Chiefs and residents of the Wassa Ataase community in Amenfi East Municipality of the Western Region are appealing to the government and benevolent to come to their aid to address their basic needs.
The farming community, which is mostly peasant farmers with a population of over a thousand, is cut off and deprived of essential amenities.
However, Nana Atta Essiem II, the chief of the Wassa Ataase community, said they are pivotal in ensuring food safety by supplying food items to some major communities around them through their contribution towards food production and value chain.
The chief bemoaned that, despite their numerous contributions to economic growth in Wassa-Land and Ghana at large, it’s heartbreaking to note that the residents’ hands are clipped off and they are living in unfriendly environments deprived of social amenities.
Nana Atta Essiem II, speaking to Abrewa Nana Kwabena Tawiah of Akropong-based Rvers FM, lamented the lack of community durbar grounds for gathering, electricity extension to newly developed areas, AstroTurf, and deplorable school infrastructure, among others.
According to the Chief, the electricity extension will enhance security and improve visibility at late hours.
Moreover, the absence of a police station has led to a high rate of petty crimes and robbery in the community, causing residents and traders to live in agony.
Going into the 2024 election, the residents and their chiefs have cautioned politicians not to enter their community for election campaign activities, as they have threatened to boycott the elections.
The boycott, they said, has become necessary because successive governments and the current admiration have failed to execute monumental projects in the area to benefit the community; thus, they are accusing politicians in the area of neglect.
The chief revealed that the community has made land available for free and that it’s suitable for business; thus, they are calling on investors to invest in the community to create jobs for the youth.
According to Nana Atta Essiem II, the community recently embarked on a fund-raising ceremony to support the completion of community self-help projects in the area in a quest to develop their community.
He has therefore called on the assembly and the government to provide them with basic social amenities to help resolve their challenges.
Story by: Nana Kwabena Tewiah