YILO KROBO DISTRICT CHIEF EXECUTIVE TOURS SOME COMMUNITIES IN HIS DISTRICT

Hon. Andrews Sodah, the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Yilo Krobo on the 18th of November 2009 paid a one day working visit to some communities in his district to interact with the people and also assess for himself developments on the ground.

Some of the communities he visited included Aboa Besease and Aboa Osoboninya.

At Aboa Besease Catholic Basic School, Mr. Stephen Amu, the headmaster of the school appealed to the DCE to complete the building of the only school in the community which the previous administration started but could not complete.

Mr. Stephen explained that the buildings that accommodate basic one to six pupils had now become a death trap as the buildings developed deep cracks and could easily go down whenever there is a storm. Snakes also hide in between the cracks posing as a threat to learning activities, added the headmaster.

Mr. Stephen Amu also stated that Aboa Besease with a population of 900 lacks social amenities like electricity and portable drinking water. Women and children travel long distances before getting water. This makes pupils go to school late. He however appealed to the DCE to drill a borehole to serve as source of water and also provide electricity to the community.

The Yilo Krob District chief Executive honorable Andrews Sodah in his response said, rural development is paramount on the NDC government agenda to building a better Ghana. He therefore assured them that all their requests shall be granted in due cause.

On the school building, the DCE disclosed that because the previous administration failed to pay the contractor, he also left the project uncompleted. According to the DCE plans were underway to settle the contractor’s bills so he can complete building.

DCE however challenged parents to invest in their children education especially to the highest level since education does not only end at the basic level. He also entreated them to participate fully in the upcoming population and housing census especially within the district.

In a related development the DCE also paid a working visit to the chief and people of Aboa Osoboninya.

At Aboa Osoboninya, the people appealed to the DCE to provide school desks to the basic school which was built out of the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) funds some few years ago. The pupils usually sit on the floor to write during school hours. The people also appealed to the DCE to build teachers bungalow to accommodate teachers who are posted to the community.

The people of Aboa Osoboninya who are basically farmers also appealed to the DCE to establish a cocoa depot where they can market their cocoa.

The DCE however assured the people that their requests shall be granted in due course and urged them to live in love and unity as one people.

In all the communities visited, the DCE thanked the people for the confidence they reposed in the NDC government and reassured them of His Excellency President John E.A Mills’ promise for a better Ghana.

                                                                                              BY: Doris N. Sodjah (ISD, Somanya)

YILO KROBO HOLDS FARMERS DAY

A 45 year old man, Richard Martey has been adjudged the 2009 Yilo krobo District overall best farmer at a farmers’ day celebration held at Opersika.

Richard Martey who is a married man with four children has fourteen acres mango farm, maize seven acres, cassava two acres, pepper one and half acres. For animals he has forty (40) cattle, twenty-three (23) goats, fourteen (14) sheeps among others.

He took home a 20 inches television set, radio, wall clock, 2 bags of fertilizers, spraying machine, 1 full piece wax print, 5 cutlasses, washing bowls, a pair of Wellington booths and a certificate.

Delivering his keynote address under the theme ‘Accelerated Agriculture modernization for food security and economic transformation’, the District Chief Executive Hon. Andrews Sodah, stated that it is government's policy to ensure sustainable increase in agriculture productivity and output to support industries and provide stable income for farmers.

This he said is being achieved through capacity building for farmers, adopting good agricultural practices by farmers, investing of capital into the farming system and the development of rural markets.

He re-emphasized government plan to accelerate modern agriculture to ensure food security and transformation of rural economy.

Hon. Andrews Sodah however said, Government is therefore promoting a value chain development concept where all the various structures in production, processing and marketing are monitored to ensure sustainability. He applauded hard working farmers for providing food for Ghanaians all year round.

The District Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), Mr. Kofi Larbi in his welcome address said the nation cannot achieve food security and rural economic transformation if banks continue to deny farmers loan facilities.

Mr. Larbi therefore appealed to banks in the district to grant loan facilities to farmers to enhance their productions.

The district overall beast farmer, Mr. Richard Martey expressed his profound gratitude to (MOFA) and the agric extension officers for their assistance and challenged his fellow farmers not to limit themselves to the cultivation of one crop but rather practice horticulture.

By Doris N. Sodjah (ISD, Somanya)



Inspection of farm products by the DCE, Presiding Member, heads of departments and MOFA officials.

