GENERAL
Heads of departments, SOEs, others hold joint planning meeting
The New Juaben South Municipal Assembly held a joint planning meeting for Heads of Department, State Owned Enterprises (SOE’s), Public Corporations, Agencies, and Institution for mid-year 2024 at the Assembly’s Conference Hall.
Date Created : 8/15/2024 : Story Author : Eunice Abankwaa Ohene/Ghanadistricts.com
The aim for the meeting was to discuss the level of implementation and review the planned activities which were done in December 2023.
Attendees at the meeting included the Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Isaac Appaw-Gyasi, the Municipal Coordinating Director, Mr. Edward Abazing, representatives from the Police Service, the Fire Service, the Ambulance Service, the Army, National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Road Safety Commission, Ghana Water Ltd, Ghana Health Service, Ghana Education Service, alongside heads from the Municipal Assembly.
Mr. Edward Abazing highlighted the benefits of building strong relationships and working together with other departments and agencies to drive success.
Several agencies delivered their reports, with the Ghana Education Service representative who also doubles as the Public Relations Officer, Matilda Botchway, provide a comprehensive overview of the service’s accomplishments and challenges.
This year’s achievements include, conducting capacity training for head of schools, addressing education malpractices in selected schools, providing Career guidance for final year students, meeting with head teachers, conducting eye screening in selected schools.
She also highlighted several challenges facing the service, including, inadequate furniture and learning materials, security concerns due to theft, lack of sporting materials, insufficient tools for practical lessons, inadequate teachers in creative arts and encroachment of school lands due to lands not registered.
Madam Matilda emphasized the need for Assembly’s support to address these challenges.
Additionally, she noted that regularity and punctuality of teachers remain a concern, as many often live far from schools, but efforts are being made to improve this situation.
A representative from Ghana Water Ltd, Mr. Joseph Sarpong, presented their report, highlighting the challenges they face in the meeting the growing demand for water in the municipal.
Specifically, they have been supplying approximately 18,000 gallons of water per day to the municipal since 2009, when the plant was installed, without any additional capacity added over the past 15 years. Due to the municipal’s growth the current water supply is insufficient, leading to rationing.
Also, power outages significantly impact production, financial constraints arise from customers’ inability to pay their bills partly due to inadequate water supply, galamsey activities also pose challenge to their operation.
To address these issues, the Ghana Water Ltd is exploring the addition of boreholes to increase water production and meet the growing demand, he reported.
The Ghana Health Service Representative stressed that inadequate nutrition among expectant mothers is causes anemia and encouraged husband and family members to support their loved ones in maintaining healthy diet, she recommended that pregnant women attend health centers early in their pregnancy to facilitate timely identification and management of any potential issues.
SECURITY
The Ghana Road Safety representative emphasized their commitment to promote road safety through education and awareness campaigns.
They reported a worrying increasing crash in Eastern region, largely due to over speeding.
The absence of road markings and speed signs was also cited as a key factor contributing to this problem.
To combat these issues, committees are being set up to address road safety concerns.
Drivers are also reminded to drive safely, as cameras are installed to monitor and enforce traffic regulations, with offenders facing fines and penalties, she stated.
Mr. Edward Abazing instructed the city guards to monitor and regulate traders encroaching on pedestrian walkways, particularly in the vicinity of the assembly premises.
He then thanked attendees for their participation and encouraged continued collaboration to address challenges faced by various departments and agencies.
The next meeting is expected to be well-represented, fostering a spirit of teamwork and cooperation, he added.