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The three important planning documents under review, he said include the zoning guidelines and planning standards, the manual for the preparation of spatial planning and the new planning model to guide spatial planning practice in the country published under the Town and Country Planning Department in 2011.

These, he mentioned was guided by the town and country planning ordinance Act 1945 (CAP 84) and the Local Government Act, 1993 (Act 462) which have been repealed following the enactment of the land used and spatial planning Act 2016 (Act 925) and Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936); hence the need to review the documents to align with the current Land Use and Spatial Planning legislation to make them more relevant.

Rev. Owoo indicated that the review of the documents will give opportunity to update the spatial planning documents with current standards and development trends by the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA) and other stakeholders.

The ORCC, he added is mandated to provide for sustainable development of land and human settlements through a decentralized planning system to ensure judicious use of land in order to create an enabling environment for District Assemblies to better perform the spatial planning and human settlements management functions within the Region.

This, he noted the Regional Spatial Planning Committee was inaugurated and set into motion on 20th August 2020, this was followed by the inauguration of all the District Spatial Planning Committees in October 2020.

He lamented the inability of the Regional Spatial Planning Committee to meet regularly due to financial challenges but had chocked significant successes.   “These include; the preparation of a Local Plan on a 250 acres land donated by the chiefs during the inauguration of this region. Major infrastructural developments are ongoing there under guides of this plan,” he noted.

“It is also worth noting that under the direction of the Regional LUSPA, the RSPC had been able to prepare a draft Structure Plan (SP) for Jasikan, Biakoye, Krachi East, and Nkwanta South. Plans are also under way to replicate it in the remaining five Districts. A proposal has also been done to prepare the regional Spatial Development Framework (SDF) by December 2025,” he said.

For his part, GIZ technical advisor for PAIRED programme, Robert Obenyah, believes the technical workshop marks a significant step toward achieving collective goals thus, providing a platform for knowledge exchange, and innovative solutions that will drive the refinement of our spatial planning systems.

“PAIReD cooperates with public institutions at the national level as well as 60 MMDAs across all 16 regions of Ghana to employ good governance principles that contribute to sustainable development as well as create an environment that improves the lives of Ghanaians,” he stated.

PAIReD works in five areas of intervention by improving the domestic revenue system, strengthening expenditure management according to development plans, fostering land-use planning, fighting corruption and illicit financial flows and strengthening capacities of media and civil society for accountability.

“By working together, we can address the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, ensuring that our spatial planning frameworks are not only effective but also resilient and adaptable,” he said

GIZ PAIReD,he said stands firmly committed to supporting the revision process that serves the interest of the state actors represented here, who depend on these documents to provide services to the citizenry. “We believe that through open dialogue, knowledge exchange, and collaborative effort, we can ensure that Ghana’s spatial planning framework continues to propel the nation towards a sustainable and prosperous future,” he noted.

He encouraged all security personnel present to reflect on the significance of peace and stability to the development of our dear nation and offer prayers for its sustenance.

The Honorable Minister reminded officers and men of the security services that their duty is to ensure that all Ghanaians—regardless of political affiliation—exercise their democratic rights in an environment that is peaceful, safe, and free from intimidation.

Commanding Officer (CO), 66 Artillery Regiment (66 Arty Regt) – Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) Jalali Din Ibrahim, mentioned that the gathering signified the Security Services’ collective commitment to ensuring peace, unity and stability in the country.

He made the statement when addressing the audience during the regional launch of the DRIP initiative in Dambai, the capital of the region.

“The programme is expected to create direct jobs, stimulate local economic development and reduce post-harvest losses since farmers will have improved roads to transport their farm produce to the market and improve general service delivery across the country,” he said.

Distribution

Mr Machator mentioned that under the DRIP initiative, every Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies within the region will receive equipment such as Shackman Dump truck, Backhoe, Concrete Mixer, Roller, Bulldozer and Motor Grader among others.

The equipment, he said were procured by the government in collaboration with J. A Plant Pool to improve the road network across the country.

This, he said J A Plant Pool is expected to play a key role in providing maintenance support to the Assemblies unlike other models in the past.

Accountability

“To ensure there is efficiency and value for money for the MDAs in particular and the state as a whole, every MDA is required to submit a management committee for the equipment to eliminate completely the misuse of the machines. I would like to urge all traditional leaders to take keen interest in what happens to these machines,” he stated.

Mr Machator charged the MDAs to ensure proper usage of the equipment for the intended purpose and demanded for a good maintenance culture by the managers or engineers of the machines across the region.

“Permit me to indicate that the DRIP is the President’s initiative with the aim of enhancing the country’s road network by decentralizing road infrastructure development to the MMDAs,” he said.

He cautioned MDCEs and other stakeholders against the use of the machines for their personal gains, adding that government will not hesitate to deal ruthlessly with the perpetrators if caught in the act.

