STMA to establish demonstration farms for urban agriculture
The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) is to construct a modern demonstration farm with green house technology to enhance urban agriculture.
The project, under its Twin-cities in sustainable partnership, is aimed at providing meaningful livelihood, improved food transportation and access, promote the creation of agribusiness along the value chain to transform the local economy, especially the unemployed, women, youth and vulnerable in the metropolis.
Mr Abdul-Mumin Issah, the Metropolitan Chief Executive, announced this at the second ordinary meeting of the third session of the eighth assembly meeting at Sekondi.
He said to ensure the success of the project, some people would be selected to undergo a 15-day training programme on vegetable, snail and rabbit farming, among others.
Touching on other development projects in the metropolis, the MCE said the dualization of the Takoradi-Sekondi road phase one had begun and appealed to people, who have stores and shops along the road to remove them to ensure a smooth implementation of the project.
He explained that phase one of the project would begin with a four-lane dual carriage from the ECG -Pobee Biney road through to Good News roundabout and to Harbour gate, De-graft Johnson Avenue, Monkey hill to Effia- Nkwanta hospital junction to the RCC and the Essikado junction, while the Butua Bridge would have a six-lane dual carriageway.
The MCE said work on the PTC interchange was about 58.8 per cent complete and that it was likely to be completed between June and July next year.
Mr Issah said physical works on the PTC interchange, Cape Coast Road was currently undergoing earthworks and that it would be followed by a retention wall and ramps, adding that Agona and Axim roads would also benefit from wall and girders retentions.
On security, he said, the Metropolis was relatively calm with few pending issues at Sekondi rail station and Takoradi Kokompe, adding that plans were far advanced to demolish illegal structures that were often used by criminals and vagrants for nefarious activities to help reduce the rate of crime and the growing number of miscreants in the Metropolis.
He said streets within the Metropolis were appreciably illuminated with streetlights, except for the Takoradi-Sekondi road, which has been off due to the ongoing road dualization project.
He said the Assembly would soon take delivery of more than 1,000 streetlights to illuminate the city and provide security.
On revenue, Mr Issah said the Assembly’s revenue performance from January to June 2022 increased by 18.94 per cent as compared to the same period in 2021
Mr Issah said a total of 2,909 in 499 households were benefiting from the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty Programme in the Metropolis and that an amount of 162,352 .00 cedis have been disbursed to the beneficiaries.
On other development projects, he said, in pursuance of a proposal made to the assembly by LIDWALA consulting engineers and Asare -AB company a memorandum of understanding between STMA and the companies had been signed.
He said in that regard, arrangements were underway to have a concession agreement signed to kick start the construction of a multipurpose car park at the beach road taxi rank in Takoradi, a Haulage Truck terminal at Sofokrom and a bus terminal at Nkroful.
The MCE, therefore, urged the assembly members to embrace the said projects and accordingly educate their electorates on them.
Touching on Sanitation, he said 40.9 per cent of households in the Metropolis had access to improved sanitation and that open defecation persisted in the Metropolis, especially in the coastal communities, despite the many interventions by the Assembly to stop it.
The MCE said through the implementation of the Twin -Cities in sustainable partnership project funded by the European Union, the assembly would provide 500 biodigesters toilets for households in poor coastal communities in 2023, prioritizing female-headed households, the disabled and the aged.
The Presiding Member, Mr John Buckman, in his welcoming address, said the meeting was going to deliberate on the 2023 Action Plan, Fee fixing resolution and Budget estimates and urged the members to help fashion and adopt workable documents, which would ultimately ensure the development of the Metropolis in these difficult times.
He said to survive as an assembly and have enough to develop their electoral areas and improve upon the living conditions of the people, it was imperative for them to work harder than before.
Mr Buckman urged the members to help in the collection of the relevant taxes and rates, especially property rates to enhance the revenue to the assembly.