The premix committee in charge of Bantuma, Ahona and Denkyira, all suburbs of Elmina in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) municipality has provided 50 electrical poles worth GH¢ 16,000 to the chiefs and elders of Bantuma to embark on street lights project in the area.
Presenting the poles to the community, the Chief Fisherman of the area, Nana Kwaku Eduafo Simons, said members of the premix committee had a meeting to deliberate on what to do with the profits they have accrued from the sale of premix fuel and came to the conclusion to provide the community with the poles since there were no street lights in the area.
Mrs Benyiwa Doe (middle) with the miniature canoe. With her is the deputy Minister of Fisheries, Nii Namualey (right) and Mrs Essuman-Nelson, MCE of KEEA (left)
Nana Simons appealed to the people to remain united and support the committee and the government in power to be able to assist them with their needs.
The Central Regional Minister, Mrs Ama Benyiwa Doe, explained to the fishermen that government entrusted the sale of premix fuel into their hands directly to give them the power to be part of the governance process, and advised them not to abuse the authority given them but manage the fuel well to check corruption.
She commended the premix committee for their initiative saying their gesture would help reduce the burden on government in the provision of such amenities.
She charged the committee to make good decisions with the profits they make to help their community develop.
Mrs Doe warned metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives not to tamper with premix money and leave it to be solely managed by the fishermen themselves.
She also advised the people to stay united and think about the welfare of the community to help the country develop. This, she said, will be their contribution to the development of the country.
The regional minister urged the fishermen to send their wards to school to enable them put to good use the knowledge they will acquire to develop the fishing industry.
The deputy Minister of Fisheries, Nii Amasa Namualey, also commended the committee for putting the profit to good use and assured them of government’s commitment to improve the industry.
A member of the National Premix Committee, Mr Kojo Mbir, noted that premix was a social product and not an economic product indicating that was why the product has been given to the fishermen to manage and not private individuals.
This, Mr Mbir stressed, was to enable the fishermen who are familiar with the situation in their various communities to be able to provide the needed facilities for their communities with the profit from the sale of the fuel.
He admonished people to stop blaming the national committee for every problem associated to the fuel since those at the local level have a firmer grip on the sale of the fuel than those of them at the national level.
The Municipal Chief Executive of KEEA, Rev Mrs Veronica Essuman Nelson, appealed to the people to throw their support behind the committee to enable them carry out their functions effectively.
The fishermen also presented a miniature canoe with President Mills’ fishing name which was given to him by the fishermen sometime ago, ‘President Fernyi Kwaigya Atta Mills’ embossed on it.
STORY: FROM MAGDALENE SEY, ELMINA