For his part, the Oti Regional Coordinator for J. A Pool, Abdulai Safian, said the project is expected to create over 5,000 jobs nationwide for the benefit of the citizenry.

He added that the about 32 mobile service vans have been deployed across the country to provide a 24/7 maintenance for the equipment.

According to him, as part of J. A Pool’s mandate, it seek to install tracking devices on the machines to ensure its effective usage and fuel management.

Personalities present were Oti Reginal Minister, all the nine MDCEs, Regional NPP Party Executives, the Chiefs, Regional and Municipal heads of departments.

He sought prayers and the support of all traditional authorities in the performance of his duties as Minister for the Oti Region and stated his tolerance for constructive criticism and their counsel.

His team visited some ongoing and completed projects in these Assemblies to inspect the progress of work. He assured them of the government’s resolve to complete and commission most of the projects by December so they could be put to use.

Accompanying him on the tour were Hon. Janet Emefa Adibo, DCE for Guan, Mrs. Elizabeth Anim Adjornor, MCE for Jasikan, Mr Evans Yaw Dapaah, Regional Chairman for the NPP, Mr. Jonathan Akpabeh, Regional Secretary, NPP among others.

According to the Minister, although the referral health facilities in the region are far apart from each other, the advanced emergency life-support ambulance service will help provide medical care to the patients on or before treatment.

Hon. Machator opined that advanced life-support ambulance will be needed when the routine ambulances picked case from the hospital and the condition of the patient worsen while on transit.

To him, already there are some ambulances in the region and to receive the Advanced Life Support Ambulance will serve as a backup to the emergency service delivery.

“There are cases and the conditions of the cases are above the old ambulances. We have the kind of care that is supposed to be given to them. Those people could be transferred into this ambulance and then ferried or taking to the next health facility or wherever the person has been recommended to be taken,” he noted.

Hon. Machator reiterated the commitment of the President Akufo-Addo/Bawumia led government to continue to prioritise health and the general well-being of the citizenry.

He encouraged the personnel of the ambulance service in the region to inculcate a good maintenance culture to ensure the vehicle serves its intended purpose.

“Whenever it is due for servicing, you should ensure that is actually service and whatever help or assistance that you will require, just mention to us. If it is within our means, we will do our best to help you so that the car will be kept at 100% efficiency always so that it will help in saving lives of the people of Oti region,” he stated.

For his part, Oti Regional Administration Manager and Principal Advanced Emergency Medical Technologist, Doku Joshua Amarh, said although the old ambulances were brought in by the government introduced 2020 to take care of the people but distances are far apart and there are situations whereby it picks a case, the condition of the place case will change and they will need advanced care.

The personnel, he said will be able to initiate peripheral intravenous lines in unconscious patients; maintain peripheral intravenous lines as well as initiate saline or similar locks in unconscious patients and draw peripheral blood specimens; insert an uncuffed pharyngeal airway device in the practice of airway maintenance.

This, he said will maintain during transport any intravenous medication infusions or other procedures which were initiated in a medical facility, if clear and understandable written instructions for such maintenance have been provided by the physician at the sending medical facility;

Perform electrocardiographic rhythm interpretation of ventricular fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, pulseless electrical activity, and asystole; and perform cardiac defibrillation with a manual defibrillator among other functions.

Accompanied by her management team, she paid a courtesy call to the office of the minister and sought the blessings of the Regional Coordinating Council as she embarks on a journey to bring the coveted crown to our region for the first time.

Hon. Daniel Machator pledged his unflinching support to her and promised to play an active role in ensuring her success at the pageant. He encouraged her to always endeavor to showcase the beautiful culture, market the economic potential and tourist attractions of our beloved Oti Region in all her performances.

Above are the pictures.

This marks a significant milestone in the government’s ongoing efforts to ascertain the Mineral Estimation on the Gyamlome -Wawaso Block.

It was refreshing to be taken through the exploration process on the exploration pad as His team had the opportunity to see and feel the raw ore deposits to be taken to the lab for further and necessary assessments.

The Regional Minister earlier attended a durbar of chiefs and people of Gyamlome during which He implored the exploration company to make use of the Community Liaison Committee that had been set up to promote engagement between the community, the project team, and other stakeholders.

Hon. Daniel Machator assured community members that the government would prioritize their welfare throughout the process and would only promote collaborations that would ensure the development of the community.

Above are the pictures.

Hon. Asenso also stated that plans were underway to get contractors back to the site on the Nkwanta-Dambai and the Borae-Chinderi stretches.

He mentioned that the government of President Akufo-Addo and Alhaji Dr. Bawumia has been instrumental in advancing road construction in the Oti Region and remains fully committed to doing even more to promote the general economic well-being and development of the people. The Hon. Minister Daniel Machator appealed to Hon. Asenso to fast-track those road projects to alleviate the hardships faced by commuters, reduce travel time, and boost economic activities.

