Cocoa farmers and Residents of Akyekyere in the Amenfi Central District of Western Region of Ghana are all praising Cocoa Abrabopa Association (CAA) for assisting them with a mechanised borehole and a new water tank.
As part of their Corporate Social Responsibility, the Cocoa Abrabopa Community Development Project committee with the support of management selected Akyekyere as one of the beneficiary communities for this mechanized borehole.
The Association revealed that, they have constructed 25 mechanized boreholes across all the 10 cocoa growing regions in Ghana namely Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Western North, Western, Volta and Oti regions.
According to the Council Chairman of CAA, Mr. Ismail Pomasi, they are fulfilled to have made portable water accessible to about 40,000 inhabitants in cocoa growing communities including Akyekyere community.
At a ceremony to commission the mechanised boreholes, the Council Chairman indicated that funding for all the 25 mechanised boreholes were from internal sources and that “5% 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.
He also used the occasion to invite local and international organizations to partner CAA to provide Community Development Projects at larger scale in cocoa growing regions in Ghana aimed at improving the livelihoods of farmers which is in line with the vision of the CAA
The traditional Chief of Akyekyere, Nana Okofo Asafo Adjei II Chief of Akyekyere and the chairman for the occasion, supported the idea that each household must be encouraged to contribute a token for maintenance of the mechanized 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 mechanized water borehole provided by CAA will be regularly maintained and all electricity bills are paid promptly” he said.
In attendance at the commissioning of the mechanised boreholes were management and staff of CAA, the contractor for the construction of the mechanised boreholes, local district authorities and some cocoa farmers in the Amenfi Central District.