Chiefs, residents clash over project priorities during Captain Smart’s Gomoa Abrekum visit

A heated disagreement broke out between the chiefs and residents of Gomoa Abrekum on Thursday, August 27, 2026, as they struggled to reach a consensus on which development project should take priority.

The confrontation occurred during a community engagement visit by Captain Godsbrain Smart affectionately called Captain Smart, part of his broader efforts to assess the needs of towns and villages across the Gomoa West Constituency.

As the chiefs outlined projects demanding urgent attention—rising to demand either a community centre or the completion of a public convenience—the residents strongly advocated instead for a teachers’ quarters or a CHIPS compound. The stark divergence in views quickly escalated into a tense altercation, forcing Mr. Smart to step in and calm frayed tempers.

“I urge everyone gathered here to allow decorum and decency to prevail,” he appealed to the crowd. He further advised both parties to consult with dignity among themselves and mutually agree on a single project for him to support.

Following his intervention, the chiefs and residents finally settled on the construction of a teachers’ quarters. This decision came against the backdrop of long-standing concerns that the headteacher, due to a lack of accommodation, currently resides outside the town—a situation many in the community found unacceptable.

To underscore his commitment, Captain Smart and his entourage, joined by the chiefs and residents, proceeded to the proposed site for the project. He pledged to supply 100 bags of cement, one ton of iron rods, stones, and sand, and promised to level the land within a week to kickstart construction.

A major highlight of Captain's remarks was his promise to rely on local expertise to complete the project. "Nananom, I am going to use local artisans for the construction of the project," he promised, emphasizing, "and I will pay everyone who works on our project. It's never going to be free."

In another significant development, Mr. Smart called on the chiefs to collaborate with Abrekum’s National Democratic Congress (NDC) party leaders to nominate three men to be trained in the handling of heavy-duty machines, ten women for skills training, and three additional women for specialised programmes in plumbing engineering, electrical engineering, and trailer-truck driving. He assured the community that all training fees, logistics, and accommodation for the three specialised trainees—whose programmes will take place in Accra—have already been covered.

The visit to Abrekum and the range of demands placed on Mr. Smart underscore a stark development deficit that has long plagued many communities in Gomoa West. Notably, Abrekum has not benefited from any major government project in several years. Information gathered indicates that all existing developmental initiatives in the area are self-help efforts, reflecting both the community’s resilience and its unwavering determination to drive change.

Given the level of commitment shown by the people and their chiefs, and the pledge from Captain Smart to help build a teachers’ quarters, the future of education in Abrekum now appears markedly brighter.