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.

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