TEN YEARS OF LITTLE AS A DISTRICT
TWENTY YEARS OF NOTHING AS A CONSTITUENCY
In less than a year, the Amansie Central District shall be ten years old. This very year - on January 7th - our Constituency was twenty years old. In all these days years, Jacobu is both the district/constituency capital, and what is there to be seen and talked about has been my headache since I penned down the headline for this post.
For my kinsmen and women far and wide, may I recount some useful occurrences by way of political leadership, institutional strategy, community effort and personal entrepreneurship.
- Our one and only secondary school suddenly rose in both student and staff population. The school is currently headed by its fourth headmaster. The staff is now very much well packaged better than it used to be a decade ago when the only degree holder was the head.
Jacobu Senior High Technical School is offering three courses - one up from the traditional two. The need for space is apparent. Yet it has humble girls' hostel, a three-storey boys' dormitory (with flats for teachers) from GETFUND, a mini bus from ANGLOGOLD Ashanti, one more pick up for administrative errands and another relatively bigger bus from government. The MP's ICT Centre project has been converted into an administrative office for the headmaster and his assistant within which a room has been furnished or computer lessons. The PTA resourced the school with a two-unit semi detached bungalow for staff. I understand there is dining hall project currently underway being financed by the district assembly.
- St. Peter's Hospital graduated from clinic status some years ago. It's now a fledgling hospital headed by an administrator, and assisted by highly qualified team of medical superintendents and doctors trained home and abroad. The nurses population is on the ascendancy as the days go by. Unlike some years back when it was used to be by ward assistants, today's St. Peter's Hospital is soon to be upgraded into district government hospital - that is my prayer. Staff accommodation up there is still a problem with many of the nurses staying quite far away from the hospital premises. This is a problem I think urgent attention must be paid it sooner than later. Worthy of note is the ongoing maternity block project. The hospital has a well furnished theatre for operations, a refurbished clinical laboratory, a mortuary, a pharmacy and even a conference hall. I am happy anytime I see its finance and procurement officers out and about the hospital business.
- Odotobri Rural Bank, Ltd is still the only bank in the district. Yet, the proliferation of micro-finance services have seen Jacobu through with two. But the fact remains that ORB, Ltd rules supreme in both service delivery and customer management. The Bank recently commissioned its eighth branch which doubles as the fifth in Kumasi. The other three are situated at Jacobu, Bekwai and Obuasi. The Bank is financing a modern conference centre at Jacobu which shall bring to an end the pathetic street meetings. Hopefully, we shall witness the completion and commissioning of that multi-purpose edifice sometime soon this very year. If there is one institution across the district/constituency spuriously marketing the Amansie Central and Odotobri and Jacobu, it is our one and only most beloved Bank.
- Jacobu Water Board is about 21-member board empowered by the chief a to help steer water supply system. With all its challenges, the Board is up to task in making sure water flows as often as it should since 2009. One glaring lapse on the part of the Board is their lack of will to adjust price to meet demand. For fear of public outcry, the board seems to stuck in a moment when it comes to deciding that consumers pay for quality service delivery. I pray the chief to augment the board with much younger and educated (of course) minds whose learning must a bearing on matters relating to water delivery mechanisms. Trust me, we have some walking around here in Jacobu!
- The slagging market stores project has been a headache especially for the party politics people are playing with that vital project. The NPP/NDC gimmicks being played on the project has halted the it, which is aggravating vehicular movement in the central business of the town. Places for nature's call are yet to begin with no completion date in sight. Our market is a much less desired place for shopping for food, meat and household stuffs.
- Night life in Jacobu is becoming lively as new and cleaner pubs are being set up at strategic locations around the town. The time for VC 10 and drinking under trees are way back now. We have the choice of patronizing about three modern guest houses and pubs spacious enough to house several other social gatherings. The fact that all three have cleaner rooms for night and day accommodation is a plus for an up-and-coming district capital. I pray for a real night club - opening soon ;-)
- Police/security matters are under control except for the cryptic nature of these Chinese/Ghanaians/Government galamsey gold rush. Our river-gods have run away into oblivion with one god standing - Apemanka River! He remains as if nothing is happening. The rest are made stagnant with no life in them anymore. Lands that hitherto were fertile enough for both crop and commercial farming are turned upside down for gold. And they do no reparation to normalize the soil to heal itself. Damn!
In due time, count on me to connect you to what is happening in this ancient city on the hill from yours truly.
