Dr. Samuel Okoe Amanquah, the Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), has appealed to residents to reason with the assembly to find ways to raise funds to solve some challenges in the municipality.
Dr. Amanquah said unity and togetherness were essential in addressing developmental challenges, rather than people painting a picture of the assembly having all the needed resources but being reluctant to provide solutions to the challenges in the various communities.
He made the appeal during a town hall meeting aimed at engaging and enlightening the residents on the projects executed over the past year, addressing challenges, presenting a budget for the initiatives, and then getting their opinions on issues.
The MCE said that some projects were beyond the capacity of the assembly, which included the construction of major roads, explaining that the assembly was responsible for the reshaping, graveling, and compacting of the roads for smooth commuting of people, goods, and services.
He said projects initiated by the assembly were usually funded with Internally Generated Funds (IGF) due to the delays in the release of the District Assembly Common Funds (DACF), adding that some of the assembly staff were also paid from the same IGF.
He said the municipality was 237 square kilometres, comprising 1,612 kilometres of roads, which were made up of a network of major and inner roads linking all 18 electoral areas, stressing that such a project was the responsibility of the central government.
He said the public continued to blame the district assemblies for the failure to meet some of the developmental initiatives, even though it was not under their mandate.
“We want the residents to put themselves in our shoes; they’ll then realise that we are doing well, but they have the right to ask for more.”
Dr. Amanquah advised residents to ask questions that were within the assembly’s mandate to get the needed answers and pleaded with them to refrain from concluding the usage of the IGF without considering the assembly’s expenditure.
He said the municipality was growing by 13 per cent per year, adding that the KKMA was working tirelessly to lobby for projects that were beyond their capacity.
“When we work as a team, we’ll be able to achieve a lot within the shortest possible time, but when we point fingers at the leadership, it’ll not help,” he stated.
