Low income levels

Income distribution as depicted by the Lorenz curve analysis shows a clear indication that about 25% population share about 8% of incomes whilst about 75% of  incomes are the hands of about 25% of the population. There is thus the need to redistribute incomes  by developing programmes that will employ more people to enable them not only to earn a living wage but to promote investment into small to medium scale enterprises.

Low production and productivity in all sectors

A look at the assembly’s economy shows that industrial and commercial activities are low. Agriculture which employs more than 60% of the population is very rudimentary with high incidence of post harvest losses emanating from inadequacy of storage, marketing and/or processing facilities .This situation does not promote production and productivity.

Net capital flight

The  economy has relatively low industrial and commercial activities so it is unable to attract the much needed investments. The result is that the few investments and capital formation are repatriated outside the assembly. Human capital is also drifting away to the city centers where activity is more vibrant.

Low savings/low capital formation

Due to low income levels within the municipality, leading to a lower propensity to save, capital formation is very slow at the detriment of development, since it eventually affects economic growth and tax revenue. 

Inadequate employment opportunities

Agriculture remains the main source of employment for majority of the people but largely remain at a rudimentary level with its resultant lower productivity. The implications are that a significant number of people are not gainfully employed. Employment avenues in other sectors are equally not adequate and/or inappropriate to absorb these large numbers.

There is the need to create employment opportunities which are also off-farm, which has the potential of employing greater proportions. The government youth employment programme as well as the micro – credit programme, among others, is expected to improve upon the situation dramatically by 2009.

Inadequate storage facilities/high post harvest losses

The problem of inadequate storage facilities is a nation-wide issue which has resulted in serious post harvest losses. The Abuakwa South Municipal is equally beset with this problem. Farm produce remain largely unprocessed and coupled with lack of storage facilities, post harvest losses constitutes a major setback to increasing farm acreage and improved production.
 
Low price for agricultural produce

Due to the fact that agricultural produce is not processed in the municipality, there is always a glut during the harvesting season which depresses the prices of the products to the detriment of the farmers. This has been a source of discouragement to the farmers over the years and this has led to the youth regarding farming as an unprofitable venture which is not worthwhile to invest in.

High cost of farm inputs

In recent times, farm inputs are hardly subsidized and hence farmers have to pay the full economic value for inputs. This has led to a situation where farmers are unable to apply the required chemicals to their crops for their healthy growth. The resultant effect is a declining agricultural productivity.
 
Low agricultural production

Agriculture is the major source of employment but the production levels are not appreciable basically due to over-reliance on traditional methods of farming and smaller farm sizes. This has resulted from lack of credit facilities, poor marketing arrangements and the lack of incentives to attract the youth into agriculture.

Bad nature of roads

Roads linking outlying settlements and more importantly roads leading to farming communities are in deplorable state. The impact is that drivers either refuse to ply on those roads or charge exorbitantly. The few roads in relatively in good condition are equally deteriorating.

Low level of agricultural technology

Agriculture, despite the many years of its practice and the improvements made, is largely rudimentary and subsistent. The technology therefore is not advanced and this affects to large extent the production and processing of agricultural products.

Undeveloped tourist sites

Trends in the world have shown that tourism is one of the foreign exchange earning activities to the extent that some countries depend on it for their survival. The Abuakwa South abounds in many tourist sites spread throughout and these could attract a fortune for the assembly. On the contrary, most these sites have not been developed, except the Bunso Arboretum.

Inadequate market facilities

Inadequacy of major marketing centres for selling agricultural products and the poor arrangement for marketing Small Scale Industries (SSIs) products has been a barrier to economic growth and development. This does not only limit their ability to obtain inputs in commercial quantities but also their responsiveness to customers demand in other places.

Inadequate private sector investment

Private sector is unable to thrive  because the economy of the assembly is generally weak, Effectve strategies need to be put in place to attract medium to large scale private sector investment. Priority should be given urgent steps at marketing the district to attract private sector investors.

List of projects

Over the past years, some programmes and projects have been initiated  with the view of promoting the development. Whilst a number of these development programmes and projects have been completed, quite a number are still at the implementation stage. 

 It must be emphasized that these programmes and projects must be implemented according to the original schedule and in accordance with the provisions of this three year medium-term development plan.

Monitoring and Evaluation

The local Government Act, 1993 (ACT 462) that established the District Assemblies gave the DPCUs the responsibility of performing the activities of monitoring and evaluation of programmes and projects.This Unit performs this advising role for the District Planning Authority through the preparation of monitoring and evaluation plan and are required to submit quarterly reports to the NDPC with copies to the RPCUs. 