She ended her speech by appealing to the constituents of Nkwanta North to vote for His Excellency  Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and Ben Nador coming 2024 general election to continue the good work the New Patriotic Party is doing.

The Nkwanta North District Health Director who received the donation in his remarks thanked Her Excellency Hajia Samira Bawumia for the donation and also lamented the poor condition of health service delivery in the district due to lack of medical supplies.

He ended his remarks by appealing to both international and local NGOs, individuals and government to help improve the current health service delivery in Nkwanta North District in their own way. 

In his address, Hon. Minister encouraged the youth to always be prepared in mind and spirit to take up the leadership mantle from the older generations. This could only see the light of day if the next generation achieved high educational standards and the right certifications that would make them fit for purpose change-makers our society needs.

He enumerated a host of infrastructural projects the government had initiated and completed and others currently ongoing in the Krachi West Municipality and the Oti Region. He asked for their continued support and prayers for the government as we work tirelessly in making Oti Region the go-to destination for investors and tourists.

He presented a handsome donation from HE. Dr. Alhaji Mahamadu Bawumia to the Association to support their activities.

The workshop was to disseminate the findings of the Ghana Statistical Service report and introduction to the GSS Stats Bank (An online platform that allows stakeholders/users to access disaggregated statistics from censuses, surveys and administrative data source) in order to enhance Local Government workers and journalists understanding and interpretation of results from Ghana’s maiden Multidimensional Poverty Index Report, which examined poverty beyond monetary deprivations.

The targeted users of the report include the Regional Planning and Coordinating Unit RPCU, Municipal Planning and Coordination Unit MPCU, Development Partners, Civil Society Organization (CSOs), the Private Sector, Research Institutions, Academia, Religious Organizations, Traditional Rulers, Media Practitioners and the general public.

Mr. Henry Loglo, Regional Director of Ghana Statistical Service in Oti, said the report provides relevant and timely data to support the implementation and monitoring of the Medium-Term National Development Policy Framework (MTNDPF) 2022-2025.

Speaking at the event, he said the disaggregated statistics will support monitoring of progress towards several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Mr Loglo took the participants through provision of targeted interventions for the allocation of resources, monitoring and evaluating Local government development programs by enhancing their effectiveness, tracking of trends in multidimensional poverty over time, assessing progress across a range of interlinked Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targeted at the sub-national level in line with national development frameworks.

He expressed appreciation to the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development (MLGDRD), and all Municipal and District Assemblies for their cooperation and support which contributed to the successful completion of the report.

Mr Loglo thanked expertise and resources provided by the World Bank through the Harmonizing and improving Statistics in West Africa Project (HISWAP).

Mr Prince Latif Oyekunle, Assistant Director 1, of the Oti Regional Coordinating Council (ORCC) in his remark said the training has been very insightful for the participants.

He again expressed satisfaction and look forward to more programs to disseminate key findings of similar report.

Deputy Superintendent of prison (DSP), Mr Daniel Machator (Rtd), the Oti Regional minister emphasized that developing an MPI report helps countries to complement monetary poverty statistics, track poverty over time and strategically develop policies to target marginalized regions, districts, groups and households.

With all the development efforts the Government was putting in place, if the environment and the green cover was depleted, no meaningful progress would have been made.

He acknowledged the ravaging impacts of climate change on the earth with the environmental challenges that threatened humanity.

The Minister led a team from the Regional Coordinating Council to plant trees at Kwame-Akura Basic School, Oti Senior High Technical School, English and Arabic Basic School, Dambai Health Centre, Dambai College of Education Demonstration School, Wankayaw Basic School and Lakeside Basic School.

Mr Machator called on Ghanaians to rise to the occasion to plant more trees and nurture them to grow to support the nation’s aggressive drive for afforestation and reforestation for sustainable environment and social development.

Mr John Adu-Boffour, the Municipal Forestry Officer, reiterated the need to plant more trees to save the environment from the adverse impact of climate change.

She said management and staff of ECG were committed to ensuring excellent customer service delivery to their clients and would work assiduously to achieve their corporate goals.

Deputy Superintendent of Prison (DSP), Daniel Machator (Rtd), the Oti Regional Minister welcomed the team from ECG and commended them for their warm gesture.

He said citizens had over the years enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with the nation’s power suplyers and expected continuous collaboration.

Mr Machator assured residents that the Regional Coordinating Council (ORCC) was working with the ECG over the current light bills, adding their intervention would remedy the situation.

He added that, ORCC would demonstrate its clearest indication to give up their support in the hope of bringing efficiency in ECG’s operations in the Oti region.

