TANO SOUTH MUNICPAL ASSEMBLY HOLDS ASSEMBLY MEETING AT BECHEM

 The Second Ordinary meeting of the third Session of the Tano South Municipal Assembly has been held at Bechem, the Municipal capital.

The meeting which was held at the Tano South Municipal Assembly’s Conference Hall saw dignitaries     like Hon. Benjamin Yeboah Sekyere, the Member of Parliament for Tano South Constituency and Deputy Minister of Ahafo Region, Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi, the MCE for Tano South, Hon John Dadzie, the presiding member for the assembly, assembly Members, Heads of the Department, and Nana Ampong    Kromantang II, the Krontihene of Techimantia.

                                                                      Some of the Dignitaries and Assembly Members

In an opening address, Hon. John Dadzie the Presiding Member of the Tano South Municipal Assembly welcomed all and sundry to the Second ordinary meeting which happens to be the last meeting of this     Assembly. 

Hon. Dadzie thanked Hon. Benjamin Yeboah Sekyere, the MP for Tano South Constituency, Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi, the MCE for Tano South, Nananom, Heads of Department and staff of the Assembly        including the Security agencies for their support and cooperation during their tenure as Assembly           Members. He thanked the government for the distribution of motorbikes to Assembly Members to            enhance their work as assembly members and urged hon. Members to take good care of the motorbikes    and also adhere to safe riding in order to achieve their goals of which they were distributed to use.

                                                  

                                   

                                                           Hon. John Dadzie the Presiding Member addressing the house

 He said the Assembly is scheduled to be dissolved on 7th October 2019, however the Electoral                 commission has set 17th December 2019 for the election of new Assembly Members as well as a                referendum on Article 55(3) of the 1992 constitution to pave way for election of Metropolitan/ Municipal/ District Chief Executives on partisan line, he called the blessing of God for the assembly members who wish to seek for re-election and wished them a fruitful conduct of the elections. He used the meeting to call on Assembly members to educate the citizenry to participate in the election when the time comes to deepen our democracy and effective local governance. 

In his short but impressive speech, Hon. Benjamin Yeboah Sekyere, the MP for Tano South Constituency and Deputy Minister of Ahafo Region expressed his profound gratitude and commended the Assembly   Members for making time out of their busy schedule to attend this important meeting and informed them    not to engage in meaningless politics to bring disunity among them.

Hon. Sekyere commended all outgoing Assembly for their support in the creation of Ahafo Region to       champion the development projects the residents had cried for many years. On national distribution of     government resources, he said government would construct Ahafo Regional Education office and             bungalows for the staff of the education directorate especially the municipality directorate at Bechem to   boost an infrastructural development in the Municipality.   

                                  

Hon. Benjamin Yeboah Sekyere, the MP for Tano South Constituency and Deputy Minister of Ahafo Region addressing hon. Members

Hon. Sekyere said peace is relevant when it comes to development, and however informed residents in the Municipality to avoid intermittent attacks on Police personnel. This he said would go a long way to make the municipality effectively fight against criminal activities.

 On the national league table for assessing the performance of the MMDAs, he said last year the Tano      South Municipal Assembly recorded appreciable marks and eventually placed the Assembly at the better position on the league table and thanked the assembly members for supporting the management of the     Assembly to execute some of the projects to improve the living standards of the people.

Hon. sekyere said measures are put in place to reduce an open defecation, the government through the     Tano South Municipal Assembly has started One – House, One –Toilet project to ensure proper sanitary condition is prevailed in the Municipality.

In his address the MCE for Tano South Municipal Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi said it is heartwarming to address another ordinary meeting for the Tano South Assembly which happens to be the last and final     General Meeting of the Assembly and thanked them for their individual contributions as honourable       members representing their various areas and their selfless services they have collectively and                   individually rendered to the assembly.

