News
Obuasi Central gets new health facility
Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah joined by MCE Elijah Adansi
Bonah for commissioning.
A GH¢1.6m two-storey health centre in the Obuasi Central of Ashanti has been commissioned.
It is to replace the defunct Jemima Maternity Home which provided healthcare services to traders in the Obuasi Central business district and neighbouring areas.
It has an out-patient department, two consulting rooms, pharmacy, store, female, male and maternity wards, washrooms, laboratory, counselling unit, an office and a bedroom flat nurses accommodation, etc.
The project was constructed by the Obuasi Municipal Assembly with funds from the mineral royalties.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Simon Osei Mensah, Ashanti Regional Minister, commended the Obuasi Municipal Assembly for putting its share of the mineral royalties into productive use.
He said prior to 2017, the Ashanti Region was rated low in the pecking order in terms of national health infrastructure but due to the efforts of the government, the region has witnessed a significant improvement in health facilities.
The Minister mentioned that the government has so far completed a number of health facilities it inherited. These include the Konongo, Tepa, Bekwai, Fomena, Kumawu and Sawua hospitals.
Mr Mensah listed plethora of health facilities the government has initiated and completed, including the Amansie West, Drobonso and Suame Municipal Polyclinics as well as the Twedie and Ahafo Ano South, East hospitals.
He said the government, through various interventions in the health centre, has demonstrated its willingness to support the health care needs of the people to have a healthy society.
According to the Chief Executive of the Obuasi Municipal Assembly, Elijah Adansi-Bonah, the construction of the health facility lends credence to the Assembly’s judicious use of mineral royalties contrary to reports issued by the Centre for Democratic Development on the impact of gold mining royalties on development projects in some mining districts.
Mr Adansi-Bonah mentioned the Kokoteasua Experimental School building and Sanso nurses quarters as other projects that were funded through the Assembly’s share of the mineral royalties.
Mr Martin Safo Osei, the Municipal Health Director, lauded the efforts of the Assembly in putting up the facility furnished with quality equipment which would further enhance effective health care delivery in the Obuasi Municipality.
From Kingsley E.Hope, Obuasi
News
National Service Authority goes cashless
The National Service Authority (NSA) has announced a mandatory transition to a cashless payment system.
This initiative aligns with the government’s drive to modernize revenue collection.
In a statement, NSA noted that effective immediately, all user agencies and stakeholders are directed to make all payments,
including the 20% and 10% administrative service charges, through the GHANA.GOV platform.
This shift to digital payments offers greater transparency, convenience and accessibility for those working with the NSA.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Read the full statement below
News
Greater Accra Regional Minister calls on traders to operate within designated spaces to ease congestion
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, has called on traders in the city to operate within designated spaces to ease congestion and maintain cleanliness in market centres.
Speaking with traders at the Kaneshie Market on February 4, 2025, during a tour of selected market centres to assess sanitation challenges, reinforce government commitment to address indiscriminate refuse disposal, and improve market conditions, the minister called for collaboration between traders and local authorities to address sanitation and maintain order.
She assured the new government’s commitment to addressing urban challenges and improving market conditions in Accra as part of its broader agenda for a cleaner city.
“We are here to engage you in a conversation about our mission to improve cleanliness in Greater Accra. We are taking into account the conditions of the roads, your problems, and your suggestions. Most walkways have been taken over by traders instead of serving their original purpose, which leads to traffic congestion. We want to understand your challenges so that we can find the best way to assist you,” the Minister stated.
The Minister who was accompanied by officials from the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council ( GARCC) led by the Chief Director of the GARCC, Mrs. Lilian Baeka, some staff from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly(AMA) and other sister assemblies in the Region used the opportunity to enquire about the state of waste disposal within the market and the efficiency of refuse collection by the assemblies.
“Does it take long for the refuse to be collected after it is gathered? These are some of the issues we want to address,” she added, inviting traders to share their thoughts.
The President of the Greater Accra Markets Association, Mrs. Mercy Naa Afrowa Needjan who welcomed the minister, expressed gratitude for the visit and assured traders commitment to rally support behind her as a woman in leadership.
”In the market, we face numerous challenges we wish to discuss. There are various groups of traders with some selling at the top, others beneath, while some can be relocated, others should be removed. However, we must follow due process to ensure that people’s livelihoods are not affected. She cannot do it alone, and we are ready to support her efforts,” she stated.
She noted that efforts to regulate trading activities, especially on the Kaneshie overhead footbridge, had proven difficult despite continuous engagements with the police.
Madam Mercy Naa Afrowa Needjan identified street trading as a major concern, explaining that it had significantly affected business inside the main markets.
“Our major problem is those selling outside. Because of them, the market is now dry. Almost everyone has moved onto the streets. They are our brothers and sisters, and we want them inside the market. There are a lot of vacant spaces they can occupy,” she said.
On sanitation, she remarked that significant progress had been made, stressing that previously, the Kaneshie market was associated with rubbish, but the story had changed for good.
