<<Print>>

Thirty-four communities in the Asene-Manso-Akroso District in the Eastern Region have been connected to the national grid under a Rural Electrification Project (REP).

The beneficiary communities are Onomabo, Suponso, Osenho, Otaapro and Adukrom.

Others are Mante, Takorase, Nyame Nti, Ahiafo, Ahodwo Aworoso and Mfante.

The rest are Nkawkaw, Mmofram, Tabita, Osenho, Botwe, Small London and Kwamena and others.

The project is part of a $90million contract the government awarded to a Chinese contractor, China International Water and Electricity Corporation, last year to connect power to 300 communities in the region.

Inauguration

The projects were inaugurated at separate functions.

Last Friday at Onomabo, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Asene-Manso-Akroso, Mr George Aboagye, said the government was working towards extending power to the remaining 22 communities in the district.

He appealed to investors to set up cottage industries to create jobs to improve lives.

Mr Aboagye, however, advised the people not to default in the payment of their electricity tariffs as that would deprive other communities of getting electricity.

He enjoined schoolchildren to take advantage of the availability of electricity to study hard to enable them to become responsible future leaders.

The MP claimed that originally, most of the beneficiary communities were scheduled to be connected to electricity in 2022 but he had to lobby to get that done this year.

He said electrification of the communities was in fulfilment of his campaign promise, as well as that of the NPP.

Illegal connection

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Asene-Manso-Akroso, Mr Alex Inkoom, warned the people against illegal connection of power as that practice could land them in trouble.

Mr Inkoom also gave an assurance that efforts were being made to fix some bad roads in the area, especially the one linking Suponso with Atiankama Nkwanta which, he said, would be tarred under a cocoa roads project this year.

The MP and the DCE donated some bulbs to light up the streets to the communities.

Advice

The Eastern Regional Marketing Officer of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Mr Abraham Lincoln Damtse, advised the people against farming near electricity poles or under the power lines, since the practice was a threat to life and property.

He also cautioned against touching electric poles and cable wires, since that was also dangerous.

Mr Damtse urged them to use electricity responsibly to ensure value for money.