (3) Senior High Schools in the District and out of them, one is a boarding facility and stressed that the implementation of policy has made 2017 academic year saw each school admitting more students.  He said, government has also paid all first year students’ fees and provides one hot meal a day for all day students free of charge as a component of the free SHS policy.

Hon. Takyi said the introduction of the free Senior High School is a good intervention programme but it has come with its associate challenges such as inadequate boarding accommodation, hostel facilities for students who come from far and inadequate kitchen staff to cook for the students and stressed that the Central Government and the Assembly are working assiduously to ensure the challenges are addressed to create enabling environment for teaching and learning.

He stressed that, as part of Assembly’s efforts to improve education by building the human resource capacity of the younger generation in the District, the Assembly had implemented   the recommendations from the social services sub – committee by paying an amount of twenty – four thousand, six hundred and twenty – four Ghana cedis and twenty pesewas ( GH 24, 624.20) from the District Assembly Common Fund to thirty – three (33) students in the second cycle institution, colleges of education, nursing training colleges and the universities who had applied for financial support from the Assembly.

On health sector, Hon. Takyi said, CHPs Compounds provide strategic planning and implementation of primary health care activities within a community with full participation of community members and hinted that the Assembly is putting efforts in place to provide needed equipment to four (4) CHPs Compounds to begin work in order to make people in the community have access to health care delivery.

With regards to National Health Insurance Scheme, Hon, Takyi said, the scheme was established to provide equitable access and financial coverage for basic health care services for all manner of Ghanaians and stressed that from January to August, 2017, the Tano South District office of the National Health Insurance has been able to register twenty – five thousand, two hundred twenty – four (25, 224) people onto the scheme. He said, currently the scheme has nine (9) accredited health care providers serving its members in the District and seven (7) health care providers and said since January to August, 2017 the National Health Insurance Authority has been able to release a total amount ( GH 1, 578, 480.37) to pay some accredited service providers.

To make Agricultural sector becomes attractive and productive to Ghanaians, Hon. Takyi said government has launched the Planting for Food and Jobs policy to subsidize Agricultural inputs by fifty per cent (50%) with the remaining fifty per cent (50%) paid by farmers. On Planting for Jobs and Investment, which is a subsidiary of Planting for Food and Jobs, Hon Takyi indicated that, the Assembly is putting measures in place to support between ten thousand (10,000) to twenty thousand (20,000) farmers in the District to cultivate an average of ten (10) acres of crops within the next four (4) years.

Hon. Takyi touched on LEAP, water and sanitation and electricity and said the Assembly will continue to do its core mandates by providing good drinking water and extension of electricity to the needed communities.

The house also used the occasion to discuss the Executive Committee report of the Assembly and the fee fixing resolution for 2018.

       

                                      Nana Fosu Gyeabour Akoto II giving his address

Nana Fosu Gyeabour Akoto II, the Omanhene of Bechem Traditional Area who had the opportunity to attend the meeting in a speech said, the chiefs of Ahafo have submitted a proposal concerning the creation of Ahafo Region to the office of the President and hinted that when government is ready for the creation of the Region, a referendum will be conducted by electoral commission and urged all legible voters to vote massively to acquire needed percentage of votes for the creation of the Region. 

MY FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL HELD IN THE TANO SOUTH DISTRICT

“My First Day at School” which marks the reopening of schools’ academic year saw the MP, Hon Benjamin Yeboah Sekyere, the DCE, Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi, officials of the Tano South District Assembly and the District Directorate of the Ghana Education Service visiting public schools in the District to mark the day.

                         Dignitaries are interacting with the students in one of the schools

The Tano South District which comprises of five (5)  educational circuits saw each circuit been visited by a team of officials led by a high ranking officer of the Assembly and the District Education Directorate to interact with the pupils who had enrolled to begin schooling and to distribute goodies to them to remember their first day at school.

The Tano South District Director of Education, Rev. Robert Opoku who accompanied the DCE and MP in a short welcoming speeches at all schools said teachers are the eye of the community and for that matter, urged them to avoid absenteeism and do all they can to impart  knowledge to the pupils to make them become good leaders in future.  

Rev. Opoku said since government is playing its part to ensure that matters affecting effective teaching and learning is solved in order to make the teaching profession attractive, teachers must also do their best to compliment the efforts of government by giving off their best and finally advised the pupils to show respect to their elders.

The DCE for Tano South, Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi who led a team of officials to visit the schools in circuit “A” in a speech at all the schools said government has set that day aside to ensure that all pupils starting schooling for the first time are encouraged and motivated to remain in school and take their lessons seriously so that they can pass all manner of examinations conducted by the teachers.

                            

                               Hon. DCE giving assorted drinks to the pupils

He also urged the pupils to avoid watching movies and make sure they spend much of their time on their books to make them benefit from the government’s educational policies and informed all teachers in the various schools to allocate sectional plots for the students to work on to ensure the school compounds become clean and prevent pupils from snake bites.

