Upper Denkyira West Constituency development on course — MP

Page 11, March 5, 2010
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Upper Denkyira West, Mr Benjamin Kofi Ayeh, has instituted a scholarship scheme to assist needy students in their academic pursuits.
Currently, 750 students in second-cycle and tertiary educational institutions are benefiting from the scheme, which is being financed with the MP’s share of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund).
Mr Ayeh told the Daily Graphic that the decision to institute the fund was born from his belief that the area would be well developed if the potential of the youth were properly harnessed.
He said it was his aim, therefore, to support the human resource development through the scheme and also provide educational infrastructure to create a conducive atmosphere for teaching and learning in the constituency.
Mr Ayeh added that he had been organising vacation classes for final-year students in basic schools in the area to enable them come out with better results.
He stated that he had used part of his share of the various funds to construct a 12-classroom block for the Ayanfuri Senior High School (SHS) and also provided 40 computers, 100 bags of cement and two water tanks for the Diaso SHS.
Mr Ayeh said there were plans for the establishment of a new SHS in the constituency next academic year to offer junior high school (JHS) leavers second-cycle education.
On energy, the MP stated that during his tenure of office, about 30 communities had been connected to the national electricity grid, which had helped in the establishment of small-scale businesses in the area, while 500 electric bulbs had been distributed to the various communities.
Mr Ayeh said he had reshaped the Agona Port-Asaman road at his own expense while the Nkwantanum-Asaman road would be reconstructed under the Cocoa Roads Rehabilitation Programme.
The MP said the constituency, which was raised to a district status recently, had witnessed considerable development with 13 towns being provided with potable water under the Small Towns Water Project being implemented by the Community Water and Sanitation Programme in addition to the provision of several boreholes.
The beneficiary communities are Ntom, Bethlehem, Maudaso, Amenase, Ayanfuri, Nkotimso, Nyinawusu, Obuasi, Anwiaso, Ananekrom, Jamesonkwanta, Agona Port and Diaso.
Mr Ayeh said to help the beneficiary communities to pay their counterpart contribution towards the water projects, the Central Ashanti Gold Company provided GH¢35,000 while the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate for the 2008 general election, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo gave GH¢20,000.
He added that a number of markets had also been completed at Gyaman, Nkotimso, Anwianwia and Besease while blocks were currently being moulded for the construction of new ones at Agona Port, Maudaso, Bethlehem and Obuasi.
The MP said through his efforts and that of the district assembly and the government, the young Upper Denkyira West District had seen considerable development within a relatively short time.