                             

                                              MCE for Tano South Municipal Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi speaking to the house

Hon. Takyi said, it is instructive to note that the current session of the Assembly was sworn into office on Monday, October 5, 2015 for a four year term and therefore come 12 midnight of Saturday, October 5, 2019 the tenure of office of the Honourable House together with all Town and Area Councils as well as Unit Committees stand dissolved as directed by the authorities of Ministry of Local Government and Rural     Development.

On referendum, Hon. Takyi said, fresh elections would be conducted throughout the country to select new Assembly and Unit Committee Members to form the next Assemblies on the 17 December 2019 and       stressed that, a referendum would be conducted to amend Article 55(3) of the 1992 Constitution to allow  the election of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District  Chief  Executives (MMDECs)  with political      party participation in the local and District level elections under the theme “Amending Article 55(3) to   improve citizens participation in democracy”

He said, for the amendment to take place, at least 40% of the qualified voters must turn out to vote and    75% should be in favour of the bill and used the occasion to inform all legible voters to participate in the elections.

He therefore mention three main sources of funding to the assembly and these are the quarterly releases    from the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) Secretariat, expected Annual Releases of funding      from District Development Facility (DDF) and funds that we generate internally (IGF). And said the main challenge in its attempt to implement its planned programme and projects is constrained funding.

He continued that, the Assembly in collaboration with the Ghana First Company Limited commenced the construction of Public toilet across the Municipality and Seventeen (17) toilet are at various stages of       completion. Though the construction of this toilet has stalled owing to the delay in the release of funds to contractors for work done the company and the contractors have resolved their differences and as a           result they will retune to site once they receive their payments. In line with the sanitation projects and      programme in the Municipality.

 A number of toilets and water projects are being selected and undertaken in some selected communities    through the instrumentality of Hon. Benjamin Yeboah Sekyere Member of Parliament/ Deputy Minister of Ahafo Region.

He announce to the house that Tano South Municipal Assembly has been selected to be part of the Ghana Productive Safety Net Project (GPSNP) and the objective of this project is to support the government to   strengthen safety systems that improve productivity of the poor. He said, what was expecting of them as an Assembly was to prepare and submit work plan through the Regional Coordinating Council, Goaso and a team from Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development has come to verify some of the communities for the smooth take off of the project and it is going to add up to the numerous interventions by government to improve the financial and economic condition of the extremely poor households.

RESEARCH EXTENSION LINKAGE COMMITTEE HOLDS MEETING AT BECHEM

The research extension linkage committee of the Tano South Municipality has organized stakeholders’ meeting to explain the major problems hindering agricultural activities in the Municipality and also used the meeting to solicit views on the priority needs of farmers to make the Tano South agric department prepares its 2020 annual work plan.

The meeting which held at Bechem Pentecost church  saw dignitaries like Hon John Dadzie, the Presiding Member for Tano South Municipal Assembly, Hon Collins Offinam Takyi, the MCE for Tano South, Mr. Kingsley Nyame, the Ahafo Regional Director for Agric, Mr. Richard Assan Asare Donkor, the Bono Regional Director for Agric and Mr. Kyei-Baffour Owusu- Ahaw,  the Tano South Municipal Director for Agric. 

The first picture above indicates  dignitaries whilst the second one depicts participants at the programme

In a short but impressive opening address, Hon John Dadzie, the Presiding Member for Tano South Municipal Assembly thanked all participants for making time out of their busy schedule to attend the programme and stressed that since the meeting was significant to the development of the Municipality, he urged all and sundry to contribute their quota to make the programme a success. Hon Dadzie said agriculture had contributed significantly to Ghana’s economy and for the matter government had introduced planting for food and jobs to make Ghana to be able to produce more foodstuffs for sale to make the country acquires more monies to undertake other developmental projects.

In another development, Mr. Kyei-Baffour Owusu-Ahaw, the Municipal Agric Director said the purpose of the meeting was to assist the Tano South Department of Agric and the stakeholders to review 2018 work plan on problems confronting farmers in the Municipality. 

