The National Coordinator of Ghana Boundaries Commission, Major-General Emmanuel Kotia says provision of social amenities to border communities is vital as it would promote peace and ensure their security.
According to him, some of the border communities wallow in abject poverty following the continuous neglect by successive governments over the years.
Major-General Kotia said some of these communities are deprived of water, schools, health facilities and electricity which calls for quick intervention to address such challenges before extremists take advantage of their plight.
The Major-General spoke with the media after inauguration of a rehabilitated health centre at Leklebi-Kame, a border community in the Afadjato-South District of the Volta Region.
Major-General Kotia said the community lacks a standard health facility to cater for the health needs of the people which ultimately needed support.
The community over the years depended on what he described as an outmoded structure that serves them as a health centre. The facility was without relevant health equipment to offer quality health care to the people.
During one of the routine visits by the Ghana Boundaries Commission led by him as the National Coordinator, they identified such outmoded health facilities and recommended to the ECOWAS Commission for support hence the facility was renovation and equipped with some beds and administrative gadgets to facilitate health care delivery.
Major-General Emmanuel Kotia reminded stakeholders that investing in border communities is like sowing a seed of strong pillars against terrorist who take advantage to coerce the youth into their fold.
The Director of Free Movement of ECOWAS Commission, Albert Siaw Boateng disclosed that as part of his outfit’s commitment to ensure accelerated growth of border communities in the sub-region, it has made money available for nine-member states to develop deprived border communities which Ghana was the first country to benefit from the fund.
Mr. Siaw-Boateng also assured the people that frequent consultation would be carried out between officials of Ghana and the Republic of Togo to remove obstacles that hinder free movement of goods and services there.
The Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Kwaku Ampratwum- Sarpong said the Foreign Ministry would collaborate effectively with the Ghana Boundaries Commission and ECOWAS Commission to ensure the well-being of people in border communities to remove frustrations people go through as business partners at the border post.
Story by Robert Abilba
