AHANTA WEST DISRICT IS AMONG THE FASTEST GROWING DISTRICTS IN GHANA-DCE

This is the first of a two part-feature that ahantanews360’s Managing Editor, Samuel Kojo Brace, has done on the prospects of Ahanta West growing into the business hub of the Western Region of Ghana.

It is pleasing to hear that Ahanta West District has a greater potential of achieving that status. What we need to do now is to pull resources; energy, knowledge, and money, etc, together and help the district to achieve this status. It is possible!

Delegation from Ahanta West in Korea for A Workshop

The District Chief Executive for the Ahanta West District Assembly (AWDA), Hon. Joseph Dofoyena, has describe the Ahanta West District as one of the fastest growing districts in Ghana.

He said the development is as a result of the oil find in the country, which is located south of Cape Three Points, a town in the district.

According to him, because of the oil find, the district has been zoned into residential, industrial, agricultural, and tourism zones. 

The project which, according to the DCE, was started by Hon. Kwesi Biney (DCE of AWDA during NPP’s regime) and implemented by Hon. Jones Amoah, was done to prevent haphazard development in the district. He added that Hon. Jones Amoah brought in experts from Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to help in the design of the project.

According to Hon. Joseph Dofoyena, the Ahanta West District organized an International Symposium in 2012 to showcase its potentials to the outside world, adding that as a result, many investors have trooped into the district to invest.

“A lot of companies are in the process of establishing their major depots in the district to undertake various services for the country, West Africa, Africa, and even some parts of the world. So we are seeing some developments going on”.

Hon. Dofoyena said the AWDA is making sure that the investors/developers develop within the laid down plan of the district.

He said the development is bringing some revenue in terms of building and development permits.

The Hon. DCE explained further that the level of developments along the Agona Nkwanta-Takoradi Highway indicates how fast the district is developing, saying “a lot of companies have acquired lands in the district for developments, indicating that the district is growing.” 

Funds

Touching on funds, Hon. Dofoyena said the numerous developments along the highway from Agona to Takoradi may be mistaken to be bringing some major revenue to the district, but that cannot be the true picture.

“People who pass through Agona to Takoradi may see several developments going on. That in itself may not necessarily give a lot of revenue to the district because all these companies are now establishing themselves. So people may say that Ahanta West you have money. Yes, it will yield in revenue, but not now”

He said the district is in crisis now in terms of revenue availability for the development of the district, adding that the district wants to shift from relying on external sources of funds for developing the district.

“We want to shift from external sources of fund; from the central government and donors that partner the government. For example District Development Fund (DDF) is a donor-government funding. The assembly has passed from 2008 to now, but only half of the money for 2011 has come. For 2012, nothing has come”

He said this money has not reached the district assembly though the AWDA has passed the Functional Organizational Assessment (FOAT), which is a prerequisite for accessing the facility.

On the Common Fund, Hon. Dofoyena said from the beginning of this year, there has been two releases for the previous year (2013) but not that of the current year, 2014.

He said as a result of this, the district assembly has given out the collection of revenues out on contract to some indigenous companies to help the assembly raise enough internally generated fund (IGF) to develop the district.

The bane to Ahanta’s Prospects 

Making reference to a discussion he had on a platform operated by the Ahanta Tertiary Graduates for Development (TEGRAD), Hon. Dofoyena regretted the lack of Ahantas who are ‘big’ people in the government to lobby for the Ahanta West District. 

He said the corporate social responsibilities of the oil companies are lobbied for by ‘big’ men for their areas, and that the lack of such people for Ahanta is hampering the district’s progress. 

“The corporate social responsibilities that the oil companies operating in Ghana are doing for the country, if you don’t have people who lobby for projects in your district, you will see a whole lot of corporate social responsibility projects being carried out all over the places but you don’t see such in your district”

He continued: “anytime I’ve gotten the opportunity to meet these companies, I complain a lot to them that there should be a conscious efforts by the companies, government and everybody to establish certain institutions that will ensure equitable distribution of corporate social responsibility or whatever. And that it should not be that if you don’t have people in government to lobby for you, it means your district becomes neglected”.

He said this situation is the bane of underdevelopment of the Western Region in general.

Hon. Joseph Dofoyena told ahantanews360 that all in all “our district has a greater potential to develop.”

  

DCE, Hon. Dofoyena and some delegates listening to a an expert.

NB: We wish you can comment for us to know your thoughts on this issue. Thanks for commenting.

CREATURES OF THE LAND

A teenage girl carrying her baby.

I have been thinking, brainstorming and asking questions.

I am totally confused, where are we living now?

Is the society ok or am at the wrong position on the cardinal point?

Where are we heading towards, is there any future for the land?

Why are the creatures within thinking of the now but not what the future holds?

It is no longer a hidden secret that young ones are giving birth to young ones. One might say it is reproduction. The young ones are assuming adulthood too early. Parents have no say.

Children walking away. Street life is what they portray

They do what pleases them. Whether it’s good or bad, these young people resort to social vices with ease without recourse to accepted social norms.

If I may ask, is teenage pregnancy and early parenthood a societal norm or a problem?

It was quiet interesting when I heard people say ‘wo time etwamu’ to women of 20 years and above who give birth. It has even come to be a slogan in most communities where teenagers who get pregnant laugh at adults who have not been able to conceive.

Parents do ignore children after a first pregnancy to go stay with the man, most times with no marriage rites performed. Parent, unable to offer the maximum care for their kids, rather think pushing their pregnant daughters to go and stay with the men responsible for the pregnancy releases them from being financially responsible for the girl child. A situation that I describe as ‘sorry’.

These turn the young ones into parents at early ages and therefore have to engage in several life surviving activities such as hawking and more. How can a child take care of a child? A question I often ask myself.

Teenage pregnancy and parenthood is like a generation of teens parenting children, ending up in creating a cycle of endless poverty.It really saddens my heart to see young girls hawking with their babies at their back. 

Things seem to be right but I do see a very big issue at stake. I recently visited a community and upon what I saw; girls moving to and fro doing nothing, I got very sad. We should not forget that these young ones, in about five or ten years will be adults.

Therefore if these future leaders are doing nothing, what happens to young ones they bring forth? Have you by any way thought of why poverty is still pervasive and overwhelming in the society?

Incomes earned mostly serve the purpose of hand-to-mouth.

Creatures of the land are everything, ok?

There is only one moment to be a teenager and another to be adult. So why do you destroy the beginning and hope the future will be bright.

What do you think can be done?

                                                       

Francis Quayson/ahantanews360