Tano South Municipal Agric Director addressing the participants

Mr. Kyei stressed that the meeting would also offer opportunity for department of Agric to collate views on the priority needs of farmers to enable the department prepares its 2020 annual work plan to be used in the Municipality. He said, no department could work effectively without policy document and urged all participants to support the chairman to make him achieve an intent to which the meeting was organized.

Mr. Richard Assan Asare Donkor, the Bono Regional Director for Agric said this important meeting had taken place in Ahafo, Bono and Bono East Regions to make farmers and other civil society organizations contributed to the government’s decision making processes to ensure department of Agric gets credible policy document to address some of the challenges confronting the agricultural sector in the aforementioned regions and urged extension officers to do all they could to educate farmers on the modern methods of agricultural practices to make them obtain higher yields whilst Mr. Kingsley Nyame, the Ahafo Regional Director for Agric advised extension officers to submit their activity reports on timely manner for onwards submission to the other authorities to enhance policy formulation.

Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi, the MCE for Tano South said sixty-five percent (65 %) of Ghana’s population could be described as farmers and needed to be enrolled on pension schemes and informed the Tano South Municipal Director for Agric and his office to play a leading role to make government under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to introduce pension scheme for farmers in the country especially the Tano South Municipality.  Hon. Takyi stressed that government would not leave any stone unturned when it comes to  the distribution of  resources and reiterated that Bechem town roads had been awarded for contract by government and urged all citizens to play their role to support government  implement its policies and programmes in all sectors of the economy.

                                 

MCE for Tano South Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi addressing participants

Hon. Takyi said ‘’lack of knowledge, my people perish’’  and emphasized  that most  farmers  had abused their farm products with chemicals and eventually had negative impact on them and other people and used the occasion to inform farmers to adopt traditional methods of farming.

The facilitators took participants through various presentations like the activities of research extension linkage committee, pest and diseases control, application of chemicals and fertilizers on farms and modern methods of agricultural practices.     

KINGS FOUNDATION CENTER OF EXCELLENCE INAUGURATES LIBRARY FACILITY AT BECHEM

A library with twenty (20) Computers has been inaugurated at Bechem in the Tano South Municipality of the Ahafo Region.

The programme saw in attendance Mr. Kingsley Owusu Achiaw, the Chief Executive Officer of Kings Foundation, Nana Fosu Gyeabour Akoto II, Omanhene of Bechem Tradional Area, H.E. Dr. Ambassador Erieka Bennett, the Head of Mission Diaspora African Forum, Hon. Collins OffinamTakyi, the MCE for Tano South, Hon. John Dadzie, the Presiding Member for Tano South and Hon. Ernest Kwarteng, the MCE for Tano North

In a speech, Mr. Kingsley Owusu Achiaw, the Chief Executive Officer of Kings Foundation said, it was the vision of  Omanhene of Bechem Traditional Area to construct ultra modern library for the people of Bechem and its environs over the years and since Omanhene had collaborated with him, they had been able to build the facility and promised to work hard to ensure the facility is resourced with the needed materials to help teachers and other organizations to conduct more research on problems confronting their organizations and other sectors of the Ghana’s economy.

He said Bechem could boost of having training college and other second cycle institutions and hinted that the availability of the facility would go a long way to assist students and informed authorities of Municipal Assembly to maintain the facility when the need arises to make it serves its intended purposes.

 

The Chief Executive Officer for Kings Foundation addressing the gathering

Mr. Achiaw said, he would continue to do his social responsibility’s work to make students in the Municipality acquire quality education as expected to make them become good future leaders and thanked government under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo – Addo for introducing free senior high school education policy to increase enrolment figures in the various second cycles institutions and also helped to reduce some of the financial problems on parents. He thanked Her Excellency Ambassador Erieka Bennett for supporting Bechem United football club and other residents both in kind and cash.

In a short but impressive speech, the Head of Mission Diaspora African Forum Her Excellency Ambassador Dr.Erieka Bennett said, she had brought some books from the United State to be donated to the Library to help improve quality education in the Municipality.  

