Manya Krobo Traditional Council Institutes Covid-19 Emergency Fund, Inaugurates Fund Management Committee
The Paramount Chief for the people of Manya Krobo traditional area on Tuesday, April 21, 2020, announced the establishment of Covid-19 Fund dubbed “Manya Krobo Covid-19 Emergency Fund to complement the effort of the Manya Krobo Assemblies in the fight of the deadly coronavirus.
Nene Sakite II has also inaugurated a 12 member Fund Management Committee in a short ceremony held at the Zimmeman Presbyterian Conference Hall in Odumase.
The Fund which will be Co-Chaired by Nene Kwesi Detse I and Manye Angmorkuor Yoko I, Development Chief and Queen mother respectively, is to solicit and receive public donations to support the contingency needs of the frontline officers in the Covid-19 fight in the Krobo state.
Other members of the committee who were carefully selected from various professions within the two districts include Godfred Caesar, Nene Asada Ahor, Manye Narkie Gomeh, Michael Kwame, Salasi Etsra, Rose Lawer, Ebenezer Kwesi, Naomi Hagan, Hon Felix Odjao Nartey and Emmanuel Kwesi Tetteh also known as Lela Images.
Fund Management Committee Members
The Committee is tasked to coordinate the collection, management and distribution of donated items. It will also fast track social media and electronic communication plans to embark quick and easy access to current information, updates and details for donation and distribution.
Having established the fund’s account with the Manya Krobo Rural Bank, the committee will soon open another account with Upper Manya Klo Rural Bank in Asesewa for the people who will be willing to donate from Upper Manya Krobo District.
The fund will be used to resource health facilities with supplies and equipment and promote desired citizenry behaviours required to overcome the spread of the virus.
It will also prepare education materials in the local language of the area to strengthen dissemination of information on covid-19.
At the launch, His Royal Majesty Sakite II noted that, in the short term, about GHS1.2 million is needed to procure Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs) for the four Government Hospitals in the Krobo state.
There are four government hospitals in both Upper and Lower Manya Krobo districts. Asesewa, Atua and Akuse Government Hospital and Agormanya St. Martins De Porres Hospital, a Catholic hospital in Lower Manya Krobo.
The fund which will cover the covid-19 related needs of the police activities in the districts, was launched with GHS50, 000 from the traditional council.
“The traditional council has committed to contributing a minimum of 50,000 Ghana Cedis for the fund,” Nene Sakite II said.
However, “we have made an initial donation of 22,000 Ghana Cedis into the fund as part of this overall commitment,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Railway Minister, Hon Joe Ghartey, through the Deputy Eastern Region Minister donated GHS5, 000 as his widow’s mite to the fund.
Transparency And Accountability
According to the overlord of the land who chaired the launching and inauguration ceremony, Nene Sakite II, assured the public that there was going to be transparency and accountability thus the need for the public to contribute to the fund.
On his part, Nene Detse Kwesi I, Development chief and co-chair of the Fund Management Committee said, “the administration of the fund will be transparent. We will be accountable. There will be a public financial update every two weeks so that the public will be apprised of how the fund and resources have been obtained, how much is in the account and how we have disbursed donations.”
Previous Efforts
Since the outbreak of the pandemic coronavirus, a number of national and community specific measures have been announced to arrest the situation.
While leadership of Manya Krobo continues to admonish their citizens to adhere to the president’s directive of banned on social gathering, church services and social distancing, they have also advanced the protocol by restricting the operations and activities of markets in the area.
Lower Manya Krobo Municipal Assembly has earlier announced and restricted that only food commodity sellers were going to be allowed to do business on the Agormanya market for two weeks. It has also banned children under 15 years from the market for the same period.
In a related development, a sister district Upper Manya Krobo has in a short while announced similar modalities.
Source: ritefmonline.org/Rite 90.1 FM
