All posts by Christian Biney

As measures put in place by the Office of the Head of Local Government Service in its quest to curb absenteeism and lateness in the Service. A sensitization workshop was organised for all staff of the Ahanta West Municipal Assembly on Monday 22nd July, 2024. During the gathering the general staff were introduced to the interface of the system and it usage.
In attendance were the Regional Human Resource Manager Mr.Alfred Buckman, Municipal Environmental Health Officer Mr. Ted Tettey Municipal Human Resource Manager Judith Nana Ampomah, Municipal Management Information System Officer Mr. Christian E. Biney and Mr Anold Adjetey (Facilitator OHLGS). Below were pictures of the event:

On Thursday, 6th June, 2024, the Ahanta West Municipal Assembly inaugurated the Apowa Zonal Council.
Fifteen (15) Zonal Council Members were inducted and sworn-in by Mr. Daniel Kanyage, the Municipal Co-ordinating Director.

The inaugural ceremony was attended by Hon. Assembly Members, Unit Committee Members, the Hon. Presiding Member, the Director of Administration, the Municipal Planning Officer, the Municipal Budget Analyst, the Municipal Finance Officer, the Municipal Environmental Health Officer, Assistant Directors amongst others.
Below were pictures of the inauguration:

On Monday, 3rd June 2024, the MCE together with the Municipal Health Director, handed over the newly constructed male and female wards at the Apowa Health Centre.
Present at the occasion were Nana Foliba II, Queen mother of Apowa, Ebusuapanyin Samuel Blay Coffie, Hon. John Agyare, MCE Ahanta West, Mr. Eric Agbo, Director of Administration AWMA, Mr. Emmanuel Tamakloe, Municipal Health Director, Mr. Joseph W.K Fiagbe, Municipal Disease Control Officer. Also present were Hon. Joseph Yaw Baidoo, Presiding Member, Hon. Francis Eric Pobee, Parliamentary Candidate NPP, Chairman Nketsia Koffie, NPP Constituency Chairman.
Below were pictures of the ceremony:

On Thursday 30th May,2024, a team from the Western Regional Coordinating Council embarked on a monitory exerciser at the Ahanta West municipal Assembly. Below were pictures of the event:

The Ahanta West Municipal Assembly has marked the commencement of two major infrastructure projects under the Ghana Secondary Cities Support Programme (GSCSP) with a grand Inception Meeting and Site Handing Over Ceremony. The event, held on Friday, May 31, 2024, at the Municipal Assembly Hall, signaled the start of the construction of a 0.50km Bituminous Double Seal on the Apowa Tuc Junction – Tuc Estate Road and the construction of 50 lockable shops with boreholes at the Agona Nkwanta Market.
The ceremony began at 10 a.m. and was chaired by Nana Ezaku IV, the Divisional Chief of Agona and President of the Ahanta Traditional Council, with assistance from Nana Oforiba II, the Queen mother of the Apowa Traditional Area.

In his welcome address, Municipal Chief Executive Hon. John Agyare expressed his gratitude and emphasized the significance of the projects in enhancing the Municipality’s infrastructure and economic prospects. He highlighted that these projects are a continuation of the Municipal Assembly’s efforts to improve urban services and infrastructure through the Urban Capacity Grant (UDG) component of the GSCSP.
Ing. Richard Dugh from KE&T Consult Limited, the consultants on the project, presented the project scope, detailing the plans for the construction of a three-story market facility that includes 50 lockable shops, office spaces, washrooms, and a borehole. He emphasized the facility’s gender and disability-sensitive design and its climate resilience features. He assured the community of a timely and quality completion of the project, stressing the importance of safety and local cooperation.

Mr. Swinker, a Senior Project Manager of Boudox Construction Limited, the contractor for the project, reiterated the company’s commitment to completing the project within six months. He emphasized the importance of local employment and adherence to project specifications, ensuring that the community benefits economically and socially from the development.

Nana Oforiba II, speaking on behalf of the traditional leaders, expressed full support for the projects and assured the community of the traditional authority’s cooperation in resolving any issues that might arise during construction. She urged the contractor to employ local workers and maintain high standards of conduct and safety.

