Private Sector Development

Establishment/rehabilitation of markets, lorry parks and commercial centers

Strengthening of Cooperatives to provide credits

Provision of storage/preservation facilities for agricultural products

Facilitate access to credit facilities

Construction of small dams and dug-outs

Supply of farm inputs

Facilitating land acquisition

Facilitate formation of farmer’s cooperatives in order to access credit and technical services

 Provision of processing machines for agricultural products

Provision of extension services to farmers and fishermen

Facilitating favorable Land Tenure System

Promoting credit and Loan Facilities/Improved Banking Services

Supplying affordable high technology agricultural inputs

Establishment of farm service centers

Establishment of marketing services for agricultural products

Human Resource Development

Construction/rehabilitation of school blocks

Establishment of day-care centers

Encouraging/motivating teachers to accept rural postings

Establish Community libraries

Establish efficient Socio-economic infrastructural Services e.g. electricity, roads, water, sanitation, health centers, postal services, telecommunications, public housing, police posts etc.

Efficient and effective education system

Health Care

Provision of and regulating the sitting of refuse sites

Providing drains and desilting choked gutters

Provision of public toilet facilities

Provision of health infrastructure

Establish community sanitation committees to organize clean-ups

Undertake hygiene education and create awareness on environmental issues

Eradication of common diseases like: cholera, dysentery, typhoid, diarrhea etc.

Motivating and posting sufficient environmental health personnel

Special Programmes for the Vulnerable and Excluded

Protection of women’s rights

Social recognition for the physically disable

Education of the public to accept people with disabilities

Rehabilitation of street children and teenage mothers

Good Governance Civic Responsibility

Check prevalence of bush fires

Provision of housing for staff

Construction of Community Centers

Enforcement of DA bylaws

Inauguration of sub-district structures

Provision of office accommodation for sub-district administrations

Provision of staff to man sub-district structures

In making such demands the communities have reciprocated by committing themselves to provide counterpart support in the form of communal labour, water, sand and stones for the "implementation of their demands.

The detailed demands and aspirations of the Decentralized Departments is presented below

Provide office accommodation for departments

Provide residential accommodation for staff

Landscaping of office environment to check effects of erosion

Supply of high technology equipment and logistics to District Departments e.g.computers, telephones, photocopiers, etc.

Supply of furniture to offices

Supply of field vehicles to departments

Organize training programmes for staff of departments Support departmental programmes with funds and logistics

MA to set up a Public Relations Unit to project the image in the municipality.

Institution of incentive package for workers

The decentralized departments have suggested that sources of funding for the aforementioned programmes and projects should include: Development Partners, NGOs, the World Bank, the Private Sector, the District Assembly, and Government of Ghana etc. The decentralized departments are ready and committed to help the  Assembly to execute the following programmes and projects:

Planning and carrying out a credible revenue generation campaign marketing the district’s economic and investible potentials. Projecting the image of the Assembly. Disseminating  information   on   the   district’s  policies,   bylaws,   projects   and  programmes.

Vulnerability

The vulnerable and excluded persons in Agona West

Subsistence farmers with land holdings of between one-quarter of an acre and two acres. About 55% of these farmers are aged according to recent studies by the district directorate of Agriculture.The Destitute: mainly Street children who are always spotted in the central business district of Swedru, and other bigger communities. However, there are no official statistics on the situation.

The unemployed and the under- employed

A large chunk of the able-bodied persons are not in any gainful employment. The unemployed are mainly artisans and those in trades such as dressmaking, hairdressing whose businesses are seasonal and are found doing practically nothing at the lean season. 7The women, children, the aged etc. who are vulnerable to risk and other social upheavals like land disputes, ethnic violence, chieftaincy conflicts and domestic violence.Those displaced by the Nyakrom communal conflict between the settler Moslem community and the few indigenes that were affected. Workers and casual workers of contractors who are either poorly or irregularly paid. This is linked to the irregular payment to contractors by government and the Assembly.

Special Programmes undertaken by Governmental Authorities, NGOs and Religious Bodies over the last five years have helped in mitigating the harsh effects of poverty in Agona West. Notable among the programmes are:

Assistance from Assembly to farmers, traders and small-scale entrepreneurs in the form of cash and bank loans. Provision of scholarship packages to needy but brilliant students. A total of... has been disbursed to students to finance their education at the various levels.

Establishment of vocational and technical institutions by the Ministry of Education and some NGOs: An NGO has established the Frankeve Fashion & Design School at Swedru and Himsett Vocational Institute at Kwanyako. Specifically, and in the past five years, the Assembly, in collaboration with other agencies has been in the forefront in sourcing and channeling development through the following programmes aimed at reducing poverty.

Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF): Since its inception over 000 million has been disbursed to various groups and individuals. Youth in Agriculture Fund: 10 groups have benefited from this fund. European Union (EU) 5th Micro-projects programme is currently undertaking nine projects in education, health, and sanitation and revenue generation.The Village Infrastructure Project (VIP) is building two open shed markets, 26 boreholes and 92 kilometers of roads in the district.The Local Government Development Project (Urban III Project) is also concentrating in Swedru, the district capital for the development of that town’s infrastructure -market, roads, street lights, storm drains, refuse disposal sites and public toilets.