The Regional Manager was accompanied by management members from the Regional Head office, including Mr Godfred Awuku, Regional Engineer, Mr Solomon Adjiku, Regional Commercial manager, Mrs Veronica Larbi Mensah, Regional Materials and Transport Manager and Madam Irene Mary Odame, District Manager at Dambai.

“We recognize that effective governance is the foundation upon which successful organizations are built. Robust governance structures guide our institutions, enabling them to fulfill their mandates and serve the public interest, especially in the areas of accountability and service delivery,” he stated.

The establishment of Audit Committees, he said, aligns with Section 86 of the Public Financial Management Act 2016 (Act 921), which requires ORCC to demonstrate commitment to upholding the highest standards of financial management, transparency, and accountability.

The committees, he indicated, would serve as the guardians of integrity, overseeing financial reporting, internal controls, risk management, and compliance within our organizations.

Mr Machator pointed out that the committees were expected to working collaboration with management, boards of directors, external auditors, and other key stakeholders.

“The Audit Committees will ensure that our efforts are aligned and synergies, driving us towards our organizational objectives,” he noted.

The work of the committees, he acknowledged, will not be without its challenges but entreated the members to explore dedication, professionalism, and a steadfast commitment to their mandate to overcome any obstacles that may arise.

“Envisioning a future where sound financial management practices underpin sustainable development, economic growth, and improved quality of life for all citizens, we aspire to be beacons of integrity, transparency, and accountability, inspiring confidence and trust in our institutions and leadership,” he said.

He further charged the ORCC Audit Committee and the Health Directorate zonal committees to work diligently with unwavering commitment to execute their mandate.

“Your success will be our success, and your contributions will help shape a better future for our region and our country,” he indicated.

Mr Machator revealed that the 2021 audit committee of the ORCC audit was adjudged the best audit committee in the RCC category for the year and commended the members for their steadfastness.

He ended his speech by calling on the staff and other stakeholders as well as committee members to work together to build a culture of accountability, transparency, and good governance.

The committees include ORCC Audit Committee chaired by Mr Richard Amoah, Worawora Govrnment Hospital zone chaired by Emmanuel Mawuli Kofi Buatsi, Jasikan Municipal Hospital zone chaired by Johnson Dzigbede, Nkwanta South Municipal Hospital zone chaired by Delanyo Datsomor and Krachi West Municipal Hospital zone chaired by Brain Senyo Kugbadzor.

Conclusively, the representative of director general for Internal Audit Agency (IAA) Mr. Haford Dowuna Hammond sworn the members of the committees in.

The Assembly members of the Krachi East Municipal Assembly (KEMA) yesterday elected the presiding member, Oklu Rockson through a conscientious vote and confirmed the nomination of the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Charles Gyemfi Boateng.

After closed of polls for the confirmation, the new MCE secured about 29 votes representing 96.6 percent as compared to a single ballot against representing 3.4 percent while the total valid votes were 30 members from various electoral areas across the Municipality.

The appointment of Mr Boateng comes after the untimely demise of the former MCE, Bernard Mensah Aborkugya last month after succeeding the late Francis Okesu who also died somewhere 2023.

An official of the Electoral Commission in the Municipality first opened nomination for the election of a Presiding member of the assembly after the Assembly members failed on several occasions to meet the threshold of electing a presiding member since the local assembly election held last year.

But yesterday, the election was conducted by a secret ballot while the Nominee who went unopposed secured a two-third majority of the assembly members from various electoral areas in the Municipality.

At the end of polls, the Presiding member acquired 28 votes representing 93.3 percent as against two no votes representing 6.7 percent of the total eligible and valid votes of 30.

Immediately after the election, the new presiding member was duly sworn an oath of alligance and the oath of office to assume his new role.

The PM elected thanked the members for reposing confidence in him and charged the members to eschew partisanship and focus on the development as well as projection of the Krachi East Municipality. 

In his acceptance remarks, the new MCE bemoaned the negative effects on governance and administrative activities in the Municipality following the demise of his predecessor.

Adding that such setbacks will now be a history hence the need to hasten slowly, as the assembly cannot at the same time afford to leg behind.

“It is our duty to improve the quality of life of the people in the municipality through the provision of essential services and creation of an enabling environment to ensure the total and sustainable development of Krachi East,” he said.

The address he noted was not intended to really introduce any programs that are different from his predecessors had pursued in the past, but there was need for the Assembly’s core business may be changed

He continued that his outfit is poised to bring team spirit and passion to drive the new Development agenda for the Krachi East Assembly.

Mr Boateng explained that the essence of decentralization is to make the downstream structures of local governance stronger in order to bring democracy and development closer to the people.

“We shall therefore ensure that, sub- committees, town councils and unit committees are adequately resourced to enable them discharge their functions efficiently and effectively,” he assured.

He underscored the need for a comprehensive needs assessment to be carried out to determine the specific areas the assembly members, the sub-committees, town-councils

Conclusively, the program ended successfully.