Cocoa farmers and Residents of Akyekyere in the Amenfi Central District of Western Region of Ghana are all praising Cocoa Abrabopa Association (CAA) for assisting them with a mechanized borehole and a new water tank.
As part of their Corporate Social Responsibility, the Cocoa Abrabopa Community Development Project committee with the support of management selected Akyekyere as one of the beneficiary communities for this mechanized borehole.
The Association revealed that they have constructed 25 mechanized boreholes across all the 10 cocoa growing regions in Ghana namely Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Western North, Western, Volta, and Oti regions.
According to the Council Chairman of CAA, Mr. Ismail Pomasi, they are fulfilled to have made portable water accessible to about 40,000 inhabitants in cocoa-growing communities including the Akyekyere community.
At a ceremony to commission the mechanised boreholes, the Council Chairman indicated that funding for all the 25 mechanised boreholes was from internal sources.
“5% of member’s premiums are transferred into the community development project fund, and that is what we are using for our community development projects,” he said.
Mr. Pomasi reiterated to the community members the need to contribute a token for every bucket of water fetched for the maintenance of the mechanized boreholes and urged the community members to take good care of the borehole so as to derive long-term benefits.
He also used the occasion to invite local and international organizations to partner with CAA to provide Community Development Projects at a larger scale in cocoa-growing regions in Ghana aimed at improving the livelihoods of farmers which is in line with the vision of the CAA
Nana Okofo Asafo Adjei II Chief of Akyekyere in the Amenfi Central District of the Western Region and the chairman for the occasion supported the idea that each household must be encouraged to contribute a token for maintenance of the mechanized boreholes.
The community committees made up of local traditional authorities, CAA farmers, community members, and the local district assembly should be established as a means of increasing the representation and participation of residents in the decision-making process. Their mandate is to make sure that this beautiful mechanized water borehole provided by CAA will be regularly maintained and all electricity bills are paid promptly” he said.
The District Coordinating Director for Amenfi Central Mr. Emmanuel Boateng emphasized that the sustainability of this mechanized borehole is very important and if managed well, would go a long way to help the community in this era of the water crisis.
“Sustainable development encourages us to conserve and enhance our resource base, by gradually changing the ways in which we develop and use technologies. Communities must be helped to meet their basic needs of employment, food, energy, water, and sanitation”.
It is important we use the available resources we have been given judiciously and work towards maintaining it” he said.
