The New Juaben Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Alex Asamoah, has said the Better Ghana Agenda is not a mere rhetoric but has provided better living conditions for many people.
He said the considering the number of projects that had been initiated by the Assembly since its inception in 2009, the Better Ghana Agenda was on course and had proved wrong, people who thought it was only a slogan.
He said government had demonstrated its commitment for the betterment of the people and the New Juaben Assembly had not been an exception saying it would continue to focus its attention on development for the benefit of the people.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Koforidua during an ordinary assembly meeting, Mr Asamoah said the Assembly had initiated 69 developmental projects in the areas of health, education and commerce through the construction of market stalls and offices which had boosted business activities in the area.
He said the Assembly in its bid to develop the area for the people had ensured that contractors who had completed their projects were paid on time and that contractors being owed were those whose projects were ongoing.
On education, he said the Assembly provided each Senior High School (SHS) in the Municipality with an expansion project such as dormitory blocks or classroom blocks to accommodate the four-year SHS.
He said Koforidua SHS, Koforidua Secondary Technical, New Juaben Secondary Technical, Ghana Secondary and Oyoko Methodist were those who benefited from the program.
Mr Asamoah said new classroom blocks were also constructed for many basic schools in the Municipality as well as the provision of four-unit teachers’ quarters at Jumapo and some other communities.
He said the Assembly had constructed a modern health centre facility at Oyoko to replace an old facility, converted the Reproductive and Child Health Clinic (RCH) in Koforidua to a fully operating Polyclinic with staff bungalows.
Others achievements, he said, in the health sector were the construction of 4-unit nurse’s bungalows at separate locations in the municipality and three Comprehensive Health Provision Services (CHPS) compound to ensure access to quality health care.
Mr Asamoah said the construction of three two block storey consisting of 114 stores and offices at vantage points was to give people the avenue to do their businesses culminating in the establishment of private banks in Koforidua.
On revenue, he said, the Assembly had received a total revenue of GH¢ 4,304,603.16 as at September this year out of an expected revenue of GH¢ 8,395,342 and attributed the shortfall to expected revenue from the Common Fund, District Development Fund (DDF) and the Assembly’s newly constructed stores and offices.
By the same margin, he said, the Assembly's total expenditure as at September stood at GH¢ 4, 633.17 out of projected expenditure of GH¢ 8, 156,000.45 saying the expenditure had been restricted due to the limited revenue received so far.