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Ningo-Prampram sea defense project nears completion
In a bid to address the devastating effects of tidal waves along the coastal belt, the government, about three years ago, began the construction of a sea defence wall on the shores of the Ningo-Prampram District.
The about $69m project, under the Ningo-Prampram Coastal Protection Project, is meant to protect the five-kilometre stretch from tidal waves, beach erosion and flooding.
When completed, it would among other things, protect the livelihoods of the people, and boost domestic tourism in the Ningo-Prampram area – one of the tourist destinations in the country.
A recent visit to the site saw engineers putting finishing touches, indicating that the project could be completed by the end of December, this year.
When the Works and Housing Minister, Mr Francis Asenso-Boakye, paid a visit to the site in July, Mr Kwasi Sarpong Osei, Project Manager of Messrs Bridge Global Consolidated Limited, the construction company undertaking the project, stated the readiness of the company to go by the project schedule.
Mr Osei said about 2.6-kilometres out of the total five-kilometres sea defence project, had been completed, adding that the remaining 2.4 kilometres would be finished in due time.
He, however, appealed to the government to expedite the release of funds to fast-track work on the project.
The aerial shots captured by the reporter depict the extent of work completed at the site. Some residents have so far expressed satisfaction at the project and are hopeful that it would bring them some relief as they go about their daily activities.
Coastal erosion and flooding which continue to affect the communities along the coast could be traced to the impact of human activities, climate change and rise in sea-levels.
By Geoffrey Buta
The Member of Parliament for Nsawam Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh Dompreh, has expressed concern over delays in the release of the District Assemblies Common Fund, warning that the situation is stalling development across the country.
On his facebook page, he described as a matter of urgent national importance, the Minority Chief Whip pointed to what he sees as a growing crisis of unpaid contractors, abandoned projects, and halted infrastructure works in many districts.
He noted that several communities are grappling with half completed schools, unfinished health facilities, abandoned markets, deteriorating roads, and stalled sanitation projects.
According to him, many contractors who have executed projects for district assemblies have not been paid, forcing some construction firms to demobilise from sites while workers lose their jobs.
He stressed that the District Assemblies Common Fund is not a discretionary allocation but a constitutional requirement under Article 252 of the 1992 Constitution, intended to support development at the local level.
In his view, years of delayed releases and accumulated arrears have weakened district development financing and disrupted projects meant to improve living conditions in communities.
He further argued that some payments made in recent years were largely the settlement of old debts rather than funding for new or ongoing projects, a situation he believes has affected contractor confidence and local economic activity.
He described the issue as more than a budgetary challenge, characterising it as a development emergency and a governance concern.
He therefore urged the appropriate authorities to pay outstanding DACF arrears, settle contractors who have completed their work, and ensure that transfers to districts are automatic and predictable.
He maintained that decentralisation can only succeed when district assemblies receive adequate and timely funding to carry out development projects.
He emphasised that stalled projects directly affect ordinary citizens, since they rely on such infrastructure for education, healthcare, transportation, sanitation, and economic activities.
He called for renewed attention to grassroots development, insisting that national progress should not be concentrated only in major cities but extended to all communities.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Richard Appiah, the footballer who killed two children and stored part of their bodies in a fridge at Abesim in the Bono Region in 2021 has been handed a lifetime sentence.
This was after a five member panel of judges at the Accra High Court returned a verdict of guilty against the convict.
Appiah, 32, also a draughtsman would spend the rest of his life in prison after he was convicted of murder.
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BY MALIK SULLEMANA