The sectoral agencies also perform similar roles of monitoring and evaluation for actual project monitoring and both receive significant assistance from the community as well aS governmental/non-governmental organisations.

This section deals with the monitoring and evaluation formats and establishes the responsibilities for monitoring and evaluation of programmes and projects from the planning stage to implementation stage.

Monitoring of Projects

Monitoring is the continuous assessment of project implementation in relation to agreed schedules, and of the use of inputs, infrastructure, and services by project beneficiaries. This means that Project monitoring formally begins following actual implementation of the project and specifically when the project commenced.

The essence of monitoring at the commencement of project is to ensure that the progress of work proceeds in accordance with time schedules outlined in the Programme of Action and the Action Plan. Identified programme objectives should be tested in relation to the OVI and the MOV in the logical framework.

On commencement of the project, the DPCU and/or responsible implementing agency should prepare a detailed and realistic workplan of main and sub-activities of the project showing expected starting and completion dates as well as milestones. The outcome should be displayed in simple graphic presentations as bar charts and line graphs and displayed for the attention of all stakeholders. This is important to support the implementation of the project and to feed back into the design of other initiatives.

Monitoring Reports

Regular monitoring of project implementation generates vital information on project performance and is important for the adjustment in the programme in order to promote the attainment of objectives and targets. This information should be analysed and presented in a report according to the formats and contents of monitoring report prescribed by NDPC; Act 480. The monitoring report should cover the broad spectrum of activities and investments being implemented in the POA and should be presented according to the format headed

 Development Problems
Low income levels

Income distribution as depicted by the Lorenz curve analysis shows a clear indication that about 25% population share about 8% of incomes whilst about 75% of  incomes are the hands of about 25% of the population. There is thus the need to redistribute incomes  by developing programmes that will employ more people to enable them not only to earn a living wage but to promote investment into small to medium scale enterprises.

Low production and productivity in all sectors

A look at the assembly’s economy shows that industrial and commercial activities are low. Agriculture which employs more than 60% of the population is very rudimentary with high incidence of post harvest losses emanating from inadequacy of storage, marketing and/or processing facilities .This situation does not promote production and productivity.

Net capital flight

The  economy has relatively low industrial and commercial activities so it is unable to attract the much needed investments. The result is that the few investments and capital formation are repatriated outside the assembly. Human capital is also drifting away to the city centers where activity is more vibrant.

Low savings/low capital formation

Due to low income levels within the municipality, leading to a lower propensity to save, capital formation is very slow at the detriment of development, since it eventually affects economic growth and tax revenue. 

Inadequate employment opportunities

Agriculture remains the main source of employment for majority of the people but largely remain at a rudimentary level with its resultant lower productivity. The implications are that a significant number of people are not gainfully employed. Employment avenues in other sectors are equally not adequate and/or inappropriate to absorb these large numbers.

There is the need to create employment opportunities which are also off-farm, which has the potential of employing greater proportions. The government youth employment programme as well as the micro – credit programme, among others, is expected to improve upon the situation dramatically by 2009.

Inadequate storage facilities/high post harvest losses

The problem of inadequate storage facilities is a nation-wide issue which has resulted in serious post harvest losses. The Abuakwa South Municipal is equally beset with this problem. Farm produce remain largely unprocessed and coupled with lack of storage facilities, post harvest losses constitutes a major setback to increasing farm acreage and improved production.
 
Low price for agricultural produce

Due to the fact that agricultural produce is not processed in the municipality, there is always a glut during the harvesting season which depresses the prices of the products to the detriment of the farmers. This has been a source of discouragement to the farmers over the years and this has led to the youth regarding farming as an unprofitable venture which is not worthwhile to invest in.

High cost of farm inputs

In recent times, farm inputs are hardly subsidized and hence farmers have to pay the full economic value for inputs. This has led to a situation where farmers are unable to apply the required chemicals to their crops for their healthy growth. The resultant effect is a declining agricultural productivity.
 
Low agricultural production

Agriculture is the major source of employment but the production levels are not appreciable basically due to over-reliance on traditional methods of farming and smaller farm sizes. This has resulted from lack of credit facilities, poor marketing arrangements and the lack of incentives to attract the youth into agriculture.

