TAFIANO RIVER NEEDS BRIDGE (GRAPHIC NSEMPA, PAGE 14, AUGUST 30, 2010)

By Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah, Nkoranza

The Omanhene of the Nkoranza Traditional Area, Okatayie Agyeman Kudom IV, has appealed to the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo to use his good office to ensure that, the wooden bridge spanning River Tafiano in the Nkoranza South District is replaced with a Bailey bridge.
That, the Omanhene explained was urgent because the wooden bridge in its present state is a death trap to all manner of people who ply the road between Nkoranza and Kintampo.
Okatakyie Kudom made the call when the regional minister called on him at his palace as part of Mr Nyamekye-Marfo’s two-day working visit to the Nkoranza South and Nkoranza North Districts.
The visit of the regional minister, in the company of some officials of the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) and some executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) from the region, was to enable him see at first hand, ongoing and completed development projects in those areas.
Following the request by the Omanhene, the regional minister quickly moved in to inspect the bridge together with the District Chief Executives (DCEs) for the two areas, Messrs Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum and by Kwadwo Agyei-Dwomo, where he gave the assurance that, he would do everything to ensure that the bridge was repaired.
Okatakyei Kudom, who was flanked by his Divisional and Sub-Chiefs, also appealed to Mr. Nyamekye-Marfo to see to the repairs and reconstruction of a number of deplorable roads in the area, and that, in view of the bad nature of the roads, farmers found it difficult to transport their produce to the urban centres for marketing.
Again, the Omanhene urged the government to raise the Nkoranza South District to a Municipality, and that it was long overdue for the area to assume such a status, and that Nananom had already made such a request to the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development on his previous visit to Nkoranza.
Okatakyei Kudom, on behalf of the Chiefs, expressed his sincerest thanks and appreciation to the regional minister for his visit to Nananom and the decision to tour the two districts to acquaint himself with the level of development going on there.
Later, the regional minister and the Omanhene jointly cut the sod to signify commencement of works an entirely new Technical Institute at Nkoranza to boost technical education in the area
Currently, construction work is underway on a simple storey 12-unit classroom block and another separate six-unit classroom building on an 107 acre-land, released by the Nkoranza Traditional Council for the new project.
Again, the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr. Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo and Okatakyie Agyeman Kudom IV, the Omanhene of the Nkoranza Traditional Area, have jointly cut the sod to commence the construction of Boys and Girls dormitory blocks at the site.
Before breaking the ground, Okatakyie Kudom, described the project as a dream come true, adding that, Nananom in their wisdom gave out the land for such a laudable education project and promised that, they would not hesitate to release more land for educational purposes.
He expressed the hope that, the project when successfully completed, would equip students who graduated with technical skills jobs in advance, and commended the government for the bold initiative to establish the new technical institute in the region.
The regional minister said, since the region had long existed without a technical institute, the people should lend their full support towards its successful completion, adding that, with the combination of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) as well as science and technical education, the region could develop faster.
The Principal of the Institute, Mr. Albert Adusei, said in an interaction with this reporter that, by the end of September this year, work on the initiated projects would have been completed for academic work to start in earnest.
He mentioned the subject areas to begin with as Carpentry, Block work, Auto Mechanics, Electricals, Mechanical Engineering/Craft production while Agriculture Mechanics and catering programmes would follow up later.
Among the areas the regional minister visited to inspect ongoing and completed school and other development projects were Nsugum, Amposakrom, Nkwabeng, Nyamebekyere and in the Nkoranza township itself.