Ketu North strategises to eradicate extreme poverty

The Ketu North Municipal Assembly has adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with particular focus on goal one – which seeks to eradicate extreme poverty.

The initiative is to make sure that poverty was reduced before 2030 in the district with citizens living sustainable lives.

The Municipal Chief Executive, Anthony Avorgbedor, launched the initiative at Dzodze when he met the decentralised heads of departments to sell the idea to them.

According to the Chief Executive, goal number one has been adopted because once the poverty level of the people was improved; all the other goals would have bearing on the individuals.

Mr Avorgbedor explained that, with a robust working culture where each department would adopt one of the 17 goals, he was sure to achieve the overall objective.

He stated that the Assembly existed to achieve the total objective of improving the quality of lives of the people, which he said, would be done through the provision of effective and efficient socio-economic services in collaboration with other stakeholders.

Mr Avorgbedor said the initiative had been set on the back of successes chalked in the agriculture sector, where the Municipality has increased its rice and other staple production over the years.

The MCE stated that the youth had been advised to go into rice and cassava production, adding that the Assembly was ready to provide improved seeds.

To ensure that the public understand the SDGs, he said the Assembly would soon translate it into the local languages and distribute copies to the public.

Mr Avorgbedor said the Assembly would also engage schools, churches and other social gathering to educate people on the SDGs, saying that would help increase the knowledge of the public and therefore their activities should be patronised by all.

The MCE said the Municipality abounds in vast arable lands and water bodies and above all human capital; “what is missing is to change the wrong notion that, ‘all is bad here’ and that no one can make it at home.”

Mr Avorgbedor underscored the importance of the initiative, adding that one of the passions of the government was to promote the Sustainable Development Goals.

He said the Assembly had committed funds and constructed a warehouse, including pack houses under the Agricultural component of IPEP, to store crops and goods, and assured that all the modalities would soon be completed for the start of the initiative.

Mrs Cecilia Donkor, Municipal Finance Director, called for all hands on deck to improve the Internally Generated Fund (IGF) for the success of the initiative, explaining that, the Assembly could not meet its target of GH¢ 176,736 as against GH¢ 99,881.50 realised for the first quarter of 2019, attributing it to poor database.

FROM KAFUI GATI, DZODZE