From a humble beginning, the Member of Parliament for Adenta constituency, Kojo Opare Hammond, has through determination and perseverance, nurtured the constituency from a sub-metro into a municipality within four years.
He ranks amongst the finest members of parliament Ghana has ever produced. His skills, capabilities, high sense of discipline and strategic management and development go beyond accounting, as he was trained to be, to a committed leader who has the plight of the constituents at heart
He became the first Member of Parliament for Adenta when the constituency was separated from Ashaiman constituency in 2004.
This was when there was no foundation for developmental projects in the area to rely on.
Kojo Opare Hammond inherited a constituency where there was no market, police station, schools were inadequate, and part of the constituency had no electricity.
However, within a few years he has been able to lay a solid foundation for the execution of many projects.
Electricity As part of the strategies to quickly develop the constituency, he first lobbied for the creation of an independent District Assembly to ensure accelerated growth.
Through his efforts and connections communities in the constituency such as Otano, New Legon and Malejor, have been connected to the national grid, and new transformers installed in New Adenta, Housing Down, and Nanakrom, which previously experienced low voltage.
He has further caused the installation of over six hundred street lights in all the communities in the constituency.
He is also continuing with his electricity expansion project in areas such as Fasemkye, Japan Motors, New Nmai Djor and New Housing Down.
Education After obtaining an Executive Masters degree in Leadership and Governance from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, the noble MP is further pursuing a second Master's degree in Leadership and Christian Ministry at the University of Africa based in Lagos.
Kojo Opare Hammond"s passion for education and the quest for academic excellence have motivated him to help in diverse ways to improve the standard of education in the constituency to an appreciable level.
He has developed motivational packages for teachers, personally provided text books for schools within his constituency and pays for all expenses of final year students in Junior High Schools towards their mock exams every year.
This effort by the MP has helped to tremendously improve the BECE results of the public schools in the constituency.
Through his effort, two new school blocks have been built at Amanhia and Adjiriganor, with a third one under construction at Otano.
He has succeeded in the construction of another school block at the Adenta Community School with HIPC funds. He has rehabilitated three classroom blocks at Nmai Djor Basic School with support from the GETFund.
These blocks, he told The Statesman , had not seen any maintenance since their construction in the late 1950's. Besides, he has renovated school blocks for ICODEH Islamic Basic School and Obojo Basic School.
A community Library and ICT centre have also been built in the Obojo Presby Basic School with the help of a Korean NGO to serve the communities near the school.
The Library, he said, was well stocked with about 3,000 books. He has spent more than GHC300 from the MP'S education initiative to support needy but brilliant students over the years and provided dual desks to all public schools in the constituency.
ROADS /DRAINAGE SYSTEMS
On assumption of office, Kojo Opare Hammond adopted a policy of making sure that drains were constructed before work was done on the roads to ensure that the roads lasted longer.
He said he was currently seeing to the construction of drains in almost all communities in the constituency. These include Adjiriganor, Little Roses, Anglican Retreat Centre, Presby Church Sraha Down, St. Frances road, Maradona road, Peace Be road , Third Gate-Obojo road, Adenta Village road, Lotto Kiosk Commandos road, Ritz Junction-Ashalley Botwe main road and Amanhia-Otinibi road.
The Ritz Junction-Ashalley Botwe road has been rehabilitated and given a new bituminous surface.
PROVISION OF POTABLE WATER
Within for years of his stewardship, he has worked tirelessly to considerably improve the flow of water into the constituency with a link to the Dodowa water system.
However, there are petty problems that hinder the smooth flow of water. "It is in the light of this that I have partnered my colleagues, the Mp for Dome-Kwabenya, East and West Legon to find a more permanent solution to the water problems.
Based on this, government has awarded a contract that would bring about 20 million gallons of water from Weija to the East of Accra
The project, dubbed 'Accra East -West interconnection', is expected to ensure constant flow of water into Adenta and other communities in the constituency when completed', the MP Disclosed This,. he said, would automatically end the weekly rationing of water in the area.
'Pipes have been laid in the whole Housing Down area. This has enabled property owners to tap potable water into their homes', he stated.
YOUTH EMPLOYMENT
The indefatigable MP has facilitated the creation of employment for over 700 young people through the National Youth Employment Programme initiated by the government of the New Patriotic Party.
He is also in negotiations with the management of Zoomlion to employ 100 more people throughout the constituency.
The MP has also offered a lot of support for artisans to improve their skills and raise their standards of living.
Notable among them was the presentation of more than 10 sewing machines to graduating students of the Fashion Designers and Dress Makers Association.
This year alone, the MP has donated GH¢500.00 to the association to assist needy graduating dress makers and tailors and also helped several small scale entrepreneurs to secure loans to expand their businesses.
SECURITY
Through his intervention, Adenta now has a well equipped District Police Station. There is MTTU as well as a Police Post at Nmai Dzor, Japan Motors and Obojo.
He has personally bought a vehicle for the police to help in their patrols in the constituency. Some residents of the constituency, who interacted with
The Statesman when this eporter paid a visit to the constituency to access the rate of development, said that the initiative had greatly helped to improve security in the area.
Through constant financial support from the MP'S Common Fund, he saw to the construction of the famous Adenta Post Office which now provides valuable services to residents.
It is the only post office in Ghana which operates with central air conditioners, excited workers of the company told this paper. He has also through the Ministry of Health, been given the green light for the construction of a 120-bed ultramodern hospital in the constituency.
Mr Opare Hammond expressed sincere thanks to the chief of Obojo who has released a large tract of land for the construction of the facility.
Opare Hammond further plans to give support for the completion of on-going school projects in the area, see to the completion of the Municipal General Hospital, lobby for the tarring of some important and busy roads in the area and expand the fund for artisans while supporting them to secure loans to either start or expand their businesses.
Plans are afoot to complete the sports complex and ICT Library projects.
'We want to have free and fair elections and any act of intimidation or any attempt by anybody to cheat, especially, on the part of the electoral officers and polling agents, will not be tolerated in the constituency', he told The Statesman.
He therefore urged everybody in the constituency not to engage in malpractices during the December elections.
Honorable Hammond said considering the level of development he has brought to the constituency, he would surely beat his opponent from the NDC by over one thousand votes.
"There are many projects in progress which I need to complete in an accelerated manner, hence the need for me to be maintained for another term.' he stated.
'Any change of MP in this constituency will no doubt send the constituency backwards.I urge my constituents to vote for me and Nana Akufo-Addo.
Through this partnership I assure you that we will bring more development to their doorsteps.' he added.
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