News Categories: Community

In accordance with the United Nations’ observation of October 13 as a day of reminding the world about the need to reduce the risk of disasters, the Kwahu West Municipal NADMO Secretariat held this year’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDR) Celebrations at Kwahu Fodoa. The durbar was held under the Chairmanship of the Krontihene of Kwahu Fodoa.

In attendance were NADMO staff, the Municipal NADMO Director, Alhaji Mohammed Hamidu and his deputy, Mr. Daniel Agyekum Ansah, the Queenmother of Fodoa and other traditional heads from the palace, the Hon. Municipal Chief Executive, Lawyer Yaw Owusu Addo, the Municipal Coordinating Director, Mr. Peter Tetteh Kwabla, members from the Municipal Disaster Management Committee such as Municipal Education Director, Municipal Fire Commander, Municipal Health Director, Municipal Environmental Health Director, MP’s Rep etc; and other officers from the Kwahu West Municipal Assembly.

Also present at the event were teachers and pupils from the Fodoa SHS and Fodoa Basic School. The community folks were also present in their numbers to make the program a great success

As part of efforts to ensure local inclusiveness and integration to achieve development for the people, the Hon. MCE embarked on community engagements to 3 communities in the Municipality on Thursday, 1^st September, 2022.  The purpose of the gathering was to solicit ideas on areas of concern to the indigenes, to address their challenges and the communal way forward.

Present at the engagement were Hon. Joseph Frempong (MP), Hon. Boansi Darkwa (PM), Party representatives, traditional and opinion leaders, some selected technical staff and the media. Issues of discussion centered on illegal mining, roads, trade, LEAP, education and agriculture, to name a few.

In the Hon. MCE’s remarks, he said in order for a community to enjoy its share of the national cake, the government needs to know the various needs of the community, hence the engagement. He further encouraged the communities to take advantage of self-development projects and to collaborate with well-off indigenes and the Assembly’s support to initiate community projects.

He charged the gathering to take advantage of government policies such as free education and One District One Factory (1D1F). He tasked the leaders of the towns to ensure that every child of school going age is enrolled in school.

Addressing some of the concerns raised, he mentioned access roads would be created for the expansion of the communities and expressed his worry about the influx of foreigners in the communities engaging in illegal mining, with another adverse effect of the rise in teenage pregnancies in such communities.

The Hon. Presiding Member expressed his appreciation to the gathering for honoring management’s invitation and encouraged community to patronize activities of the Assembly. He further tasked the community to protect and maintain existing government facilities.

The Hon. MP, advised the youth to engage in craft work and agriculture. He besought the communities to remain patient with the government as it is on course to deliver all promises made during the 2020 election campaigns.

The Nana Odikro of Wisiwisi expressed the communities’ gratefulness to the government for efforts in developing his community. He was especially thankful for the completion of the road extending from Abepotia to Oda.

On Thursday, 18th August 2022, Hon. MCE, Lawyer Owusu Addo paid a courtesy call on the chiefs and people of Nsuta, Abanase, and Nkawkaw Zongo to deliberate on issues of concern to the communities.

The issues discussed centered around Electricity, Sanitation, Security, Children and Gender, Road, Trade, Water and Education.

Hon. MCE was accompanied by Hon. Boansi Darkwa (Presiding Member), Mr. Andy Ameyaw (NPP Consituency Chairman, Nkawkaw), a Representative from the Member of Parliament for Nkawkaw’s office and key management staff of the Assembly.

Addressing the forum, Hon. MCE expressed his gratitude to the chiefs and people gathered for giving him the opportunity to engage them and reiterated that this was how local government should be.

He mentioned he was mandated to bring governance to the doorstep of the people, and therefore it was in order to see him on such occasion to interact with the people, and address their concerns and also to trumpet the good works of the Assembly.

Also, he stated that Nsuta and Abanase have had a fair share of government road projects and took the opportunity to announce to the people that government has allotted 17 kilometers of road to Nkawkaw and promised the inner roads within the Zongo community would not be left out.

Participants of the program included chiefs, religious leaders, Assembly Members, Security Personnel among others.

The government, through Kwahu West Municipal Assembly, has donated and handed over thirty-five (35) pieces of wheelchairs to the Ghana Federation of the Disabled in the Kwahu West Municipality.

The Federation Secretary in the Municipality, Joseph Abankwa, in an interview disclosed that the wheelchairs were first donated to the National President of the Federation at a ceremony in Accra whilst the share of the Region were handed over to the Regional President. He further stressed that the Kwahu West Municipality’s share of thirty-five (35) pieces were thereafter handed over to the municipality.

Mr. Abankwa further disclosed that the Federation has a membership of about 200 in the Municipality and stressed that priority would be given to the needy, emphasising that the wheelchair users and those in dire need would be the ones to receive.

The 65^th Independence Day Anniversary Celebration was held at the Pentecost Preparatory School in Nkawkaw in the Kwahu West Municipality.

The Anniversary was held under the theme “Working Together, Bouncing Back Together”.