Mr. Awudu Azizu, the Regional Economic Planning Officer, representing the Hon. Regional Minister, highlighted the project’s significance in boosting local trade, improving connectivity, and enhancing revenue for the Assembly. He assured that the Western Regional Coordinating Council (WRCC) would monitor the project’s progress to ensure it meets the set deadlines and specifications.
The event concluded with closing remarks from Nana Ezaku IV, who expressed his joy and gratitude for the project’s positive impact on the socio-economic development of Ahanta West. He thanked all stakeholders for their support and cooperation and called for continued community engagement to ensure the successful implementation of the projects.

The commencement of these infrastructure projects under the UDG 4 and 5 subprojects marks a significant step towards the transformation of Ahanta West Municipality, promising improved urban services, enhanced connectivity, and a boost to local economic development.Attached were pictures of the ceremony.

On Thursday, May 9, 2024, the Ahanta West Municipal Assembly held its First Ordinary Meeting of the First Session of the Ninth Assembly at its Municipal Assembly. The meeting was held to discuss various issues relating to the Assembly.

Prominent on the agenda were the presentation of the Municipal Chief Executive’s Sessional Address and Executive Committee’s Recommendation, presentation of 2024 Annual Action Plan and Budget implementation, and presentation of the recommendation of the Public Relations and Complaint Committee (PRCC).

In attendance were Hon. John Agyare (Municipal Chief Executive), Mr. Daniel Kanyage (Municipal Coordinating Director), Hon Joseph Yaw Baidoo (Presiding Member), Honourable Assembly Members, Heads of Department and some members of staff of the Assembly.
Below were pictures of the meeting:

On Thursday 25th April 2024, the Ahanta West Municipal Assembly hosted a team from Effia-Kwesimintim Municipal Assembly and representatives from Justmoh Construction on the 23-Kilometer Takoradi -Agona road which has been awarded to Justmoh Construction.
The program was scheduled to commence at 8:00 am but the team arrived at 9:30am. Hon. Municipal Chief Executive of Ahanta West Municipal Assembly welcomed the team.
Hon. J.Y. Baidoo, the Presiding Member for Ahanta West said a prayer for commencement of the program.
Hon. John Agyare introduced the Chiefs, Assembly Members and dignitaries present.
Hon. John Dannis introduced the team from EKMA
While Mr. Stephen Harmond also introduced the team from Justmoh Constructions.

Hon. Kojo Acqua the Chief Executive for EKMA who doubles as the Chairman for the meeting thanked the attendees for the privilege to sit in on behalf of the Regional Minister. He remarked that he was please upon what he saw when the Regional Minister and the team visited the site. He said he is very optimistic that Justmoh Constructions would do a yeoman’s job for the betterment of Western Region.

The Municipal Chief Executives of Ahanta West Municipal Assembly acknowledged the dignitaries present. He noted that, the purpose for the gathering was to give the scope of work of the Takoradi-Agona road to stakeholders. He said the road serves millions of people from all works of life, hence, it imperative to assemble all stakeholders to give an account of the progress of the project.

PRESENTATION BY THE CONSTRUCTOR
According to Mr. Stephen Hamornd the Government has giving an approval with the support of GC Bank to fund the project. He said the project is set to commence but there were some challenges with regards to some areas where the lands were heavily encroached, relocating pipelines, electricity poles and temporal structures like the container stores etc.
SECOND PRESENTATION (the scope of work)

Mr. Kwame Anso, the project manager in charge of highways submitted that, the reconstruction of 23-kilometer Takoradi-Agona road had commenced. He said the first 3.5 kilometers from PTC interchange to Apremdo 2BN barracks, would be upgraded and made asphalt, then dual carriage through to Agona. He said, due to the busy nature of the road, they would maintain the existing ones and work on the new roads, then later divert the cars to the new road and reconstruct the old ones, so this would not affect the road users. He also said the bridges will be upheld in the course of the project and later be expanded. He estimated thirty-six (36) months as the duration for the project. He said the road was designed such that, pedestrians would have their walk ways including bus stops,

Project Affected Persons
He said consultation has been made with the Ghana Highways Authority to address these challenges, he added that, stakeholder’s engagement has been carried out and it still ongoing.

REGIONAL CHAIRMAN’S REMARKS
Mr. Indonasia, the Chairman for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) expressed his utmost satisfaction on this project. He applauded the NPP Government lead by His Excellence Nana Addo Dankwa Akoffo Addo for swift responds to the plight of the people of Western Region. He said a lot of consultation went on behind closed doors and he was happy that the project had finally seen the light of the day. He edged all who had their property within the demarcated areas to vacate the place to enable them carry out their work. He added that, compensations due these affected persons would be sorted in due time.

