Wa West and Nandom DCEs Address Town Meetings The Wa West and Nandom District Assemblies in the Upper West Region are working around the clock implementing policies and programs to further enhance socio-economic life of the people through a number of interventions. The DCEs for Wa West and Nandom, Messrs Edward Laabiir Sabo and Thaddeus Arkum Aasoglenang in town hall meetings in their respective District capitals, Wechiauand Nandom outlined a number of projects completed as well as those being rolled-out for the benefit of the people. GBC's Correspondent, Emmanuel Mensah-Abludo says a mixed bag of issues ranging from agriculture, health, education, social protection, road construction to water and sanitation came up in the presentationsat the sessions to account to the people. The Upper West Regional Director of Information Services Department (ISD), Issifu Bennin who led his officers, set the tone for the Wechiau and Nandom meetings and equally moderated the open forums to the admiration of the participants. The Information Officer for Jirapa Municipality, Joseph Dassah Kontomah and his colleague from the Sissala West District, Mustapha Nuhu made presentations on government policies and programs. The DCE for Wa West, Edward Laabiir Sabo shed light on efforts to cultivate two thousand acres of cashew. Under the "Planting for Food" and Export Promotion, the Assembly supported the establishment of a nursery for cashew seedlings for the cultivation of two thousand acres the district. Eighty thousand cashew seedlings nursed are ready for grafting and distribution to registered farmers in Wa West. The DCE acknowledged the efforts of the World Food Programme in providing fish ponds to the people of Gbeche for community fish farming as well as rehabilitating dams and dug-outs for dry season vegetable cultivation for export and local consumption. Mr. Laabiir Sabo said the Assembly also disbursed 120 thousand 800 Ghana Cedis to 148 persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the District. About 25 feeder roads have been reshaped or graveled to improve transportation and road network in Wa West. They include, Dorimon-Jambusi, Wechiau-Talawona, Kandeu-Gurungu and Nyagli-Salamana roads. The Wa West District has made strides in water and sanitation by attaining rural watercoverage of about 65 per cent. Some participants at the Wechiau forum asked government to re-double its efforts in the actualization of the One-Village-One-Dam promise. The DCE for Nandom, Thaddeus Arkum Aasoglenang announced that by the kind courtesy of the chiefs of Kambaa, Dondometeng, Puffien and Segru the Assembly has established land banks to enable the District to host some of government’s flagship programs through partnership with private investors. The sizes of the lands are: Kambaa-46 acres, Dondometeng-58 acres, Puffien-46 acres and two plots at Segru. The DCE indicated that the land at Segru will be used for the construction of a health centre. Mr Aasoglenang said Under the One-Village-One-Dam initiative; ten sites have been selected and surveyed in the Nandom District. They are Tom-Zendaagagn, Tobogru, Betaglu, Bulengagn, Goziir, Sonne,Bezum, Bu, Puffien and Payaan. In furtherance of developing small and microscale businesses, the Nandom District Assembly has trained 241 people in sheabutter and groundnut processing, batik tie and dye, cosmetics and bleach production, general business management as well as poultry farming whilst 150 people have been given business counseling. On health, Mr. Aasoglenang stated that the Assembly is continuing the construction of the Nandom orthopedic wardand had also supported the local National Ambulance Service with funds to repairtheir Ambulance. On the issue of social protection, one million, 842 thousand, 290 Ghana Cedis had been given to two thousand, 916 beneficiaries in nine LEAP payments with 110 thousand 750 Ghana Cedis from the disability fund going to484 PWDs. The DCE told the meeting that in August 2017, the Assembly injected30 thousand Ghana Cedis into the Nandom Town Water System to get it running as expected adding that now the water system is under the management of Community Water Sanitation Agency. Story by Emmanuel Mensah-Abludo GBCONLINE ---DECRYPTED---