Ayorkor Constructs Santa Maria Bridge

Ayorkor Botchway performing the inaugural rites

MEMBER OF Parliament (MP) for Weija Constituency, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, has constructed a footbridge for the people of Santa Maria to facilitate human and vehicular movement in the area.

The project was executed by Achwek Construction Limited at the cost of GH¢ 70,000 from the MP's HIPC and Common Fund.

It was constructed in fulfillment of a request by residents of Santa Maria who found it difficult to move to their homes during the rainy season as an old wooden bridge which was being used was now too weak.

With the construction of the bridge, residents of Santa Maria can now take a short route of moving directly to Anyaa and vice-versa in the Weija constituency, which is the biggest in the country with over 150,000 voting population.

Inaugurating the project, Hon. Botchway said it took a lot of sacrifice and effort before the bridge was constructed, commending the residents of Santa Maria for living up to their civic responsibilities to help bring development to the constituency.

The MP explained the construction of the bridge was important as it would help save lives during the rainy season, pointing out that many private properties were destroyed by floods as a result of poor drainage.

She said the capital intensive nature of the bridge project had deprived some communities in the constituency from getting their share of development projects. The MP therefore gave the assurance that every community would get its share of projects if voted into office in the 2012 general elections.

'Because of this project, a lot of people have been deprived of development but I know it has been a worthy expenditure since many people will be saved during the rainy season,' Ayorkor Botchway noted, giving the assurance that she would lobby for more projects for the constituency.

The Weija constituency, she pointed out, has over 50 communities all competing for developmental projects. She lamented that even though the constituency was the biggest in the country, there was not much development in the area.

The lawmaker said despite the fact that she was not a development agent, she lobbied for a number of road projects in some communities such as Awoshie, A-Lang, Sowutuom, Mallam-Gbawe, Bortianor, Tabora-Israel.

Apart from the road projects, she has also provided a number of projects and equipment to the Weija constituency including an ambulance to Ga South District hospital, a Kindergarten at Amanfrom, computer and staff common room for Anyaa Basic School, a shed at Bortianor health center for pregnant women and a building for Ngleshie-Amanfrom health center.

The rest include provision of street lights and television sets for institutions; computers for police and schools, and a building for Anyaa police which is almost completed.

'All the communities need basic things but as they say Rome was not built in a day and I am not promising that I will do everything at once. It is not possible to do everything at the same time because the funds are not available but I will continue to lobby for projects for our communities,' Hon. Botchway pledged.

She appealed to Ghanaians to ensure peace before, during and after the 2012 general elections so the country will be united.

  By Awudu Mahama