The MP, Hon. Benjamin Yeboah Sekyere expressed felicities of His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo- Addo, the President of the Republic of Ghana to both teachers and the pupils. He said the Ex-President of the Republic of Ghana, John Agyekum  Kuffour introduced the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) to make pupils  have access  to the Free Basic Education and hinted that since  His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo 

                                

Hon. MP entertaining one of the pupils with biscuit after addressing the students

has also introduced the Free Senior High School, there is the need for the pupils to take their books seriously to ensure they benefit from the government’s free SHS Policies.

He said government has put measures  in place to restore the Nursing and Training Colleges’ allowance to ensure it motivate more students to choose teaching and nursing professions  and stressed that government through the Assembly will continue to do more to improve and extend the school feeding programme and advised parents to send their wards to school.  

On behalf of the Presidency through the Assembly and the Education Directorate, an assorted drinks and biscuits  were distributed to the fresh in-takes of class one in the various schools by the high ranking members including the MP for the Tano South Constituency.  

STUDENTS RECEIVE FINANCIAL SUPPORT

A total amount of twenty-four thousand, six hundred and twenty-four, twenty pesewas (GH¢ 24, 624.20) has been disbursed to thirty-three (33) students by the Tano South District Assembly. Out of the thirty-three (33) students, twelve (12) students are in the Second Cycle Institutions, nine (9) students are in both Nursing and Training Colleges whilst the rest are in the Universities.

During the presentation of cheques to beneficiaries, the Principal Finance Officer for Tano South District Assembly, Mr Agyenim- Boateng Patrick urged parents to advise their wards to take their books seriously since education is a key to success.

On the purpose of accountability, he informed beneficiaries to submit their pay-in slips or receipts to the Assembly after making payment of their fees to make the Assembly accounts properly to the auditors and stressed that any students who fail to submit his or her pay-in slip or receipt to the Assembly will be evicted from the Assembly’s scholarship scheme.

In a short but impressive address, the DCE for Tano South Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi said many students in the Tano South District have applied for Assembly’s scholarship and since the Assembly has limited financial resources, it has been able to release an  amount of twent-four thousand, six hundred and twenty-four, twenty pesewas to thirty-three (33) students whose issues are critical to be dealt in order to make them pay their school fees at the appropriate  time and stressed that Assembly will continue to use ten percent (10%) of its Common Fund to support students who do not benefit from the government’s free Senior High School policy.

Hon. Takyi urged beneficiaries not to go to other districts and demand for the same financial support since the Tano South District Assembly has given them the needed support and said all MMDAs  are building database where information about each beneficiary will be stored and verify as the need arises and hinted that the introduction of free Senior High School policy by government will go a long way to relief some burdens on parents and urged all and sundry to embrace it to make the government achieves the intent to which he introduces the policy.

SOD – CUTTING CEREMONY HELD AT BREME

Ground breaking ceremony to sink mechanized boreholes and construct water reservoir tank has been held at Breme in the Tano South District of the Brong Ahafo Region.

                                                   Pictures above show MP and DCE cutting the sod

A mini durbar which held at Breme’s Palace saw MP for Tano South Constituency Hon. Benjamin Yeboah Sekyere, the DCE for Tano South, Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi, Officials from the Save Water Network Company, Tano South Constituency Branch of New Patriotic Party’s Executives, Nananom and some staff of the Tano South District Assembly.

A short but impressive address at the palace, the DCE for Tano South Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi said during the 2016 general electioneering campaign, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic party Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo – Addo promised that if Ghanaians vote for him and he becomes President of the Republic of Ghana, he will do all he can to improve the living standard of  the people at Breme and hinted that it is upon the promised that the government has taken a bold decision to collaborate with Save Water Network Company to undertake water project at Breme community to ensure that residents are able to acquire good drinking water. He said when the project is completed it will help to prevent people from getting water borne diseases.

Hon. Takyi said he and the MP for the Constituency will play a leading role to ensure that the Bechem Ahwirewam road is tarred by government. He also stressed that the government through the Assembly will do all it takes to extend electricity to the rural areas to make the rural folks to have access to electricity to undertake businesses in order to reduce the rural-urban migration.

                   

                             The DCE for Tano South speaking at the ceremony

In another development, the MP for Tano South Constituency Hon Benjamin Yeboah Sekyere said since education is a key to success, government has launched the free Senior High School Policy where students who have completed Basic Education Certificate Examination and have obtained aggregates six (6) to twenty-four (24) will be allowed to enjoy the Policy and urged parents to advise their wards to learn to make the government free SHS Policy achieves its intended purposes.

Hon. Sekyere said government has also launched one district one factory projects and stressed that when the project is executed in the district, it will make many people acquire jobs. He said the introduction of the one district one factory will also make the district develops since many people will be coming to the district to embark on all manner of trades.

                     

                                        The MP for Tano South Constituency addressing the gathering

He said government want Agricultural Sector to become so attractive for all manner of people to invest their resources and as the result of that government has launched planting for food and jobs where many seedlings have been supplied to farmers free of charge and urged the beneficiaries’ farmers to make good use of them and achieve higher yields.

Mr Kofi Peprah, the construction Manager of Save Water Network Company said since water is life there is the need for government to provide water for the community to make people at the community and its environs have portable water to drink and urged the community members to avoid politicizing the project.

Nana Boakyi Yiadom Amankwa the Bremehene thanked all those who played a leading role to make the community gets the project.