A total of 20,000 streetlights have been procured for installation within the various communities in the Greater Accra Region to improve the safety and security of residents.
Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, did not disclose the cost of the lights, but said it was procured by the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (GA/RCC), through the support of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF).
The minister said Accra and Tema metropolis would receive 600 each while municipal and districts would be entitled to 400 and 300 respectively.
Speaking at the 2023 first meeting of the GA/RCC in Accra yesterday, he said, the installation of the street lights would commence by the end of this month following a production of names of electoral areas in critical demand of street lights by the Presiding Members of the various assemblies.
“We have procured the street lights. We now require the various assemblies through their presiding members to provide us with electoral areas to enable the contractors to move to sites for installation,” Mr Quartey added.
Owing to the disruption of traffic by tricycles, popularly known as “Pragyia” within the Central Business District (CBD) and other areas in the region, he said, the Council had issued a restriction on the operation of the tricycles in those areas.
Kaneshie, CBD, Osu, Madina, Tesano, Tetteh Quarshie roundabout, Tema Motorway, Tema, Spintex, Lapaz and Dzorwulu, he said were some of the areas tricycles were restricted from operating
However, Mr Quartey said the tricycles were permitted to operate within the rural parts of the region including Amasaman, Ablekuma and the Dangme areas.
He charged the various assemblies affected by the restriction to urgently pass a by-law to enable the enforcement of the restriction.
On the authority of the Council, the minister further announced a ban on the hoisting and use of political party paraphernalia during the celebration of festivals in the region.
The ban, he explained, was to ensure that festivals did not become another platform for politicking, adding that “festivals are an opportunity to sell our customs and traditions to enhance the tourism potential of the region.”
Mr Quartey called on all 29 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to prioritise waste management and environmental sanitation and make conscious efforts to integrate the informal waste collectors by registering them and regulating their activities.
He further urged the MMDCEs and presiding members to commit and invest a minimum of 30 per cent of their total internally generated funds (IGF) in capital projects for the direct benefit of the citizenry.
Chief Executive of Ablekuma West Municipal Assembly and Dean of MMDCEs in Greater Accra Region, George Cyril Bray, said, the current collection of property rate by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) was inhibiting the planned activities of the assemblies.
He said, the practice had denied almost all the assemblies in the region of much-needed funds for the execution of projects and activities.
“We are not receiving much from the GRA as regards to the collection of property rates. Same time last year, Ablekuma West had collected more than a million cedis in property rate. Since the GRA took over from January, we had received only about GH¢20,000.
BY CLAUDE NYARKO ADAMS
