Opinions of Monday, 10 April 2023
Columnist: Suleman Baako
Development cannot be sustainable if it is not pursued consistently with zeal and commitment towards the well-being of society and its people.
The rate at which development in the Lawra Municipality paced under the charismatic leadership of the Hon Anthony Abayifaa Karbo was phenomenal. The good people of the Lawra Municipality will attest to this fact.
Below are some massive improvements in the areas of health, education, Sanitation, security, Agriculture, social empowerment and the never-witnessed-before road infrastructure by Hon Anthony Abayifaa Karbo. In just four years as a legislator he:
*Lobbied for the upgrading of Lawra district into a municipality and the renovation of the Lawra Assembly block since its construction by the Acheampong government.
*Drilled over 160 boreholes in the Lawra Municipality with 40 averagely drilled in a year, with the drilling of 6 extrasolar Mechanized boreholes at Zambo Tangpuori, Lissah, Birifoh Naayiri, Bagri and Kalsagri Nafiirnyuori.
* Construction of an Astroturf in the Lawra stadium, the first of its kind.
*The building of an ultra-modern Assembly Hall at Lawsec and a six-unit classroom block by GNPC at Lawra SHS.
*Building of the Zambo Girls(ongoing), Building of a KG block at Zambo Tangpuori, Babile and Lawra Kuoli and Infrastructure upgrading at Birifoh SHS.
* The taring of all Lawra town inner roads; Yikpee, Kulbognour, Lawra NTC fire service road, Lowcost inner road, Hospital Road, Lowcost Sobaal Goil road, Bagri road and with many still under construction.
*The building of a Neonatal centre in the Lawra Municipal Hospital and fencing of the Lawra Municipal Hospital.
*Secured scholarships for about 80 students from the constituency some of whom are currently studying medicine in Cuba.
*Lobbied for a contract to connect about 38 communities to the national grid with some completed while others are still ongoing.
*Lobbied for the recruitment of over 60 people into the GES as non-teaching staff.
*Lobbied and got about 300 people recruited under the "youth in afforestation" project in the forestry commission.
*Supported hundreds of students with cash to pay their school fees including one in Cuba studying Medicine.
Lobbied for a TVET project to build a Technical school at Lawra Tolibri (Project has commenced).
*Supported farmers annually with cash for tractor services, cutlasses, Wallington boots and fertilizer for farming.
*Supported artisans like weavers, tailors, seamstresses, welders, barbers, hairdressers, business and trading class with their working tools with some receiving cash loans to an amount of Ghc5,000 maximum to support their businesses.
*Lobbied for the building of two clinics in the Municipality; Birifoh Baapari and Biro.
*Registered and renewed the NHIS cards of about 3,000 downtrodden individuals annually.
*Purchased ultra-modern delivery and patient beds for the Lawra Municipal Hospital and some clinics in the Municipality.
*Lobbied for about 2,300 pieces of furniture for KG schools in the Municipality with some dual desks.
*Organized fully paid extra classes for students in 4 centres in the Lawra Municipality.
*Procured and distributed free branded exercise books to students from the Lawra Municipality in the various SHSs in and outside the Municipality.
*Donated Motorbikes to the Lawra police service for patrol purposes to enhance security in the municipality.
*Lobbied for some graduates to secure permanent employment in various security and public services.
*Donated over 100 hospital beds to all the health facilities across the municipality with others such as Eremon, Zambo clinics, etc getting delivery beds in addition.
*Lobbied for the construction of Lawra-Dowine Boo road(project commenced.
*Lobbied for the construction of a solar farm in Lawra which influenced the direct and indirect employment of over 30 people.
All forward-looking and development-minded people wished he stayed a little longer to continue those ground-breaking development initiatives but as fate had it, it did not happen.
And alas, the episodes of development in the area in recent times, following his discontinuation as MP, have significantly reduced if not curtailed.
Anthony Karbo’s development track record as MP is still a million miles away from being closed by what is witnessed today under the current MP. Development in Lawra, today, under the current MP, is on a downward curve compared to the records of the charismatic Anthony Karbo.
For Lawra to return to its truly deserved glory, it has to be Anthony Karbo. No doubt about this! Anthony Karbo’s kind of resilient and dedicated leadership is what Lawra needs to take its rightful place in the development discourse.
The return of Anthony Karbo is certainly a new dawn for Lawra, and every forward-looking person must join the course.