 
 
 
 

MINISTRY OF INFORMATION HOLDS WORKSHOP

The Ministry of Information in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP) has organized a four day capacity building workshop (from 3rd Nov. – 6th Nov. 09) for twenty District Information Officers and Journalists of the Information Services Department at Koforidua in the Eastern Region.

Participants were drawn from Districts which have functioning Community Information Centers (CIC).

The workshop was aimed at equipping participants with the skills of writing news reports, feature articles; news editing and publishing news on human centered developmental issues in their respective districts which would then be posted on the district’s blog to enhance effective access of information through the internet from within and outside the district.

Participants were urged to make use of the little resources available to them to market the various tourist attractions in their districts to the outside world via the internet.

As part of the workshop participants were also taking through practicals on News reporting. This they did by visiting some selected UNDP sponsored projects and reporting on such projects accordingly.

                                                                                                  By Doris N. Sodjah (ISD, Somanya)

IMPACT OF UNDP AND MANYA KROBO RURAL BANK SUPPORT PROJECT

Upper Manya Krobo Rural Bank has been ranked 23rd in the 2008 Ghana Club 100 chart from the initial position of 43rd in 2006.
It was also adjudged the best among other financial institutions in the Eastern Region. This was revealed by Mr. Eric Kwame Tetteh, the Project Manager of the bank.
The bank which currently has a clientele base of about 7,500 achieved this success through its partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Micro Small and Medium Enterprise Project (MSME) which was initiated in 2006/2007.

Apart from financial support, staff and management of the bank have also undergone UNDP sponsored capacity building programmes within and outside Ghana.

The project which seeks to building human capacity, supporting economic growth, improving and enhancing sustainable livelihoods has been lauded by its beneficiaries.

According to Mr. Emmanuel Padi, a beneficiary of the loan facility, his company, Zidaco Ventures has recorded tremendous growth since he started benefiting from the project.

From a humble beginning of one deep freezer, Zidaco ventures can now boast of two additional stores and a twenty–footer Cargo Van with six employees.

Another beneficiary, Madam Gloria Osei Yeboah a provision store operator, has expanded her business and acquired a three and half pieces of land through the loan facility with flexible terms of payment.

To the beneficiaries, UNDP intervention to the bank was indeed a lifeline in their lifetime.


ISD, Somanya: Gp 1, UNDP sponsored workshop, 5th Nov. 2009

YILO KROBO HOLDS BEST TEACHER AWARDS DAY

The Yilo Krobo District in the Eastern Region of Ghana today the 13th of November 2009 has held its 2008/2009 best teacher awards ceremony at Somanya, the District Capital to motivate hard working teachers.

In all eight winners were selected from both teaching and non teaching staff from various Junior and Senior High Schools in the district.

Delivering his keynote address, the guest speaker who is also the immediate past Director of Education in the District, Mr. David C.O. Sotti, stated that even though teaching is an interesting and noble profession, the challenges and difficulties associated with it are enormous. These challenges and difficulties according to him make the teaching profession unattractive to the youth.

Mr. Sotti further explained that for any professional to give out his best, he needs the basic necessity in life which is accommodation. Teachers nationwide lack this basic necessity which makes it difficult for them to deliver. He therefore pleaded with landlords who are hostile and intentionally increase rent to teachers in their communities to desist from it.

Mr. Sotti advised newly trained teachers not to see the profession as a stepping stone but rather remain committed to their duties.

He also touched on poor remuneration and retirement packages for teachers and appealed to government to give teachers their fair share of the national cake to enable them deliver their best.

The Yilo Krobo District Chief Executive (DCE) Hon. Andrews Soda in his speech disclosed that schools with poor infrastructural facilities will be given a facelift in the first quarter of 2010.

The DCE assured teachers in the District that the Assembly is doing its best to solve their accommodation problems. He however challenged them to reciprocate the assembly’s effort by bringing out their best to improve upon the level of education in the district.

The District Director of Education Mr. Raphael Frimpong Agyei commended the DCE for his initiative of organizing this year’s District awards ahead of the regional awards.

Mr. Raphael Frimpong Agyei however said the District Assembly alone cannot shoulder the responsibility of organizing the award scheme and appealed to corporate institutions to sponsor the scheme.

The award winners took home prizes ranging from table top refrigerators, color TV’s and mattresses.

                                                                                                                   By Doris N. Sodjah (ISD)