Present at the event were; the Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Yaw Owusu Addo; MP of the area, Hon. Joseph Frempong; the Municipal Coordinating Director, Peter Kwabla Tetteh; Heads of the various security services; Heads of Departments; Assembly Members and the general public.

The Hon. MCE, touching on the theme, said the choosing of the theme was apt and bemoaned the deadly COVID-19 pandemic in the previous years that had stalled the development process in the nation.

He called on the citizenry to make fresh commitment, unite and work harder for the nation to recapture the status as the beacon of hope for Africa and called on everyone to bury their differences.

Nana Dr. Okra Baadu III, a sixty-five year old chief of Asaasefufuom has won the overall best farmer at the 37th Farmers’ Day celebration, which came off  on Friday, 3rd December at Mpraeso Amanfrom in the Municipality.

For his hard work which earned him the position, he was given a new royal tricycle, shovels, a wheelbarrow, Wellington boots, machetes and a plaque proclaiming him as the best farmer in the Municipality for the year 2021.
The theme of this years celebration was “Planting for food and jobs; consolidating food systems in Ghana”. The event brought together farmers of diverse agricultural fields who were acknowledged for their hard work throughout the year.

The Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Yaw Owusu Addo, sang the praises of the assiduous farmers, expressing his joy and gratitude for their efforts in keeping the people of the country alive with their supply of foodstuff throughout the year.
He assured them that the government will do everything possible to support them through the provision of subsidized fertilizers, seedlings and other farm inputs to improve farming systems in the country.

Hon. Yaw Owusu Addo encouraged the farmers by mentioning the government’s plan to reduce post-harvest losses through the implementation of the One District One Factory programme. Through this program, he added, there has been ready market for farm produce as a result of the establishment of Agro-processing factories.

The overall Best Farmer thanked the Assembly on behalf of the awardees for their continuous efforts in improving agriculture in the Municipality. He also urged the youth to make the best Government’s pro-agriculture initiatives to create employment for themselves and others.

The Department of Agriculture welcomed a delegation from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to discuss ways to improve rice production in the Municipality.

The department, lead by the Municipal Director, and the delegation also visited a rice mill and rice farms in Kwahu Fodoa

A team of National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) officers led by the Municipal Director, Alhaji Mohammed Hamidu, went out to monitor and also inspect some old and dilapidated buildings at Kwahu Daa upon complaint by the chief of the town.

From their observations, they reported that some buildings were looking very weak and vulnerable to owners and other residents in the area. They personally had one on one interactions with respective owners to discuss the danger of those buildings and how best they could help change the current situation.

Kwahu West NADMO secretariat gave them one week to demolish those weak buildings in order to avoid future disaster occurrences.

The Chief was very appreciative and promised to support the department as soon as possible to change the vulnerability posed on the residents of the area.

The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), in collaboration with the Forestry Commission Division of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Parks and Gardens, Zoomlion and other stakeholders, yesterday 11th June, 2021 officially launched the Green Ghana Project in the Municipality.

As part of the country’s effort to preserve and protect Ghana’s forest cover and the environment at large, the Green Ghana initiative is aimed at planting over five (5) million trees.

To mark the day, which will be commemorated annually, Hon. Yaw Owusu Addo planted a tree to officially launch the project.

With parliament sitting suspended, the Member of Parliament for Nkawkaw Constituency, Hon. Joseph Frempong, also planted a tree to commemorate the day.

Dignitaries present at the launch, in addition to the MP and MCE, were Alhaji Mohammed Hamidu (Municipal Director of NADMO), Alhaji Musah Issah (Municipal Coordinating Director of the Assembly), Nkawkaw Chief Imam, Hon. Emmanuel Boansi Darkwa (Presiding Member), Area Head of Forestry Commission Division and some heads of departments.

Some of the trees planted were Mahogany, Cedrella, Cassia, Coconut, among others.

The Kwahu West Municipal Assembly organised a one-day orientation and training program for members of the various zonal councils on decentralisation concepts.

Hon. Yaw Owusu Addo addresses attendees

Hon. Yaw Owusu Addo, the Municipal Chief Executive, as a speaker at the event which was held at the Ebenezer Methodist Church, told the councillors to make regular contacts with the the chiefs and queens of their areas because they play critical roles in the development process. Hon. Yaw Addo said the reason why they had to do so was to identify and address the development needs of their communities.

The MCE noted that to reduce rumor mongering among members of the communities that seem to thwart development efforts, the councillors have to be transparent in their decision making.

He further told them to be united and cooperate with opinion leaders, burying their differences and swallowing their prides to facilitate development in their localities.

Mr. Joseph Krampah, the Municipal Environmental Health Officer, said during his presentation that every community shall be responsible for establishing communication norms and ensuring that individual and households comply with these norms to live healthy lives.

He added that communities will also be responsible for monitoring its sanitation progress.

In his closing remarks, the MCE expressed gratitude to the people and the Assembly for the confidence they have put in the zonal councillors and prayed that with their support, they would be able to work towards addressing the exigent development needs of their communities.