A/R: Bekwai Feyiase residents threaten to boycott elections over lack of projects

Residents of Bekwai-Feyiase in the Bekwai municipality of the Ashanti region are lamenting that successive governments have neglected the development of the area.

They complained about the lack of access to electricity and healthcare.

Another major challenge they have been calling on the government to help address is the road network in the area.

Speaking to Citi News, the residents said their road becomes very muddy during the raining season and very dusty in the dry season.

According to them, when it rains, their road floods for about a week which make it difficult for others to drive and buy their farm produce from the residents who are predominantly farmers.

Access to education is also a challenge as the only school in the area is only up to primary 6.

When they complete primary six the students walk to nearby towns for Junior high School education.

According to the acting chief of the area, Nana Osei Tutu, the only school in the area which was built by the residents in 1975 has not been renovated since it was first constructed and its roofing sheets have become very weak.

He says teachers and students are forced to move out of the classroom when it rains.

They have also been advocating for toilet facilities to be built for them.

“In this community, we are predominantly farmers so in that case our farm produce get destroyed. We don’t have electricity. We are appealing to the government to help address our concerns. Our school was built in 1975 by residents of this community, and since then, it has not seen any renovation as the roofing sheets are weak.”

“When it rains, teachers and students are forced to move out. Communities from Bekwai-Feyaise to Bekwai have some schools under trees. We are pleading with the MP to forward our grievances to the government. We don’t have proper toilet facilities. We are pleading with the government to provide us with modern toilet facilities.”

Opanin Yaw Boakye, an opinion leader in the community says government officials have on several occasions failed to fulfil promises of providing them with social amenities.

He says the people are frustrated following successive governments’ inability to address their concerns.

He told Citi News that the people have been considering boycotting future elections.

“Successive governments have not embarked on developmental projects in this community. We don’t get to benefit from voting for them, but we keep voting. They always promise to provide various infrastructural projects and amenities but they don’t. We are considering boycotting elections.”

Citi News checks revealed that the situation is similar in neighbouring communities such as Kyekyewere, Brosankro and Asanso all in the Bekwai District.

School secretary of the Feyiase SDA primary school, Owusu Mensah Dennis says the school does not have enough classroom blocks, and as a result, they are forced to use a church as a classroom.

Farming is the major activity in the area, but the residents say the poor nature of the road does not help to attract clients from other areas to buy their farm produce.

Operators of a local palm oil processing factory say they have not been getting more customers as a result of the poor nature of their roads.

“Because of the poor nature of our roads, we don’t get potential buyers. This makes our work very difficult,” GIfty Owusu, a farmer in the community revealed to Citi News.

According to Agyapong Boateng Seth, final year political studies student at KNUST, life in the community has been very challenging for the people.

He says the residents hardly attain greater heights.

Agyapong says had it not been his decision to farm to take care of tuition fees and the intervention of Nectar of Hope for Children, an NGO that has been embarking on some development projects in the region, he could have dropped out of school since poverty in the area is endemic and as a result, his parents could not have seen him through school successfully.

The residents say the activities of Nectar of Hope for Children have resulted in the provision of solar plants and award of scholarships for the people.

The leader of the NGO, Abdul-Rahman Ibrahim believes support from government and private agencies could help address the many challenges that some deprived communities in Ghana have been facing.

The Member of Parliament for the area who doubles as the first Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei Owusu has disclosed to Citi News that steps are being taken to construct the road in the area.

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By: citinewsroom.com