Author: kwahu

The Kwahu West Municipal Assembly of the Eastern Region, has recorded its first three cases of the coronavirus pandemic.

This was announced by the chairman of the Municipal Public Health Emergency Committee and Chief Executive Officer of the Assembly, Hon. Lawyer Yaw Owusu Addo in an emergency press briefing section.

At the event, the Municipal Coordinating Director, Alhaji Issah Musah, who welcomed members of the media, stated that, the assembly has a responsibility to give accurate and reliable information to the public through the media and therefore expected the media to contribute in articulating that responsibility.

Addressing the press on the issue, Hon. Lawyer Yaw Owusu Addo indicated that, even though the public health officers in the municipality have done their very best towards the containment of the novel COVID-19 global pandemic, the assembly can confirm that it has recorded its first three cases.

“Just yesterday, the assembly unfortunately after putting in much efforts to resist any possible record of the disease, received the news from doctors per some sample tests at the Noguchi centre and the KCCR in Kumasi that three persons from our municipality have tested positive for the coronavirus disease” he said.

According to the MCE, two, out of the three persons who have tested positive for the disease were on admission at the Nkawkaw Holy Family Hospital, whiles the other one person was also diagnosed at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

“Let me put on records that, two out of the three persons were on admission at the Holy Family Hospital here in Nkawkaw but tested positive after doctors took their samples for testing in Accra, whiles the other person also tested positive during treatment at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi”* he added.

Hon. Owusu Addo further noted that, the three results confirm the Assembly’s campaign that, the warnings concerning the disease is serious and real.

He has also indicated that, due to the current situation, the assembly will from Friday May 22, 2020 strengthen the enforcement on face masks wearing and other preventive protocols to ensure that residents remain secured and safe.

Municipal Health Director for the assembly, Mrs. Celestine Asante told the press that, all the three persons were indigenes of Nkawkaw and live there.

According to the health director, the information on hands confirms that, most patients are asymptomatic and could infect a lot of persons on the hind side.

“Now we can believe that most patients are asymptomatic and therefore the people of Nkawkaw should be very careful. We have followed up on their contacts and have traced more than 250 persons already and still counting, meaning that the situation could be dangerous but we still believe that God will help us. Let me say also that the disease is highly transmitted and therefore people must focus on wearing the face masks” she said.

Mrs. Celestine Asante further indicated that, the epidemiology of the disease shows that, male infections are always higher than females. She has also cautioned that, persons with other co morbidities usually have worse situations and pleaded with residents to eat well.

“I will also take this opportunity to appeal to residents not to stigmatize affected persons in order to help bring the situation under control. I also want to announce to you that right after here the health directorate will begin sample taking of all the city authorities to ascertain their conditions, including the media” she added.

Answering the issue on weather there are enough isolation centres to quarantine those traced, Hon. Owusu Addo indicated that the assembly has made available such places since the outbreak of the pandemic and therefore assured that the situation is under control.

2021 Budget Hearing

Annual Audit report on the accounts of the KWMA for year ended 31 Dec 2019

AWARENESS CREATION ON PERMITTING ISSUES AND OTHER RELATED LAND ISSUES IN KWAHU WEST MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY
The Department of Physical Planning is responsible for the activities of the Department of Town and Country Planning and the department of Parks and Gardens.
The Physical Planning Department does and link to activities include
• Development control
• Assessment of permits
• Street naming and property addressing system

Status of SNPAS

Land use Planning and Development control can never he underrated inhuman settlement growth and development. In the wake of rapid population growth and uncontrolled urbanization, adequate spatial planning has gained such prominence as a total to achieve a congenial living environment.
Towns in Ghana of which Nkawkaw is part lack the ability to harness the good side of increasing population. We are continuously bedeviled with the spate of Spatial Planning always chasing after development instead of the vice versa. This consequently leads to erection of unauthorized structures, haphazard developments, informal settlements and slums.
Effectiveness of development control measures and practices are stalled by several factors including political interference, low staffing capacity of institutions, low awareness of regulations concerning development control, inadequate funds unscrupulous activities by some land owners and private artisans amongst others.

Public Education

The Physical Planning Department of the Kwahu West Municipal Assembly as part of its mandate is to educate developers on the need to acquire development and building permits before the commencement of new developments.
In line with this Department has adopted strategies like community engagements and radio programmes to address issues of low awareness creation on permitting issues in the municipality.
The Department over the course of the year has had five radio programmes with Life fm and Okwawufm and one community engagement forum with residents of Kwaman (residents around St. Anthony’s School) to create awareness on permitting issues and other Spatial |Planning activities.
Though the number of programmes organized is small, its effectiveness cannot be under emphasized judging by the call in and participation of the general public during the programmes and forum.
We however hope to intensify awareness creation programs next year and extend it other radio and communities as demanded by the public.
This we hope will create a conducive atmosphere and enabling environment for the enforcement of building regulations and acquisition of development and building permits.

On Friday, September 7, 2018, the Kwahu West Municipal Assembly of the Eastern Region distributed assorted items to support some 68 persons with disabilities (PWDs) to improve their living standards. The items, which are to help the beneficiaries venture into commercially viable activities, were procured from their share of the common fund allocated to the Assembly.

Persons with disabilities(PWDs) have a 3% share of all quarterly releases of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) meant for their upkeep. The Fund was previously disbursed in cash to physically challenged persons for their use.

The government, however, took a decision that instead of handing out cash to the beneficiaries which they usually dissipated in no time, it was better to ensure that the money was used to secure sources of living with their consent.

In compliance with this directive therefore, the Assembly decided to use the funds to set them up in small business ventures which would help improve their economic status instead of taking the cash.

