The Akrofuom District Assembly (ADA) in the Ashanti Region has begun Community Mining Programme (CMP) to provide employment for the youth in the area, the District Chief Executive Officer (DCE), Maurice Jonas Woode has disclosed.
The CMP, which started this month, is projected to employ about 4000 people in the district, especially the youth.
Mr Woode disclosed this here at the ADA meet-the-press series to inform residents about the developmental projects in the district.
He explained that the initiation of the CMP followed the ban on galamsey, which was lifted by the government recently.
With the implementation of the CMP, some lands in the district had been allocated for small-scale mining to curb illegal mining by the youth.
Mr Woode said the assembly had engaged stakeholders, especially chiefs in the area on the project to seek their consent.
He said preparations were underway and demarcation of concessions would soon be done after the health and police posts at the site are completed.
The DCE explained that the assembly had made tremendous achievements in the areas such as agriculture, health, education, road, water and sanitation and security.
He said under agriculture the assembly was nursing 6,000 oil palm seedlings to be supplied to farmers free of charge, and 25,000 cocoa seedlings to farmers in the district.
He said C OCOBOD was about to commence the cutting of old cocoa trees and new ones planted, adding that cocoa mass spraying, intensified pruning of cocoa trees and artificial pollination introduced.
On, health, Mr Woode said the Akrofuom Health Centre was being renovated; Community Health Planning Services and health centres were being constructed at Alata, Fenaso Nkwanta and Adubensaso.
He said two mechanised boreholes had been constructed for Grumesa and Mensonso Health Centers and furniture, equipment and essential items provided to the Akrofuom Health Centre.
According to him, the ADA had completed 3-unit classroom block for Yawusukrom primary school and a three-unit classroom block for Ampunyase Roman Catholic Junior High School was being constructed.
In addition, he said, the assembly had sponsored the mock exams of Basic Education Certificate Examination candidates with an amount of GH¢7600 and scholarship had been awarded to 84 tertiary students at the cost of GH¢73, 800.
The said contracts had been awarded for the Ampunyase Junction to Adukroba and Aboagyekfrom to Ampunyase and Ampunyase Junction to Takyikfrom roads to be tarred.
He said contract had been given for the Akrofuom to Kokotenten/Wamasi to Ampunyase roads to be constructed and Tutukwa to Dampayaw and Dampayaw to Kojo Nkwanta to be fixed, and the Dampayaw Kojo Nkwanta road and a steel bridge over River Botere at Yawusukrom had been captured in this year’s budget to be constructed, as well as the Nkoransa to Mprakyire to be considered under cocoa roads.
Mr Woode said under water and sanitation, six mechanised boreholes had been constructed for Akrofuom Police station and other communities in the district, and modern washroom facilities had been provided for Kubi, Akfrofuom and Wamasi under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme and 500 litter bins had been provided for households in the district.
The DCE explained that the assembly had supported the Obuasi Police Command with GH¢5000 for rehabilitation of an accident vehicle, provided furniture to Obuasi Fire Service Station and recruited 47 community police assistants.
By Kingsley Asare