DISCUSSION/ OPEN FORUM
The stakeholder’s engagement meeting for the dualization of the Takoradi-Agona Nkwanta road was held in the Ahanta West Municipal Assembly Hall. The meeting provided an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss the possible problems that can occur during the execution of the project.
The following questions came up during the meeting;
Removal of affected structures: a question was asked if the marked structures should be removed now or wait till machines are brought on site before they are removed, the mc of the program gave response for the structures to be removed before the contractor moves to site,
Local Content: Participants emphasized that the contractor should look at local content in his work. This will be a source of employment for the youth in the community,

Lorry Station: Participants from Apowa pleaded with the Assembly and contractor to help in the relocation of Apowa lorry station. They informed the house they have a place for the relocation so they need assistance to put the place in good shape for the purpose.
The chiefs on the stretch gave their pledge to assist in whatever they need to do to make the project a success.

Also, a participant pleaded for the Assembly and the Contractor to have more media engagement for the dissemination of information to the residents along the stretch.

SUGGESTIONS
Some of the suggestions were as follows;
1. The contractor should consider speed humps at well-built areas to help minimize road accidents.
2. Zebra crossing should also be considered at communities that has schools on the roadside.
Below were pictures of the meeting:

In a bid to strengthen resilience and promote sustainable development, the Ahanta West Municipal Assembly organized a comprehensive training session for members of the Municipal Planning Coordinating Unit (MPCU) and heads of various sub-committees. The training focused on mainstreaming climate change and gender issues into municipal planning and budgeting. This training program is part of the capacity support component of the Ghana Secondary Cities Support Programme (GSCSP). The training took place at Busua Beach Resort on Wednesday 25th April,2024 and had participation from 40 stakeholders, including seven women, demonstrating the Assembly’s commitment to gender inclusivity.
The Municipal Coordinating Director Mr. Daniel Kanyage opened the session, emphasizing the urgency of addressing climate change and its impacts on the municipality. Mr. Percy Anaab Bukari, President of the Ghana Institute of Planners and an expert in Development Planning and Management, led the training. He provided valuable insights into integrating climate adaptation strategies and gender considerations into planning processes.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Mr. John Agyare emphasized the importance of proactive climate action and integrating climate change into development planning. Mr. Bukari’s presentation highlighted the significance of incorporating climate change and gender-specific needs into planning and budgeting. Participants worked together to develop work plans integrating these elements, followed by presentations and peer critiques.

Mr. Bukari also introduced the LISA platform, a technological tool for district-level planning and management. The platform’s capabilities in GIS mapping, data integration, risk assessment, and decision support were highlighted as crucial for improving disaster preparedness and integrating climate resilience into municipal planning.
The training emphasized the importance of participatory planning and collaboration among various stakeholders. The Assembly aims to develop socially just and climate-resilient interventions by leveraging local knowledge and experiences.

Overall, the training session was a significant step towards building a sustainable and resilient Ahanta West Municipality. Participants gained a deeper understanding of their roles in combating climate change and promoting gender equity in local development planning. The Assembly’s commitment to integrating climate change and gender considerations into planning processes promises a brighter, more inclusive future for all residents of Ahanta West.
Below were pictures of the event:

The Municipal Chief Executive of the Ahanta West Municipal Assembly Hon. John Agyare on Thursday, 4th April,2024 led a team from the Municipal Assembly and some officials from Ghana National Gas Company Limited (GNGL) for a sod-cutting ceremony of a six unit classroom block at Abura.

In attendance were, Mr Frank Gyapong ( Head of Works AWMA), Mr Augustus Badu( Head CSR-GNGL), Ing. Francis Eric Pobee – Power Tech (NPP- Parliamentary Candidate), Hon. J Y Baidoo( Presiding Member), Mr Godfred Agyekum(MIS officer), Miss Gifty Amoako-Attah ( Assistant Director), Nana Kwaku Mensah IV (Chief of Abura), Hon. Assembly Member, among others.

Below were pictures of the event:

The National LPG Promotion Programme for the year 2024 was held at Ahanta West Municipal Assembly on 19th March,2024 at the Assembly Hall. Below were pictures of the event.