The Construction of the Kwame Nkrumah PTC roundabout interchange and the dualization of Sekondi roads have been identified as priority projects of the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) under its 2022 -2025 development plan.

Other key projects include, the redevelopment of Takoradi and the reconstruction of the Sekondi market,construction of a modern multi-storey car park, recreational and water parks and craft village and other durbar grounds.

The rest are the construction of affordable houses, artisans' village with modern garages, modern fish market and rehabilitation of the Regional Centre for National Culture.

Mr Sampson Adjei Acheampong, Metropolitan Development Planning Officer who made this known during a public hearing said the implementation of the development plan would cost about GHS 4 billion.

He said the assembly would raise the amount through its internally generated funds, the District Assembly Common Fund, development partners and Public Private Partnerships.

The public hearing, offered the opportunity for stakeholders to make the necessary inputs into the plan for a final draft to be submitted to the Regional Coordinating Council for onward submission to the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC).

The National Development Planning Act 1994 (Act 480) enjoined assemblies to prepare medium-term development plans spanning a period of four years.

The STMA's four-year growth plan was aimed at improving on the quality of life and reducing poverty in the Metropolis through building a private -partnership environment and creating equal opportunities for all.

Mr Acheampong said the Assembly in its medium-term would partner the World University Service of Canada to implement a project dubbed "Innovation in Non-Traditional Vocational Education and Skills Training (INVEST)" for urban poor women aged between 18 and 35 years.

He said the project would help build sustainable pathways to enhance economic empowerment, wellbeing and inclusive growth for at least 1,500 young women in the Metropolis.

He added that while the "INVEST" project would support the promotion of young women into a wide range of non-traditional TVET training programmes, high demand trades and occupations such as automotive mechanic, automotive electrical, welding and fabrication technology, electronics, electrical installation and computer hardware, coding networking had also been identified as interest areas.

Mr Abdul Mumin Issah, the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) said about 36 communities were engaged in a community needs assessment to ascertain their urgent developmental needs.

According to him, such engagements were necessary since the draft could only be approved by the General Assembly after a public hearing.

He was confident that the development plan would go a long way to improve on the quality of life of the people of the Metropolis, reduce poverty and create opportunities for all.

"As a Metropolis, we have no doubts whatsoever that the judicious use of resources, timely implementation of development strategies, effective monitoring and evaluation will guide us towards our desired development level," he said.

Touching on other initiatives the assembly was pursuing, the MCE said the assembly was partnering with the Citywide Settlement Upgrading Fund and other WASH CSOs to construct 5,000 household toilet facilities in deprived communities.

He mentioned the Metro wide tree planting and nurturing exercise, review and update of the assembly's drainage master plan, building capacity of staff to assess the Global Climate Change Funds and partnership with NGOs as well as CSOs in climate resilience advocacy and activity implementations as some climate change interventions the assembly was embarking on.

Others were the promotion of urban agriculture through climate smart technologies, preservation of wetlands and the promotion of green building.