Self Help Projects A Means For Faster Community Development - DCE

The District Chief Executive of Dormaa East, Hon Emmanuel Kofi Agyeman, has announced that the Assembly is considering to use ‘Self Help’ approach as means of speeding up developments in the District in the coming years.

He made the announcement whiles giving detailed updates of implemented government policies and developmental projects under this current administration, at a citizens forum held at Wamanafo on Friday.

The event which brought together all two divisions of the chiefs of Wamanafo and their people, assembly members, unit committee members as well as heads of department, was on the theme “Improving Service Delivery, Transparency and Accountability through Feedback and Dialogue on Local Government Plans and Budget.

It was organized by the Dormaa East Assembly and the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD Ghana) and sponsored by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA). The District Chief Executive who was very pleased about the number of participants, appreciated them for their turnout. He acknowledged, their feedback would go a long way to deepen democracy and help in the development of the district. He encouraged all and sundry to continuously to give government all the needed support to make lives better for all.

The DCE reiterated that the assembly is unable to rely solely on its sources of funds alone to finance projects in all the communities of the district quickly and widespread. He explained; the self-help approach would be a mechanism where the community members would by themselves, identify a need and mobilize resources to start and the assembly would assist technically with advice, equipment and other support.

This according to him would speed up development at the grassroots and compliment government’s efforts to concentrate on the more big projects as well as committing the people to take good care of their own projects.

The second quarter progress report on the district which was projected at the forum, revealed that in all, 219 persons across the district have benefited from the livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) program, 155 persons living with disability under the disability fund, have received various categories of working tools to better their lives, ( there is an intension by the DCE to set up a committee at the unit committee level to monitor their activities soon), 83 youth studied various forms of farming at Wenchi training institute under the local Economic Development where they learn mushroom farming, pig rearing among others. Aside that 40 people have been recruited in the teaching field, 125 at forestry commission, 70 at the youth employment agency, 40 under sanitation, 2 under the local government and 2 at the national security all by the initiative of the DCE.

These and many other completed and ongoing projects as well as renovation projects which include classroom blocks, CHPS, culverts, markets sheds, water closet toilet facilities, lorry park and many others are part of projects undertaken under his watch.

Notwithstanding that eight (8) number boreholes with hand pumps have been completed for very remote villages who foot miles to find water and ten (10) more yet to be completed for similar communities who hardly come by water especially in the dry season. In all 200,000, hybrid cashew seedlings will soon be ready to be distributed freely to farmers.

In a brief statement, the representative of CDD Ghana Mr. Baffuor Mensah explained that the citizens’ forum is part of an implementing project underway by his outfit to support government improve lives through the participation of the people in decision making and monitoring of the budget and planning processes of the district assemblies which would also go a long way to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of public resources.

This is the third time this year, the DCE and the Assembly has had opportunity to interact and engage the local folks on governance. The first instance was through the electoral area visitation across all 21electroal areas of the district at the beginning of the year, and just last month, the assembly organized an open day to engage the people to discuss issues of importance for the benefit of the district. Aside these, there have been town hall meetings earlier on in the same vain.

The District Budget Officer Mr. Desmond Titus who outline the sources of funds of the Assembly, and the money which has so far reached the coffers of the Assembly as well as the Assembly’s expenditure, encouraged the people to do well paying their taxes to enhance their common fund since their level of internally generated funds (IGF) is a determine factor of the district common fund which helps mostly in developing the district.

At the dialogue session, the chiefs as well as their people asked questions and made suggestions on areas concerning them.