CENTRAL GONJA TO FULFILL 'BETTER GHANA AGENDA' (PAGE 13, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2010)

THE Central Gonja district assembly in the Northern Region is optimistic of fulfilling the ‘Better Ghana Agenda’, following the progress being made in various sectors of development in the area.
According to the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, Mr Salifu Issifu Be-Awuribe, the district has made significant improvement in internal revenue generation, education, water and sanitation, agriculture and forest development.
Addressing the Second Ordinary General Assembly Meeting of the district, Mr Be-Awuribe noted that the district had projected to collect a total revenue of GH¢122,670 for the year.
He said as at the end of July, the assembly had already collected a total amount of GH¢99,649 and this represents 81.23 per cent of the total budgeted figure.
Under education, the DCE indicated that the assembly had stepped up efforts to expand existing infrastructure, make available more teachers and motivate students to improve upon their performance.
He said with support from development partners, classroom blocks and teachers’ quarters were being constructed in several communities in the district, such as Kpejipe, Jukuku, Yala, Kokope, Chama, Sankpala, Mpaha and Kalinka.
He also mentioned that the assembly was considering implementing the Rural Volunteer Teaching Programme, which would bring on board at least 50 volunteer teachers to assist the professional teachers.
He said already, the district was sponsoring a number of teacher trainees who have been bonded to serve the district after graduation.
The DCE further indicated that the assembly had instituted a three-year sponsorship award package for the best male and female students who qualify for Senior High School.
This, he explained, was meant to challenge the students to learn hard and improve upon their performance in the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE).
In the area of water and sanitation, the DCE said the district had a difficult hydro-geological terrain, which made it difficult to get enough ground water to fill bore holes and hand-dug wells.
He said the assembly, through the support of UNICEF, was working on the Buipe water system, which seeks to provide the Buipe Township with pipe-borne water.
Mr Be-Awuribe said the UNICEF, under its I-WASH project, would also undertake the mechanization of water systems at Mpaha, Kikale and Kegbripe.
“The assembly is also constructing water closet toilets at the Buipe market and 16-Vault chambers at Yapei and Mpaha,” he further mentioned.
For agriculture, the DCE noted that the district was undertaking the block farming project and that several bags of rice and maize seeds were supplied for the project.
He said the district was also positioning itself to benefit from the National Forest Plantation Development Programme to enable it resist desertification.
He said the district was allocated 150 acres of land for the programme and that site preparation had already completed at the various sites, such as Mpaha, Fufulso, Yapei, Sankpala and Tuluwe.
With these ongoing development projects, the DCE said the district was making steady progress and appealed to the assembly members to take active interest in these developments and ensure their success.