Mr Lawrence Edutuah-Asiaw, Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa (AOB), District Chief Executive (DCE), has stated that the development of the district must be a collective responsibility because the concept of the district Assembly was all about the development.

“It is my expectation that we will all work together as a team to realize the aspiration of our people”, he stated

According to him, the AOB Assembly in 2021, invested in more than 15 projects and the majority of them were in areas of Education, Health, and Roads, to help improve the living standards of the citizenry.

Mr Edutuah-Asiaw made this known at the First Ordinary Meeting of the Assembly at Breman Asikuma, the District Capital.

He stated that the projects executed were funded among others, by the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF), District Development Fund (DDF), GETFUND, Coastal Development Authority (CODA) and Ghana National Petroleum Cooperation (GNPC).

In the first quarter of this, the year the assembly collaborated with GNPC to complete and hand over a new 6-Unit classroom block at Breman Kuntanase, a new District Education Office for Ghana Education Service at Breman Asikuma and GETFUND was to complete a 12-Unit story classroom block at Breman Asikuma Secondary School (BASS).

The assembly, he noted sponsored the District Education Directorate to organize “My first day at school,” provided financial support to brilliant but needy students in the area who are in various Tertiary Institutions and completed a dormitory block at Brakwa Senior Technical (BRASTEC) and Odoben Senior High School.

On Health Sector Projects and Interventions, the DCE indicated that the Assembly through the District Health Directorate made frantic efforts to contain and control COVID-19.

It completed the Edumanu Community-based Health Planning and Services Compound (CHPS), collaborated with CODA to ensure the completion of the Nankese CHPS Compound and lobbied for the upgrading of Brakwa and Bedum Health Centers to Polyclinics.

On-Road network, he informed the house that, Road construction from Suponso-Asikuma-Kuntanase is ongoing, Bridge construction at Ochisua is also progressing steadily and the Assembly had partnered with the Central Regional Feeder Roads to undertake reshaping of some feeder reads in the district.

Mr Edutuah-Asiaw, further stated that 43 Persons with Disabilities (PWD’s) were supported with Start-up tools, school fees and medical bills of those schooling in Sakuma township.

In finance, he said, financing is the lifeblood of every organization, with regard, to the DACF, Internal Generated Fund (IGF) and Donor Funds were its main sources of revenue in the first quarter of this year the assembly received approximately an amount of GHc451,819,00.00 as its Common Fund allocation.

On IGF, the assembly estimated GHc564, 420.00 as its IGF to be collected at the end of the 2022 financial year and added that, at the end of 2022 first quarter they were able to collect a total of GHc84, 804, and 00.00 representing 14.67 per cent of the projected revenue, he stated.

The collection of the IGF is not encouraging, however, measures including, meetings with revenue collectors, strengthening the Internal Control System and formation of a revenue Task Force, have been put in place to boost the IGF.

Earlier in the day, Madam Eunice A. Apaliwen, AOB District Magistrate led Mr Frank Edu the newly elected Presiding Member of the Assembly, to take the official Oath of Service, Secrecy and further swore him in.

Mr Edu in his acceptance speech thanked his colleagues for the trust reposed in him and promised not to abuse that confidence reposed in him.