The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Afigya Kwabre South in the Ashanti Region, Madam Patricia Pearl Ankrah, has announced the Assembly’s plans to establish a scholarship scheme to support brilliant but needy students within her District.
The initiative, which targets learners at the tertiary levels, seeks to alleviate the financial burden on parents while promoting equitable access to quality education for all students regardless of their backgrounds.
Madam Pearl Ankrah, who is the first female DCE for the area, said the scheme would go a long way to bridge the financial gap that stands in the ways of many students who are academically good yet lack the financial wherewithal to see their education to highest levels.
The DCE gave this assurance during her maiden press briefing at Kodie, the district capital. said her encounter forms part of President Mahama’s “resetting agenda,” which aims at deepen citizen participation and accountability in governance.
She used the platform to highlight key developmental projects undertaken within her first seven months in office, after her confirmation on May 15, 2025. following her nomination by the president.
Since the assuming office, she has hit the ground running by rolling out interventions across critical sectors of the local economy.
Addressing the media, the DCE said her administration had prioritised inclusive development, with projects spanning education, health, agriculture, road, electricification, security, water, and sanitation.
She noted that her first few weeks in office were dedicated to extensive stakeholder engagements with traditional authorities, opinion leaders, and community members to have first-hand information on the district’s challenges and development opportunities.
The engagement, according to the DCE, has helped them to identify pressing needs and align with their development agenda with the real concerns of the people.
Madam Ankrah said that several roads within the district had been reshaped using the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP) equipment, improving accessibility for residents, farmers, and traders.
Asides, road maintenance, the DCE had also cut the sod for the construction of a two-unit KG block at Kyerase, a three-unit classroom block at Dumakyi, a six-unit classroom block at Wawaase Akwaasu, health centre at Ntiribuoho, 20-seater toilet facility at Heman, CHPS compound at Ntiribuoho.
On the challenges facing the assembly, she cited the lack of electricity extension in certain communities, poor road networks in some areas, and unresolved boundary disputes with adjoining districts.
Madam Pearl Ankrah raised concerns about the activities of quarry companies, especially the blasting of stones, which she said had been inconveniencing residents and affecting their health and safety.
Another major challenge, she noted, which is negatively impacting the Assembly’s revenue mobilization effort and revealed the plans for intensive public education to sensitise residents on the importance of paying taxes to support development.
Upcoming projects, the DCE said include construction of major roads, health centres, classroom blocks, setting up of a scholarship scheme for brilliant but needy students within the district, legacy projects, and establishment of a 24-hour economy market at Abuaboagy.
By: *Daniel Akwasi Nuako, Kodie*