Bad nature of roads

Roads linking outlying settlements and more importantly roads leading to farming communities are in deplorable state. The impact is that drivers either refuse to ply on those roads or charge exorbitantly. The few roads in relatively in good condition are equally deteriorating.

Low level of agricultural technology

Agriculture, despite the many years of its practice and the improvements made, is largely rudimentary and subsistent. The technology therefore is not advanced and this affects to large extent the production and processing of agricultural products.

Undeveloped tourist sites

Trends in the world have shown that tourism is one of the foreign exchange earning activities to the extent that some countries depend on it for their survival. The Abuakwa South abounds in many tourist sites spread throughout and these could attract a fortune for the assembly. On the contrary, most these sites have not been developed, except the Bunso Arboretum.

Inadequate market facilities

Inadequacy of major marketing centres for selling agricultural products and the poor arrangement for marketing Small Scale Industries (SSIs) products has been a barrier to economic growth and development. This does not only limit their ability to obtain inputs in commercial quantities but also their responsiveness to customers demand in other places.

Inadequate private sector investment

Private sector is unable to thrive  because the economy of the assembly is generally weak, Effectve strategies need to be put in place to attract medium to large scale private sector investment. Priority should be given urgent steps at marketing the district to attract private sector investors.

Development Programmes

The stakeholder workshop represented by members of the Planning task force and other departmental heads, Assembly persons and Unit committee members, traditional authorities, NGOs and CBOs brainstormed and formulated the Goals for the Abuakwa South Municipal . The  goals are well stated aspirations of the people in their quest to meet their basic needs of life and they were carefully formulated to respond to the national goals against the background of potentials, constraints, opportunities, and Challenges.

In addition to an appreciation of the POCC, the goal formulation process was also based on individual heads of departments, Assembly persons and unit committee members investigating and prioritizing problems and developmental needs of their department and Town/Area councils and Units. The goals are presented under the following broad sectors of the economy:

Private Sector Competitiveness

• Improving the business and Investment environment as well as tourism promotion
• Facilitate access to micro, small and medium scale credit facilities especially to the vulnerable groups engaged in agro-based industries.

Human Resource Development

Ensuring the right to basic social services such as health care,
safe drinking water/sanitation and decent residential and office accommodation by 2009.

Objectives

The attainment of the broadly stated goals depends on the achievement of specific targets set for the assembly. It is therefore important that objectives geared towards the development are set. The objectives represent the general objectives formulated from the goals.

Private Sector Competitiveness

1. To step up the production of traditional and non-traditional crops by 25% by December 2009 To encourage irrigation-based agricultureTo introduce and encourage commercial poultry farming
2. To reduce post-harvest loses by 50% by December 2009
3. To promote SSI activities
4. To make credit more accessible to entrepreneurs by December 2007
5. To ensure judicious use of the forest resources
6. To ensure the district mineral resources are viably mined by December 2007
7. To increase the total number of tourist visit  by 100% by December 2008

Human Resource Development and Basic Services

To increase Science and Technology education especially for girls by 20% by December 2008

• To provide extra incentives to enhance quality of teaching and learning Within the first cycle schools
• To extend scholarship to technical/vocational education by 2008
• To ensure that MA scholarship scheme allocate 70% share to need Residents of the
• To strengthen the functional literacy campaign programme in rural  Communities
• To increase public awareness on the education of the girl child 
• To intensify health education to change attitudes and behaviors Especially within the basic schools
• To create awareness on the importance of public health
• To immunize 100% of children under one year annually against the six Childhood killer diseases by December 2007To intensify on family planning campaigns to control the rapid population growth of the district.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
• To encourage the use of traditional building materials
• To rehabilitate 5 schools in a year
• To rehabilitate 2 health facilities annually by December 2009
• To equip all health facilities with appropriate equipment by December 2009
• To provide potable water to 98% of rural communities by December 2009
• To improve on hygiene and sanitation delivery by 40%
• To expand surface accessibility to all communities by 2009
• To ensure efficient performance of the Postal sector by December 2008
• To prepare layouts for all major communities within the district by December 2008
• To embark on programme aimed at sensitizing people to remove the stigma on HIV/AIDS victims by 2007
• To design special programmes to support 100 disabled persons in rural communities with employable skills and to set up small scale businesses by mid 2007
• Embark on programmes to support HIV/AIDS victims and caretakers
• To provide financial support to the orphanage homes
• To establish free and special enrolment for children
• Encourage NGOs, CBOs and Civil Society to support the Aged and vulnerable