Mr. Ebenezer Cobbinah, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Tarkwa Nsuaem, has urged the media to scrutinise the work of the Tarkwa Nsuaem Assembly, hold members accountable and keep the public well informed.
He said the media should highlight positive developments in their communities and acknowledge good work where necessary.
He noted that a good working relationship with the media and the local government was important to ensure transparency, accountability, and public confidence.
Mr. Cobbinah gave the advice during the Assembly’s maiden “meet-the-press” and accountability series at Ahwietieso.
The MCE said the assembly’s vision defined the municipality they aspired to become, while its mission clearly sets out their responsibility to the people they served and their commitment to improving their quality of life.
He said every classroom block constructed, health facility provided, borehole drilled and mechanized, teachers’ accommodation built, road improved and community facility delivered represented a deliberate investment in the well-being and future of the people.
According to Mr. Cobbinah, it was against this background that the accountability engagement was particularly important to the assembly, adding that development must go hand in hand with transparency, accountability, and meaningful citizens participation.
He said the citizens had the right to know what the Assembly was doing, the progress it was making, the challenges it continued to face, and the measures it was putting in place to address them.
He said it was through commitment to openness, participation and accountability that public confidence could be built, collaboration strengthened and the development of the municipality firmly cantered on the needs and aspirations of the people.
On education, the MCE said the Assembly had constructed 6-unit classroom blocks at Dompim, Esuaso and Bogrekrom, re-roofed the Tarkwa Presbyterian school, constructed science laboratory at the Fishman Senior High School, and rehabilitated a 6-unit classroom block at the Amo Quayson Municipal Assembly School.
Mr. Cobbinah stated that on health, they distributed medical equipment to health facilities at Pataho, Mahamo, Bonsa and Essaman, and constructed health centre at Amantin and CHPS Compound at Keyanko.
He indicated that effective health care delivery required sustained investment and collaboration, and therefore, said the assembly would work closely with the Ghana Health Service and other stakeholders to improve upon healthcare infrastructure, equipment and service delivery across the municipality.
With regard to security, he indicated that the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, constructed a fire station on its campus, while the assembly organized a decongestion exercise at the Tarkwa main station, and constructed police station at Tamso Estate and Adieyie Mile 8.
He announced that plans were far advanced for the government to provide the fire station with a fire appliance and other essential equipment to make it fully operational and enhance its capacity to provide effective fire and emergency services to residents in the municipality.
He cited inadequate funding for completing development needs, difficulty in acquiring suitable land for development and low community participation in development programme as some of the challenges confronting the assembly.
Despite these challenges, Mr. Cobbinah said the Assembly would continue to work with stakeholders to mobilize additional resources and strengthen community participation to overcome the constraints and advance the development agenda of the municipality.