Communication

Introduction of mobile phones and other sophisticated communication gadgets have made communication centres very unpopular and inactive. Most of the people in the Municipality have adapted to the use of mobile phones as means of communicating. There are no television (TV) stations and radio stations in the Municipality. However, the Municipality is privileged to have access to TV stations such as Metro, GTV, Viasat One, TV3 and Crystal TV etc. The privileged also have access to satellite TV like Multi TV and DSTV. They also have access to Adom FM, Peace FM, Joy FM, Obonu FM, Meridian FM etc. All these have helped in disseminating information for developmental purposes.

Revenue and Expenditure Status

Revenue

Over the period under review the Kpone Katamanso Municipal Assembly has classified sources of income. The said sources can further be grouped under a broader heading as internal and external sources of income. The Internal source of Income is referred to as the Internally Generated Funds (IGF). The management of the Assembly has absolute control and responsibility over the Internally Generated Funds. The external sources are all other proceeds in favor of the Assembly other than the internally generated funds mainly from the central government and governmental agencies. The revenue situational details as at the midyear of 2017 are herein exhibited.

The evaluation of the mid-year financial as exhibited above depicted underperformance of the budgetary estimates of both the Internal and the External sources. The Internal sources (IGF) had an encouraging performance of about 74.30% whilst the external source failed to attain even 50% performance level. However, the general performance level given the mid-year estimate was 59.72% which underscored the current position of the revenue as June 2017. The major difficulty associated with the IGF was boundary disputes and ineffective services delivery of revenue mobilization consultants engaged. Government and its agencies assistance also failed to honour their obligations.

Expenditure

The Municipal Assembly has three main classified expenditure outlays; namely the Personnel Emolument, Goods & Services and Capital Expenses and all other expenses are hereinafter classified as other expenses.

The Bar graph sets out to show the pattern of growth in a class of expenditure over the years under review.

Examining the patterns of changes in the classes of the expenses over the years, it is evident that the Assembly’s expenditure in general increased over the years significantly.

Examining the expenditure situation above, the increasing pattern in expenditure is still reflective especially compensation which had exceeded its allocation for the year. However, the investment was contained largely because of the underperformance of the revenue. The general expenditure of the Assembly as at the mid-year 2017 as was restricted within giving a spending rate of about 57.88% as against the 59.72% performance of the revenue which in effect recorded a budget surplus of about GH?138,100.83 in nominal value as at June, 2017.

Revenue Base

The revenue base of the Assembly can be grouped into two (2); Internally Generated Funds (IGF) and Grants. Items under IGF include, rates (property rates), licenses (business operating permit, commercial vehicle licenses, and daily tolls), fees, fines and penalties. The main sources of revenue under Grants are; the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), District Development Facility (DDF), Salary Grants, and Grants to Decentralized departments of the Assembly as well as donor funds.

Economic Resources

Economic resources in the Municipality include the presence of industries, Agricultural activities, Commerce/services, sand and gravel for construction and human resource.

Economically Active Population

Table 1.20 indicates data on the economically active population of the Municipality (i.e. 15+). As indicated 71,954 people fall within that classification within the Kpone Katamanso Municipality. Out of that number 75.1% are actually economically active (i.e are employed or unemployed but seeking for work) whiles 24.9% are not economically active due to reasons like, pursuing full time education, disabled, or retired. The table also indicates that 8.4% of the economically active people are actually unemployed. Though this situation compares favourably with the regional figure of 7.8% it is evident that much can be done to improve the unemployment situation if the Municipal Assembly is able to harness all of its resource potential.

It is also observed that more than half (53.3%) of the economically not active population are into full time education and less than one-quarter (23.7%) are homemakers. The proportion of the economically not active females (27.7%) is higher than their male counterparts (21.8%).

Food Security

In the quest for lasting and sustainable solutions Food Security, the government of Ghana through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has embarked on various food security Programmes in collaboration with other institutions and NGOs and the various district of which our Municipality is one. One of such programmes is “Planting for Food & Jobs”. This programme is to support farmers to increase production to ensure food security, Generate employment in rural communities especially among the youth and increase incomes of farm families.

For the year 2017, a total of one hundred and seventy-four (174) crop farmers and one hundred and eleven (111) youth in agriculture farmers have been registered for the program.

Issues of Food Security in the Municipality

Low productivity in staple crops such as maize and rice production. In relation to maize which is the only staple crop produced in the Municipality has being on the decline for the past four years is a course to worry about since majority of the people in the Municipality are depended on food made from maize.

Plate 14 Maize Farm
Source: MPCU, 2017

Seasonal variability in food supply and price due to climatic changes and other natural occurrences make it difficult for Ghana to meet its food demand all year round, especially in the three northern regions.

Farmers who are vulnerable to food and nutrition insecurity have limited capacity to respond to Agricultural Programmes. Malnutrition is a serious problem among children, adolescents and women, especially in rural areas and urban slums and so it is important that deliberate efforts are made to train farmers so that they have at least basic knowledge in food and nutrition.

