8 PROJECTS INUGURATED IN KPANDO DISTRICT (PAGE 22, JULY 17, 2010)

THE Kpando District Assembly in the Volta Region has inaugurated eight projects undertaken with funds from the District Development Facility (DDF).
The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Government in collaboration with the DDF Secretariat granted the assembly $489,000 for the execution of selected development projects and capacity building programmes last year.
The assembly therefore invested the funds to pave the Kpando lorry park and taxi rank, and the premises of the district assembly office, the construction of a new slaughter house, rehabilitation of a meat shop, rehabilitation and construction of structures and extension of electricity to the lakeside Torkor market.
The rest are the provision of streetlights in the office of the district assembly and the health centre, rehabilitation of refuse systems and the acquisition of 10 motorbikes for the Ghana Education Service, the Kpando Urban
Council and the revenue section of the assembly to enhance efficiency.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, the Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah, said the achievement of the Kpando District Assembly was a testimony of good leadership and what could be achieved under the DDF.
He said the DDF, if well applied, would enhance local economic development to facilitate poverty reduction and catalyse the road to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
He said effective service delivery was crucial to the functions of district assemblies, saying that was the basis for measuring the impact of resources extended to district assemblies.
Mr Afriyie-Ankrah said it was time to increase the percentage of the consolidated fund ceded to the District Assemblies’ Common Fund (DACF) to bridge the financing gap between rural and urban areas in view of the heavy demands by the people on the assemblies.
He stressed that the judicious use of funds was of critical concern to the government, warning that district assemblies which misapplied funds might deny their people requisite development.
The deputy minister announced that the Kpando District had been earmarked for the second phase of the DDF programme.
In an address read on his behalf, the Volta Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Amenowode, called on municipal and district assemblies to be committed to the implementation of all government programmes and projects for the people to derive full benefits from them.
“It would be unfortunate if the people in the region should be denied their share of national development due to inefficiency and lack of  commitment on the part of the assemblies,” he stressed.
Mr Amenowode said he would personally hold Municipal and District Chief Executives accountable for any lapses and non-performance that would deny their people a fair share of
national development programmes.
The Kpando District Chief Executive, Mr Francis Komla Ganyaglo, said the district assembly was among those in the Volta Region which passed an assessment in 2008 for the award of the DDF.
He said the assembly had also completed 17 projects undertaken with funds from the DACF, HIPC and internally generated funds.
Mr Ganyaglo announced that the assembly had again passed the 2009 Functional Organisational Assessment Tool (FOAT) assessment and would be granted GH¢547,143.82 to undertake more development projects.
For his part, the Chairman of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Mr Francis Affum, said the union would complement efforts of the district assembly by providing electricity at the lorry park and to construct more stores.
He decried the unfair competition emerging between operators of “Okada” and members of the union.