Her Excellency Ambassador Dr. Erieka Bennett speaking at the function

In another development, Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi, the MCE for Tano South thanked Mr Kingsley Owusu Achiaw and Her Excellency Ambassador Dr. Erieka Bennett for extending their gesture to the residents of Bechem and its environs and also honoured their pledge by completing the library facility at Bechem and thanked all and sundry for making time out of their busy schedule to attend the programme. Hon. Takyi said since library has been commissioned, it had become property for the Municipality and informed younger generation to make good use of it to make it serves its intended purposes.

Hon. Takyi said, most of the challenges confronting Tano South Municipality could not be solved individually and urged residents in the Municipality as a matter of urgency come together as one people with one common destiny and tried to find antidotes to the problems to make the Municipality develops and hinted that he had collaborated with Hon. Ernest Kwarteng, the MCE for Tano North to roll out policy to ensure teachers in the Municipalities are motivated to ensure they impart their technical skill and knowledge to the students.

MCE for Tano South speaking at the programme

Nana Fosu Gyeabou Akoto II, the Omanhene of Bechem Traditional Area who chaired the function congratulated Mr. Kingsley Owusu Achiaw for executing this beautiful edifice to the people of Bechem and its environs and promised to take care of the facility and put it into good use.

AGRIC EXTENSION OFFICERS RECEIVE MOTORBIKES

In as much as government wants to modernize agriculture in Ghana to ensure the sector becomes attractive for both younger and older generations to invest their resources, government under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has released ten (10) brown new Galaxy Motorbikes to extension unit of the department of Agriculture to enhance the work of the extension officers in Tano South Municipality.

The motorbikes which were commissioned and distributed to the extension officers at the forecourt of the department of agriculture saw dignitaries like Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi, the MCE for Tano South, Hon. John Dadzie, the Presiding Member for Tano South Municipal Assembly, Mr Kyei-Baffour Owusu –Achaw, the Municipal Agric Director, Agric Extension Officers and some Officials of the Assembly.

        Picture up indicates the motorbikes whilst MCE for Tano South handling the motorbikes to the Municipal Agric Director

In a short but impressive opening address, Mr Kyei-Baffour Owusu-Achaw, the Tano South Municipal Agric Director thanked MCE for Tano South and other officers for making time out of their busy schedule to attend the programme and hinted that government had released ten (10) brown new Galaxy motorbikes to the extension unit ofthe department of agriculture, Tano South to help field officersreach farmers at hard to reach areas in the Municipality and educate them on modern methods of agricultural practices to makefarmersobtain higher yields during the major and minor farming seasons. 

The Municipal Agric Director addressing participants at the programme

Mr Kyei said government had introduced planting for food and jobs programme seeking to make Ghana achieves self- sufficiency in food production and stressed that the released of the motorbikes by government would go a long way to enhance the work of the extension officers and promised that the department would use the motorbikes for their intended purposes and put them into good use. 

Hon. Collins Offinam Takyi, the MCE for Tano South said he was very happy about the  intervention modules government had introduced in agricultural sector to assist farmers acquire bumper harvest during farming seasons and emphasized that government planting for food and jobs programme had been recognized and supported by Canadian government and informed all officers in the Municipality to educate other residents in the Municipality on government policies and programmes to make government achieves an intent to which the programmes were introduced.

                                                                 The MCE for Tano South speaking at the function

 

Hon Takyi stressed that when Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his government assumed office they had been able to employ extension workersin the Municipality and urged them to impart their technical skills and knowledge to farmersto make them produce more foodstuffs and hinted that Tano south Municipal Assembly had collaborated with the department of agriculture to embark on oil palm nursery project of which the seedlings would be distributed to farmers free of charge to boost agriculture in the Municipality.

On government industrialization policy, Hon Takyi said government had introduced different intervention programmes which could help farmers to produce more foodstuffs to feedindustries and the nation and informed all and sundry to support government implement its policies and programmes.