MORE SLUMS EMERGE IN TEMA…as MCE expresses worry over situation

The Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Robert Kempes Ofosuware, last Wednesday held an interactive meeting with members of the Tema branch of the Old Students Association of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) otherwise known as TEKNOCRATS.

The TMA boss outlined his vision for the Harbour City, and went further to delineate some of the challenges confronting the Assembly in the administration of the metropolis, during what the organisers described as a 'Mini Town Hall Meeting'.

Mr. Ofosuware hinted that some areas of the metropolis were fast developing into shanty towns, due to the influx of people into the city and its environs.

The Tema Mayor disclosed that a chunk of the population in the country's most well-planned city, were living in abject poverty, saying, “About 44% of households in the metropolis consider themselves as poor, or very poor.

“Sixty percent of the rural respondents, compared to 42% of the urban respondents, also consider themselves to be poor, or very poor, while the rural households are endowed in terms of socio-economic infrastructure and basic utilities.”

Continuing, Mr. Ofosuware noted that as a result of the population explosion in the metropolis, lands that were used for agricultural purposes had been lost to housing development.

He said because the vegetation cover in the city had been reduced, due to the creation of new housing estates, the livelihood of farmers in the metropolis had been affected, and a number of streams and rivers dried up as a result of pollution and poor rains.

Touching on environmental challenges, the MCE mentioned general indiscipline, which includes squatting and unauthorised dwellings, dumping of debris along roadsides and frontage of houses, and worsening sanitation, as other challenges confronting the assembly.

“Abandoning broken down vehicles or equipment along roads, the indiscriminate felling of decorative trees along major roads, heightened personal security, and apathy on the part of the citizenry, were other problems affecting the assembly.

“As the city authority, budgetary constraints and supervision challenges has occasioned a gradual decay of basic infrastructure, weedy roadsides, and neglect of open spaces, poor sanitation, and irregular refuse collection regime, coupled with an unreliable sewerage system, has created mistrust of authority,” he stressed.

Speaking on the theme “My Vision for Tema, Challenges Ahead”, Mr. Ofosuware called on residents of Tema to help clear the mess created over the years, and restore Tema to its beautiful status.

This, when done, according to him, would help chart a new structural course “devoid of adhocism and indiscipline in our facets of all existence.”

According to the MCE, he had plans to provide playgrounds and recreational centers in the metropolis, upgrade the Tema Sports Stadium to a 10,000 seating capacity facility, restore pavements and walkways, fix streetlights, poor road networks and replicate the government's Town Hall Meeting concept in the metropolis.

He hinted that plans were afoot to launch another strand of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), to help create more job opportunities for the teeming unemployed youth in the metropolis.

He said the assembly was in serious discussions with the central government to ensure that some monies were raised to fix the problem of the central sewerage system, which breaks down very often in the metropolis.

He called on residents of Tema, including stakeholders, opinion leaders, technocrats, corporate bodies, and indeed, every resident, to come on board the development boat to help restore Tema to its past glory.