ROADS

In all the Municipality has a total of 239.5 kilometres of feeder roads, which link the rural communities and the Municipal capital. There is also the Kumasi-Anhwian NkwantaYamoransa-Cape Coast-Takoradi trunk road that passes through Assin Foso. It is estimated that 80% of the feeder roads in the hinterlands are in deplorable state. The table below shows the current status of the road.

LIST OF ASSIN FOSO MUNICIPAL FEEDER ROADS THAT NEED URGENT ATTENTION

 

MARKET CENTRES

Assin Fosu Municipality has three major markets at the following towns/centres; Assin Fosu Lorry Park, Assin Fosu Town/Abesewa Assin Akropong and Assin Awisem. The market day vary for each community/town, the selected days Tuesday and Friday for Assin Fosu and Assin Akropong and Sunday for Assin Awisem.

Transportation

In all, the Municipality has a total of 239.5 kilometres of feeder roads, which link the rural communities to the capital. There is also the Kumasi-Cape Coast- Takoradi first class road that passes through Assin Foso, the capital. Generally, the feeder road network is mostly in poor condition. Thus, making it very difficult to transport farm produce and industrial inputs from the villages and farms to the market centres. The result is the high cost of foodstuff and the high incidence of post- harvest losses.

The Assin Foso Municipal Assembly in collaboration with the Department of Feeder Roads have to ensure routine maintenance of the feeder roads that leads to the various production centres to enable the haulage of goods from the rural communities to the market centres.  By so doing, the poor farmer would be able to increase his/her wealth by selling more farm produce.

Post and Telecommunication

There is one Post Office at Assin Foso whilst Akonfudi,  Bereku, Praso have Postal Agencies.  The Post Office at Foso and the Postal Agencies are in deplorable state, under staffed and need rehabilitation. Telephone facilities like MTN, Vodafone and AirtelTigo exist in Foso and other part of the Municipality and this is enhancing brisk business activities in the Municipality. For a district to operate effectively as a system there is the need to put in place an effective and reliable communication system which could be used for the needed interaction among the various sectors to achieve a desired result. The Assin Foso Municipal has made effort to establish an internet cafe in addition to the central Government’s proposed I.C.T programme.

ENERGY

The energy sources available in the Assin Fosu Municipality are electricity, gas, charcoal and firewood and also the natural sunlight. About ninety percent (90%) of the population have access to these sources of energy. The population in the big towns/communities have access to electricity, gas, charcoal and kerosene and firewood in that order. However, people in the local communities/villages rather have access to charcoal, firewood and electricity.

A socio-economic survey on selected households in the municipality revealed that there are five (5) types of energy used for various purposes such as cooking and lighting. The energy types include the following:

a.    Firewood
b.    Charcoal
c.    LPG
d.    Kerosene
e.    Electricity

The analysis indicates that about 76% of the households use fuel wood for cooking, lighting and other domestic purposes. The rural poor who form the majority of the population mostly use this type of fuel. The implication here is that if the use of fuel wood is not checked, it will eventually lead to the problem of environmental degradation. The use of LPG and electricity are on the minimal since they are expensive and not easily accessible to the rural poor.  

This implies that the low- income group who cannot afford the cost of LPG and electricity would continue to rely on fuel wood and charcoal thereby defeating the idea of conserving the forest species. The issue left to the Municipality to tackle is the bridge between poverty reduction and environmental degradation. Another issue for the Assin Foso Municipal Assembly to solve is how to provide energy to rural areas. This is deemed essential if rural industry is to be encouraged, and, if rural life styles are to be made more pleasant and endurable.