Cocoa farmers and residents of Akyekyere in the Amenfi Central district of the Western Region have expressed appreciation to the Cocoa Abrabopa Association (CAA) for assisting them with a mechanised borehole and a new water tank.
As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, the Cocoa Abrabopa Community Development Project committee, with support from management, selected Akyekyere as one of the beneficiary communities for the gesture.
The Association revealed that they have constructed 25 mechanised boreholes across all the 10 cocoa-growing regions in Ghana: namely the Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Western North, Western, Volta and Oti Regions.
The Council Chairman of CAA, Ismail Pomasi, said the association feels fulfilled to have made potable water accessible to about 40,000 inhabitants in cocoa-growing communities, including Akyekyere community.
At a ceremony to commission the boreholes, he indicated that the funding for all 25 mechanised boreholes is from internally generated funds. “Five percent 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 community members the need to contribute a token for every bucket of water fetched for maintenance of the mechanised boreholes, and urged 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 organisations to partner CAA in providing Community Development Projects at larger scale in cocoa-growing regions of Ghana, aimed at improving the livelihoods of farmers – which is in line with the CAA’s vision.
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 mechanised boreholes.
According to him: “Community committees made up of local CAA farmers, traditional authorities, 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 will be to make sure that this beautiful mechanised water borehole provided by CAA is regularly maintained, and all electricity bills are paid promptly,” he said.
The District Coordinating Director for Amenfi Central, Emmanuel Boateng, emphasised that sustainability of this mechanised borehole is very important, and if managed well it will go a long way to help the community in this era of 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’s important we use the available resources we have been given judiciously, and work toward maintaining them,” he said.
