Ekumfi Teachers Call for Improved Conditions of Service

Teachers within the Ekumfi District have urged their newly appointed director to advocate for improved conditions of service for members.

The appeal was made during a familiarisation visit by the director on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, at Ekumfi Essarkyir, where she shared her vision and encouraged professionalism among teachers, as well as the promotion of a healthy working environment.

George Eshun

Speaking on behalf of the teachers, Mr. George Eshun highlighted the critical issue of teachers’ conditions of service. He called on Ms. Kafui Mary Ahlijah, the new Director of Education, to prioritise and champion efforts towards enhancing these conditions.

According to Mr. Eshun, teachers would be able to perform their duties with greater diligence and effectiveness if their conditions of service, particularly remuneration, were improved.

Director Kafui Mary Ahlijah

Ms. Kafui Mary Ahlijah becomes the eighth Director of Education for the Ekumfi Education Directorate since its creation in 2013, following the retirement of Mr. Isaac Oscar Odoom in December, 2024.

Bringing a vast of experience to her new role, Director Kafui aims to enhance the sustainability of schools through effective leardership.

Addressing the teachers, Director Ahlijah stressed the importance of punctuality and regular attendance at work, encouraging teachers and pupils to exhibit this behaviour. She assured them that she would actively monitor these aspects.

She further urged headteachers to adopt a proactive and positive approach to school administration, while also encouraging teachers to conduct lessons effectively and organize regular Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) within schools.

Director Kafui concluded by emphasizing the significance of team work, encouraging teachers to connect with their headteachers to foster a conducive school environment.

Teachers expressed their appreciation for her visit and are optimistic about working together to achieve a shared vision.

By: Yusuf Ibrahim Dadzie

Hon. Ekow Kwainoe, MP, Visits Ekumfi Fruits and Juices Company Limited

MP for Ekumfi visits Ekumfi Fruits & Juices Co. Ltd. 

As part of his commitment to fostering development and ensuring accountability, the Member of Parliament for Ekumfi Constituency, Hon. Dr. Othniel Ekow Kwainoe, has paid a working visit to Ekumfi Fruits and Juices Company Limited. The visit on Monday, February 17, 2025 aimed to gain firsthand insights into the company’s operations, challenges, achievements and prospects for growth.

During the visit, Mr. Fred, a representative of the company, briefed the MP on their success including, exporting their products the U.S. through Walmart Online, being one of the producers of 100% organic fruit juices in Ghana, offering five distinct flavours; Pineapple Only, Pine-Tropic, Pine-Ginja, Tropic-Ginja, and Pine-Melon-Ginja and above all, cultivating their own fruits to sustain production.

Despite these achievement, several operational challenges hindering their full potential were highlighted. He stressed the urgent need for, large-scale farms to ensure year-round fruit production to meet demand, stable electricity supply as the machines require up to 90 minutes to warm up before running since frequent power outages disrupt operations, reliable water supply since the factory currently depends on private water suppliers, increasing production costs.

He explained that, these challenges limit their production capacity to 2,800 cartons per day on a single shift, whereas a double shift could yield up to 5,000 cartons. To bridge this gap, he called for capital investment and strategic support to expand operations.

Hon. Dr. Kwainoe reaffirmed his commitment to supporting the factory in overcoming these obstacles. He emphasised that fully operationalizing the facility would create more job opportunities for locals and significantly boost the district’s economy.

“This factory has the potential to transform the local economy and create sustainable jobs. I will do everything within my capacity to address these challenges to ensure its full opreationalisation,”  he assured. 

By: Yusuf Ibrahim Dadzie

Hon. Dr. Othniel Ekow Kwainoe Pays Working Visit to Ekumfi District Assembly

Ekumfi MP, Hon. Dr. Ekow Kwainoe in a group photograph with staff of Ekumfi District Assembly 

As part of his familiarisation and working tour within the Ekumfi Constituency, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Hon. Dr. Othniel Ekow Kwainoe, has paid an official visit to the Ekumfi District Assembly. The visit on Monday, February 3, 2025, aimed to foster stronger collaboration between the MP’s office and the Assembly to promote development across the district.

Hon. Dr. Ekow Kwainoe

During a meeting with the management and entire staff, Hon. Dr. Kwainoe expressed worry about the performance of the district which found its way in the Public Accounts Committee hearing. He emphasised his commitment to a collaborative approach in addressing the challenges of the district. 

He underscored that his mandate comes from the people, and his success is tied directly to meeting their expectations. “I’m here because of my people, because they gave me authority and power to do their work. They expect nothing but the best from me, so if I fail, I will lose my seat. I come with a lot of fire because I must deliver on the promises I made during my campaigns,” he stated.

The Parliamentarian stressed the urgent need for change, highlighting that, repeating the same approaches would not yield different results. “For that change to happen, we must be ready to be agents of change,” he added, urging staff to enhance accountability, innovation, and a results-driven mindset.

Hon. Ekow Kwainoe requested an inventory of all uncompleted projects in the district as well as their action plan, emphasising the need to track progress and ensure accountability.

Mr. Osei Yeboah, Coordinating Director, Ekumfi District Assembly

Mr. Douglas Osei Yeboah, the District Coordinating Director, commended Dr. Kwainoe on his move to ensuring a collaborative progress for the district. He called for cooperation with the assembly to fight for the establishment of a Fire Service station to improve emergency response capabilities, Immigration Service post to enhance security within the district. Other key areas of focus included harnessing the district’s tourism potential for economic growth, boosting local commerce and supporting traders by constructing a market complex, streamlining legal matters, especially land-related issues and ensuring innovative revenue generation regime.

He requested the MP to present his schedule on the disbursement of his common fund so as to enable the assembly have a comprehensive budgetary allocation for the district.

Hon. Dr. Othniel Ekow Kwainoe called for unity and hardwork assuring staff of his open-door policy, encouraging them to share ideas and suggestions freely. “Don’t see yourself as too small because wisdom cometh from areas that we don’t even expect,” he said, stressing the importance of teamwork in achieving the district’s developmental goals.

A section of Ekumfi District Assembly Staff at the meeting

Assembly staff raised concerns about poverty, with only 3% of budget allocations reaching the district, significantly limiting development efforts. 

Sanitation was also identified as a major issue, largely attributed to behavioural factors. The MP urged the Assembly to intensify public education campaigns while enforcing sanitation regulations. 

Calls we made to establish a dedicated land desk to manage development-related land issues and prevent litigation. The suggestion also included earmarking lands for specific purposes to attract investors.

On revenue generation, Dr. Kwainoe encouraged the Assembly to adopt innovative strategies, leveraging data and best practices to boost internally generated funds. “I am very hands-on. I’ll be checking, looking, and asking questions because I believe that’s how progress is made,” he remarked.

Mr. Zibrim

Mr. Safianu Zibrim, the Budget Analyst, appealed to the MP to look beyond his Common Fund allocations and actively seek additional support from the Common Fund Secretariat to finance key projects in the district.

As the district awaits the nomination of a District Chief Executive, Dr. Kwainoe emphasised that, whoever is appointed must align with the collective vision for Ekumfi’s growth. “My minister has made it clear that, the DCE is coming to work for the government and with the MP. Therefore, it’s my duty to ensure that whoever becomes the DCE aligns with the vision we have for the whole of Ekumfi.”

Hon. Ekow Kwainoe concluded with a passionate appeal; “Help me so that we can all build Ekumfi and this District Assembly together. I’m sure that when things get better, it will benefit all of us.”

By: Yusuf Ibrahim Dadzie