The Minister for Special Development Initiatives, Mavis Hawa Koomson together with her team from the Ministry have inspected the 780-metre long Mankessim drainage project and other auxiliary facilities as part of a familiarization tour of projects in the Central Region.
The drain, which will connect Anarfo, a suburb of Mankessim to other adjoining communities when completed is to help reduce flooding in the areas.
The Mankessim drainage project and the redevelopment of the Mankessim market into a modern one is part of the One-million per constituency project promised by the Akufo-Addo government during the 2016 election campaign.
The project will have two bridges connected to the main Mankessim market, and also serve as an access route.
The new market is also to help decongest the old market.
Speaking to Citi News after inspecting the first phase of the project, the sector minister, Mavis Hawa Koomson indicated that the project is in the right direction.
“We are here today to inspect the drainage project that is going on in Mankessim and see how far work is progressing. When the president indicated his intention to give every constituency one million dollar, the MP for Mfantsiman approached the Ministry and told us that he wants the redevelopment of the market but when we came to the grounds to do the inspection we realised that there is also a drainage issue here and we cannot do the redevelopment of the market without tackling the drain issue so the drainage was the first phase that we tackled,” she said.
According to her, the perception that the project was initiated by the erstwhile John Mahama administration is false.
“I want to correct this impression I have heard people say on different platforms that this project was initiated by the former administration. I beg to differ because this project is being financed with the one million per constituency equivalent fund which my Ministry is in charge of. So whoever is spreading this false information must stop,” Hawa Koomson said.
She added that the constituency will also benefit from eight other institutional water closet toilet projects and seven boreholes.
The Minister is optimistic that the first phase of the project will be completed before the end of July 2020 to make way for use by the community.
“I am told by the consultant that by July they should be done with the first phase, but from the look of their speed, they should be done by June and continue with the redevelopment of the Mankessim market,” she added.
Member of Parliament for Mfantsiman, Ekow Quansah Hayford was grateful to the Ministry for the project, adding that this will ease the burden on him.
“I am happy that as a sitting Member of Parliament my people will no longer see their houses being washed away when it rains,” he said.
