If …Am the District Chief Executive of Shai-Osudoku: Strategic Developmental Agenda and why the District must Work Again!

In this current research paper I bring to the public thematic areas for consideration to help develop Shai-Osudoku.

“Politics is like finding cure for cancer. It is not luxury. It is a human need that is why no one should use this need for his or her selfish interest. There is something wrong when the people you are serving are dying of this need”- Raphael Nyarkotey Obu 2016

I travelled the community in recent times. I see the pains and sacrifices made by ordinary people every day. I once saw an elderly woman walking and falling down at the road side in Dodowa, not to talk of our farmers in our communities who are struggling to feed their families and send their children to school.

It is for these and other reasons that the youth have involved themselves in the constituency as they have been betrayed by the past NDC members of parliament and some leaders in the constituency that do not care.

The youth want a leader with a vision of optimism, self-confident and a prosperous constituency with a strong and thriving democratic society in which mutual trust and economic opportunities exist for all, irrespective of their Political alignment.

I have travelled the length and breadth of the seven Dangme land as part of my research in the Dangme land to help in development and what needs to be done. I have seen the pains of the ordinary people in the Dangme land such as lack of potable water, schools, people finding it very difficult to feed once a meal a day and others.

It is rather unfortunate the District scored Zero percent according to the Ghana’s Strengthening Accountability Mechanisms(GSAM)project, Agenda scored dissemination for 50 Ghana Audits Assembly (GAS) based on two capital projects District ratings of District performance in projects benefit during the leadership of previous DCE’s. The District total performance was 48%.

The District is now in crisis: a crisis created and sustained by the mismanagement, incompetence and corruption of previous District Chief Executives who are only after their selfish gains. Economic conditions are worsening day in and day out and there is so much suffering in the land.

A District that has once been on the New Patriotic Party’s government white paper to be the regional capital of Greater –Accra, with wealth yet its indigenes are suffering in spite of the natural resources from quarries, tourism potentials et al. A constituency which is close to the capital, Accra and yet other constituencies are developing and we are still crawling. Why?

I expect whoever is appointed as the District Chief Executive to consider these thematic areas to help develop our dear land in Shai-Osudoku but if I am the District Chief Executive then it will be a brand new District.

Discussion:
ROBUST DISTRICT ECONOMY
A healthy District economy creates good growth. Revenues mobilizations should be tackled in the district to bring in more funds to help create more opportunities in the district. New task force should be put in place and evaluation and monitoring units also put in place to assess and monitor all monies being collected in the district. Social interventions program in the District such as National Health Insurance Scheme, free quality basic schools, school feeding programs, accessible roads and stable power are required for a robust district economy.

The District revenues mostly come from the Quarries. I will review all contracts available to these companies and will reverse some when necessary. As part of the review all companies at the Quarries will be made to adopt single roads in the district and construct it as part of their social responsibility. We will not depend on the central government to construct our roads in the district. Billboards, property rates and churches will all be registered and made to pay a monthly token fee to the district assembly confers.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Unemployment rates in the District have reached a high level resulting in several social vices. Under my jurisdiction, I will create the needed environment for job creation in the District. We will focus on artisans. We will earmarked some Barbering shops, Salons, Dressmaking shops, fitting shops etc and will go into a contract with these shops to help train youth who are interested in these areas.

After training, we will set up shops for them to help them start their own businesses. They will be made to pay a monthly token fee to the district assembly as revenue.

We would invite more banks and microfinance companies into the district.

ENERGY
The energy sector in the district will be improved. We will pursue aggressive programs so that all towns and villages would have electricity. Some communities in the district have been denied electricity for over 20 years now. A notable example is a community at Manya-Doryumu Zongo.

Streets light will be provided in all areas and strict measures would be put in place to deployed meters in all homes.

AGRICULTURE
The District relied heavily on Agriculture. Hence there will be policies to help farmers grow more crops to feed the country. Seeds, fertilizers, irrigation development, research; storage, processing and transport interventions would be championed in the District for farmers. As food is medicine, we will encourage organic foods in the District to make the District a tourist destination for organic foods. It will yield more revenues for the district and improve the economy of the area. Aggressive marketing policies would be look at. Being a cancer advocate I will promote these organic foods in the district and market it to the country and the world at large.

The District assembly in other to raise more revenue would acquire lands to go into viable farming projects. This would be done with consultation with the Agric Department of the District Assembly.

INFRASTRUCTURE/ENVIRONMENT
Most of the people in the communities I have been to, lack places where to sleep. The District will go into affordable housing projects. We will talk to most of these communities and if agreed demolish their structures and build affordable housing facilities.

The District sanitation would be tackled drastically. We will bring in companies to help tackle the sanitation situation in the district.

Toilet facilities, Boreholes for most of the communities would be built. We will look at collaboration with NGOs to help the district with solar boreholes in most of these communities lacking portable water. Communities such as Fiankonya, Abuvinue, Sota and others would all benefits from such projects.