At a brief ceremony held at the Assembly’s premises to distribute the items, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Hon. Yaw Owusu Addo, presented some brand new refrigerators deep freezers, sewing machines and some electrical appliances to the beneficiaries to enable them to start businesses on their own and become self-reliant.

Hon. Owusu Addo with the assistance of the Municipal Coordinating Director, Alhaji Musah Issah, also presented gas ovens, plastic chairs as well as some food items and livestock, based on the requests made by some of the beneficiaries.

According to the Hon. MCE, a total of GHȼ90,894.55 was spent to procure the items for the beneficiaries who were made up of 43 physically challenged persons, 14 visually impaired as well as 11 others suffering from hearing impairment. The items were received directly by the individual beneficiaries.

Present at the ceremony were the Chairman of the Ghana Federation for the Disabled in the Municipality, Joseph Abankwa and Joseph Adu who is also the Chairperson of the Assembly’s Disability Fund Management Committee, Presiding Member of the Assembly, Assembly members, HODs and staff of the Kwahu West Municipal Assembly as well as the Media.

It gives me immense happiness to be present at the 25TH Anniversary and Prize Giving Ceremony of a preparatory school of such repute. I genuinely share the joy and pride of everyone associated with this school, particularly the teachers. Many of you are working hard to give our future leaders a wholesome future. I hope that your efforts will not be in vain.

Mr Chairman, the Ghanaian child today is an heir tomorrow. It is therefore important to give them holistic education for a wholesome future. Indeed, it is praiseworthy to mention that the Blessed Redeemer Preparatory School over the past 25 years has pulled resources together to transform our children, intellectually, culturally, morally and spiritually.
Throughout these years, you have inculcated the spirit of hard work, patriotism, kindness, selflessness, humility and good citizenship in the children in this municipality. I congratulate and urge you to continue.
The efforts of this great school is in consonance with the vision of our President of the Republic, His Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to give every Ghanaian child a holistic education to the highest level.
In an attempt to make his vision potent and relevant, His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo implemented the free SHS. This policy is geared towards creating an excellent future for our children.
The free SHS has generated an overwhelming interest in education which has resulted in high enrolments in our second cycle institutions.
The government’s strategic response to this situation is the introduction of the double tracking system. The double tracking system will create adequate rooms at the end of the school year for all SHS 1 students which will allow for academic interventions.
Again all the SHS 1 get enough time to prepare for school after result are released.
What’s more, all SHS 2 students will gain additional weeks for academic interventions in school.
All SHS 3 students will gain 4 additional weeks of instructions to prepare for their WASSCE.
Ladies and gentlemen, irrespective of our religious, educational, and political backgrounds, we all subscribe to the fact that we need to educate our children to the highest level. I will encourage all and sundry to inspire our children to study hard in order to enjoy this policy. The Free SHS has come to stay!
Mr. Chairman, the more educated we are, the easy it will be for us to drive development at a faster rate. The Kwahu West Municipal Assembly is also doing its bit to improve education in the municipality. In this light, we piloted free weekend classes for final year JHS students in the municipality.
This year we have expanded the programme to cover all final year JHS students in the municipality. This is a good way to aspire realistically to a better future.
The Assembly has also commissioned a state-of-the-art library equipped with computers and modern books. I encourage our children to make good use of the facility especially the ICT Centre attached to the library.
Plans are also underway to provide mobile library Vans to bring reading to the doorstep of our children in remote communities.
In addition, we are providing structures and resources to ensure that all children will have full access to quality and affordable education.
It is our central goal to pursue with urgency an agenda to improve education thus we will require the full participation of all present here today.
To the school authorities, strive to make your school a conductive place for learning and put strategies that will develop the creative side of our children.
To the teachers, teach our children to be responsible leaders. Mould them to change their own societies positively and to gradually replace the external forces who today appear, and indeed sometimes seek to control our destinies.
To the students of this school, I convey my very warm congratulations on this special day.
The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you. Commit yourselves to learning and stop wasting your time on TV, whatsApp, facebook, and fruitless relationships.
It is my hope and prayer that the education and training that you will acquire will enable you to assume positions of leadership in your communities, and even beyond.
Mr. Chairman, parents and guardians are key to the success of education thus the best thing we can do now is to invest in the education of our children. I urge you to do all you can to promote knowledge and learning in line with our tradition and great culture.
Mr. Chairman, permit me to reiterate what Nelson Mandela once said “An educated, enlightened and informed population is one of the surest ways of promoting the health of democracy”.
Once again congratulations on your anniversary
Thank you.

In an effort to help the final year pupils in our public schools to adequately prepare themselves for this free senior high education scheme,the Assembly and some NGOs are proposing to offer them free two-hour tuition each Saturday and Sunday, between 8 am to 10 am from next month until June next year when they go to write their Basic Education Certificate Examinations. This exercise is meant to let the children become adequately exposed and familiar with the BECE examination papers which they will ultimately encounter at the end of their course.”

Centre for Community Initiative (CCI), an NGO in collaboration with the KWMA and the Municipal Education Directorate starts the piloting of the FREE WEEKEND CLASSES FOR JHS 3 candidates today. Beneficiary schools are Methodist JHS, Salvation Army JHS, Islamic JHS, Akuamoah Acheampong JHS, St John’s JHS, Brotherhood JHS, Christian MA JHS, TI Ahmadiya JHS and Nkawkaw Kuma JHS. There shall be 3 centres for these 9 Schools. I wish them the best!!

The Kwahu West Municipal Assembly exists to improve the quality of life of its people through the effective mobilization and development of human and natural resources, provision of social services and the creation of an enabling environment for accelerated and sustainable development.