Poor road infrastructure in areas such as Michel Camp dam site, Nanoman, Seduase and others limits the effective distribution of food and lower producer prices since most of these products lose their values by the time they get to the market.

Weak systems for disaster prevention, preparedness and response (gaps in legal and policy frameworks).

Specific Strategies for the Attainment of Food Security and Emergency Preparedness:

a) Develop appropriate irrigation schemes for different categories of farmers to ensure production throughout the year.

b) Introduce high-yielding short duration crop varieties, drought resistant varieties and processing.

c) Develop effective post-harvest management strategies, particularly storage facilities, at individual and community levels.

d) Liaise with the Ministry of Transportation for road transport and the Ministry of Harbours and Railways to improve accessibility and facilitate the distribution of crops.

e) Target the vulnerable in agriculture, with special programmes that will enhance their diversification opportunities, reduce risk and enhance their access to productive resources.

f) Enhance nutrition through coordination of programmes and institutions for food security, dissemination of nutrition and health information and advocacy for food fortification.

g) Strengthen early warning systems and put in place emergency preparedness and disaster management scheme, including contingency planning to ensure access of the poor to food during disaster.

h) Advocate for improved legal and policy framework for collaboration between institutions responsible for disaster management.

i) Establish contingency plans and strategic stocks to support emergency preparedness.

Nutrition

The government of Ghana in a bid to improve the nutritional value of its citizens, have through the Ministry of health-initiated programs and projects that would improve the nutritional value of Ghanaians. The Kpone Katamanso in its quest to also improve nutrition in the Municipality, have taken advantage of the programs of the Ministry of health through the Municipal Health Directorate. Some of the projects the Municipality have undertaken to improve the nutritional value of the people includes: : Baby friendly facility (BFHI), Community Infant and Young child feeding (CIYEF), Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM), Essential Actions( ENA’S) ,Nutrition Assessment and Surveillance Counselling.

Notwithstanding, these interventions to improve the nutrition standard in the Municipality, there are some bottlenecks. Some of the bottlenecks include: Inadequate nutrition equipment and logistics, inadequate trained staff, lack of inpatient treatment facility for the management of severe acute malnutrition. The Assembly has a role to play in addressing some of these challenges to improve nutritional delivery in the Municipality.

Financial Services

The Municipality has financial services such as Unibank, CAL Bank, Zenith Bank and some rural Banks such as Dangbe Rural Bank, Oyibi Rural Bank and Krobo Rural Bank yet to be opened, which provides banking services to residents and farmers in the communities. Residents also have access to nearby financial institutions like ECOBANK, Commercial bank, Barclays bank, Stanbic Bank, Stanchat bank, HFC Bank etc. in the neighbouring Districts like Tema and Ashaiman.

Poverty, Inequality and Social Protection

Poverty and inequality have become a serious bane to National development. The development trajectory of the world, Africa and the Kpone Katamanso Municipal Assembly to be specific seeks to eradicate poverty and its associated ills. Poverty basically can be referred to as social and economic deprivation of persons. These social and economic deprivations expose people to poverty in the Municipality.

Some of these economic and social deprivations are: illiteracy, unemployment, single parenting, persons leaving with disability, PLHIVs low technical skills, bad farming practices.

For instance government policies at the macro- economic level affects the country as a whole and the Municipality specifically. Inequality and marginalization of women entrench poverty among women more than men in the Municipality. Access to economic and equity is at the disadvantage of women.

Poverty Depth –Greater Accra Region

There are less than 10000 poor persons in the Municipality according to the Ghana Poverty Mapping Report (GSS, MAY 2015, pg. 19). Additionally, the Municipality has a poverty index less than 5% compared to a Regional average of 1.68 percent. Poverty inequality is below 30.0 percent. The afore-mentioned corroborates the fact that although there is incidence of poverty and inequality, it is not very pronounced as the Region has low levels of poverty incidence (6.6percent).

The 2010 Population census indicates that, 1.8 percent of the population in the Municipality is made up of People Living with Disability (PWD) and most of them can be found in the urban areas. For all disabled people, 15 years and older, 55.4 percent of PWD are employed and 39.8 percent are economically inactive.

To provide support for these vulnerable people, the Government of Ghana through the Municipal Assembly implements social protection packages for the poor and less privileged –support for PLHIVs, Disability fund, NHIS registration, EBAN card Registration, LEAP disbursement, Local Economic development. Scholarship programmes for needy but brilliant children, collaborating with NGOs to alleviate poverty through skill training programmes (pro-economic opportunities). An example of such NGOs is the Youth Empowerment Synergy (YES) and other vulnerable groups. The Social Welfare and Community Development Department provides services on Justice and Administration, Maintenance and Custody to juvenile, and the public at large who face difficult social situations. Agriculture subsidy is equally an option to alleviate the plight of farmers who have to spend so much on farm inputs. The Municipality through its decentralization process should involve people in local governance and provide equal access to economic resources, social overhead capital, information and marketing facilities as proactive response to early warning systems.

