Don’t use DRIP equipment for illegal mining – A/R Minister

• Mr Seth Acheampong, (middle) cutting the tape
to commission and hand over vehicles and machinery
to the district assemblies in the Eastern Region

The Ashanti and Eastern Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs) have distributed road improvement equipment to their respective assemblies (MMDA) in line with the District Road Improvement Project (DRIP).

This initiative, launched by the President, aims to enhance road infrastructure across the region, thereby increasing accessibility, fostering economic growth, creating employment opportunities, and improving the livelihoods of citizens.

KINGSLEY E. HOPE reports fromKumasi that the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, warned Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) against misusing equipment,especially for activities such as illegal mining.

“Wherever you take them, you will be exposed and held accountable,” he said at the handing over of the DRIP on Friday.

A total of 435 various pieces of equipment, including backhoes, tipper trucks, motor graders, tractors, and water tankers were distributed to districts across the region.

Mr Osei- Mensah urged the MMDCEs to use the equipment responsibly toboost the region’s competitiveness, and improve employment, noting that local artisans would handle the equipment repairs.

He expressed gratitude to JA Plant Pool and the Jospong Group for their collaboration on the project.

The MCE of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Mr Samuel Pyne, commended the government for its efforts to improve road networks in the country.

The Chief of Asante Asiakwa and Chairman of the occasion, Obrempong Asiakwa Agyeman Agyei, expressed appreciation for the project and urged district leaders to ensure the effective use of the equipment provided.

He called for strict supervision in order to ensure the equipment’s efficient use, and underscored the project’s importance in transforming the Ashanti Region’s road network.

“Today marks a significant event in the transformation of our road network,” he stress, praising the efforts of the regional minister and the government.

In an interview, the New Patriotic Party’s Parliamentary Candidate for Sekyere Afram Plains, George Akom, indicated thatthe DRIP project aligns with the government’s commitment to improving road infrastructure and promoting economic development in rural areas.

The Human Resource Manager of the Jospong Group, Ms Ruth Juwena Bentie, stated that the group would also ensure strict supervision and maintenance of the equipment to improve the region’s infrastructure and economy.

From Koforidua, AMA TEKYIWAA AMPADU AGYEMAN, reports that the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Seth Kwame Acheampong, has handed over the equipment to all 33 municipal and district assemblies in the Region

The equipment included motor graders, bulldozers, backhoes, and tipper trucks, which will be essential for road construction and maintenance projects within the various municipalities and districts.

Mr Acheampong emphasised the importance of roads as the “lifeblood of communities,” connecting towns and villages and facilitating the movement of goods and services.

He expressed confidence that the provision of these vehicles and machinery would empower municipal and district assemblies to improve and maintain their road networks effectively.

He called on them to engage with local communities to identify and prioritise road projects that would have the most significant positive impact.

The Chief Corporate Communications Officer for the Jospong Group of Companies and a representative of JA Plantpool, the service provider for the initiative, Sophia Kudjordji, pledged her company’s commitment to partnering with the government to ensure the success and sustainability of the DRIP.