Under my jurisdiction, we would construct an ultramodern market to the market women and a special fee would be charge to enable revenue generation at the Assembly.

Special credits facilities shall be provided to market women and stores built and rented at affordable pieces to generate more revenues.

We would focus on Mango processing factory as a key area as part of the central governments ‘One district, one factory initiative’. The district would also focus on rice processing and establishing water processing companies to provide more jobs in the district to increase the District Assembly’s revenue mobilization.

We would establish the first Television and a community radio station in the District to help with information and jobs creation to our trained media professionals.

EDUCATION
The District performance in terms of education has to be looked at. There would be vacation classes for all final years’ students to help improve the performance in the District. The educational sector in the District is in a bad state. We will establish an education fund to award scholarship to brilliant but needy students to the tertiary level. The Central Government’s Policy of free education for all will be enforced.

School uniforms, Books and other accessories would be provided to schools. Dilapidated buildings would be rebuilt and bungalows to help teachers would be built to bring more teachers into the district. School feeding program would be intensified to help more children go to school.

Special Psychosocial counseling program would be introduced in the District to help children. Computers for ICT programs would be put in place for schools.

Under my jurisdiction, I would bring investors to establish the first private university, which is in the pipeline, into the District to improve the educational sector.

HEALTH
The health system in the District is vital for holistic transformation of the district. The NHIS would be strengthened in the District with more Community Health Posts being established in most of the communities with good facilities health workers. Ambulance services would be implemented in some key communities for emergencies. Preventive medicine programs for the fight of preventable diseases would be strengthened in the District.

We will acquire Mobile Van for Mobile Clinic services and strengthened the communities with well trained Medical Professionals to man these services. People diagnosed with cancers would be supported both psychologically and with some funding to help in their treatment.

Under my jurisdiction, we will establish one of the best integrative cancer centers in West Africa to deal with increasing mortality of cancers in the country. We would enter into partnership with the virotherapy center in Latvia and others to establish this facility. It would make the District a medical tourist destination in Africa. Home medical services will be provided to the aged.

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
The District would strengthen the Central Government’s LEAP project and help with its early disbursement. Special projects would be put in place for the aged in the community on special occasions.

CORRUPTION AND DISTRICT ACCOUNTABILITY.
For the first time, the District would publish monies generated in a particular year and give account of how the District spent the money through the media. Though, Assembly Members are not paid, the District would put some mechanism in place to give a monthly token allowance to these members for motivation.

Value for money on all contracts would be put in place. Contracts would be awarded to qualified companies.

SECURITY
The security services program would be intensified in all areas of the community. The District will work with the security agencies to help deal with the issues of land guards in the District. Issues of thievery would be reduced under my jurisdiction. All properties would be protected.

YOUTH AND SPORTS
The Youth are the bed rock of every District and Nation. The District would establish an ultra-modern sport complex: One at Shai and the other at Osudoku to enhance sport development. We would also help promote one of the football teams to be able to play in the premier league through the District league. We would put in place total youth development.

TOURISM, CULTURE AND CREATIVE ARTS
The District is a tourist destination. We have tourist sites such as the Chenku waterfalls, Forest reserve, Shai-Hills Game and Wildlife et al. We shall set a travel and tour facility to help promote our tourist sites. This would provide jobs for the youth and in return provide revenue collection to the Assembly.

The District has one of the best Drummers in the Cultural industry. We would help these drummers ‘” The Dodowa Forest Talking Drummers” and others to come into the national limelight and the world at large. We shall push them to the national level so that they would also be invited to play during national occasions such as Independence Day et al.

We would also develop our festival by injecting more money into it to make it attractive. For the first time under my jurisdiction, our festival would be telecast live on Television for the world to see. This would help promote our brands, the chiefs and bring money into the District.

We shall established a special company to help project our Dangme musicians under one brand and help promote them

THE CHIEFTAINCY SET UP
Our traditional leaders play a vital role in the development of our District. Under my jurisdiction, there would be a special office complex for all recognized chiefs at the Traditional council with modern day facilities to help them with their duties.

We will also put in palace special “Dangme institute for Peace and Mediation” to help deal with issues of chieftaincy disputes and reached a conclusion in finding a lasting solution in the Paramountcy. The institutes would also put in place lawyers in good standing to help our chiefs handle their personal issues.

ULTRAMODERN OFFICE FOR THE PARTY
Under my jurisdiction, we shall seek for funding to construct an ultramodern office for the NPP in the constituency. The office would have offices for all executives to perform their duties.

In conclusion, competence, passion is key to provide jobs opportunities and help win the seat for the first time for the New Patriotic Party in 2020.

KEY SUMMARY OF MY VISION FOR SHAI –OSUDOKU DISTRICT 2017