General Challenges faced by Social Welfare and Community Development Department

a) Inadequate Office Space

b) Lack of logistics such as vehicle, motorbikes, printer and furniture

Settlement Systems (Spatial Analysis)

The Land Use and Spatial Planning Bill was passed into Law in the year 2016 by Ghana’s Parliament and successfully accented. The LUSPA Act 925 seeks to revise and consolidate the laws on the land use and spatial Planning. It also provides laws on sustainable development of human and land settlement through the decentralized planning system and ensures judicious use of land.

The Act seeks to improve the quality of life, promote health and safety in respect of human settlement in the Municipality. The Act strengthens the capacity of the Physical Planning Department in the MMDAs to discharge its duties effectively.

Physical Development Planning

The Municipality is challenged with well-designed planning schemes for some communities and in the other communities there are no planning schemes at all. This has led to haphazard development in most communities and other problems in the Municipality such as:

a) Building without development permits

b) Multiple land sales

c) Acquisition of land title problem.

d) Encroachment on right of ways and public spaces.

From table 1.37, majority of the communities are partially planned and just a few are well planned.

The Municipality is challenged with well-designed planning schemes for some communities and in the other communities there are no planning schemes at all. This has led to haphazard development in most communities and other problems in the Municipality such as:

a) Building without development permits

b) Multiple land sales

c) Acquisition of land title problem.

d) Encroachment on right of ways and public spaces.

The physical planning department of the Assembly is working hard to develop planning schemes for area without some but is faced with the following challenges;

a) lack logistics such as vehicle for field work, colour tonners and other printing materials

b) inadequate office space

c) untimely release of funds

d) inadequate capacity of staff

Land Management

The Municipality has two planning areas that is the “Acquisition Area” which is administered by Tema Development Corporation (TDC) now TDC Development Company Limited and the “Non-Acquisition Area” which though owned by the various traditional authorities is managed by the Town and Country Planning Department of the Municipality. The “Acquisition Area” administered by TDC falls under the jurisdiction of KKMA. This has created a situation where a developer would need to take permit from these two institutions before he can develop his land.

In other situations a developer can start the process of acquiring permit from the Municipality and TDC will later state that it is within their jurisdiction and that they have to issue permit to the developer. This creates very uncomfortable situation for the Assembly and the developer since the person would have to start the whole processes again. The Assembly is working hard to resolve these challenges with TDC by coming out with a clear defined boundary for their “Acquisition Area”.

Plate 23 Land Use Map of the Municipality

Spatial Distribution and Access to Essential Services

The Municipal Assembly is polarized into urban, semi-urban, and rural settlements. The linkage between the urban and rural is by roads classified into highways, urban and feeder roads. The major urban centers include Kakasunanka, Bethlehem, Zenu, Gbestile, Kpone, Community 25 and Oyibi; whereas rural/peri-urban settlements are Santeo, Kubekro, Katamanso, Appolonia, etc. Most rural settlements are fast developing into semi-urban and urban settlements, eg Santeo, Kubekro, Appolonia etc. The rural communities are sparsely populated and therefore have limited access to socio-economic facilities.

Table 1.38 indicates the distribution of facilities in the four Zonal Councils. It can be deduced from the table that, ZEKAS Area Council has the most public schools compared with the other Area Councils. This can be attributed to the fast growing population of the area. This is even not enough considering the current population. Generally, all the area councils need more schools to cancel the shift system in the Municipality. Also market being one of the key drivers of the local economy seems to absent ONSBAC Area Council. The existing ones too are not well developed to generate revenue for the Assembly. The Assembly should give serious attention to developing markets in areas where it is nonexistence and in areas where markets are, the Assembly should developed it to meet the needs of the people. There is no public health facility in the whole of KAMBERG Area Council. The Assembly is currently putting up a health facility at Saki (KAMBERG Area Council) to meet their health needs.

The above scalogram depicts how facilities are dispersed across space in the Municipality.

From the table, it can be learned that the community/settlement in the Municipality highest total weighted centrality index and ranked first is Gbetsile. This is because, Gbetsile has more facilities than in all the other settlements. Also, it has higher order facilities than most settlements. The table clearly also brings to fore the uneven distribution of facilities and how some communities are lacking. Some essential services like clinic and public hospitals cannot be found in most communities- to say the least, they are limited. Electricity is an input to industrialization and business development is adequately provided in all the communities .Basic education is equally accessible to all children of school going age. The Municipality however should make more effort in the Areas of health facilities, police post as well as fire post to handle security treats. Lastly, water which is basic should as a matter of urgency be made available to communities who don’t have access to potable drinking water.

Energy

The Municipality is connected to the national grid and so has regular electricity supply. This has facilitated in the operation of a lot of businesses in the Municipality. The community also uses charcoal, kerosene, gas and firewood as their source of energy for cooking and its related activities. The fishermen in the area also use pre-mixed fuel for their fishing vessel. The Municipality also has the ASOGLI thermal plant which provides additional energy to its industries and the country as a whole. The VRA thermal plant is also in the Municipality as well as CEN power which is currently under construction. It is hoped that when it is completed it will boost the supply of electricity in the Municipality and the country as a whole. It is worth noting that some part of Kubekro does not have electricity and that the Assembly should support them with electricity extension.