Cocoa farmers and residents of Akyekyere in the Amenfi Central District of Western Region of Ghana are 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 mechanised borehole.

The Association revealed that they constructed 25 mechanised boreholes across all the 10 cocoa growing regions in Ghana, namely Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Western North, Western, Volta, and Volta Oti regions.

According to the Council Chairman of CAA, Ismail Pomasi, they are fulfilled to have made portable water accessible to about 40,000 inhabitants in cocoa-growing communities, including the Akyekyere community.

At a ceremony to commission the mechanised boreholes, the Council Chairman indicated that funding for all the 25 mechanised boreholes was from internal sources.

“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.

Mr Pomasi reiterated to the community members the need to contribute a token for every bucket of water fetched to maintain the mechanised boreholes and urged the community members to take good care of the borehole to derive long-term benefits.

He also used the occasion to invite local and international organizations to partner with CAA to provide Community Development Projects at a 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.

Nana Okofo Asafo Adjei II, Chief of Akyekyere in the Amenfi Central District of the Western Region and the chairman for the occasion, supported the idea that each household must be encouraged to contribute a token for maintenance of the mechanised 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.

The District Coordinating Director for Amenfi Central, Emmanuel Boateng, emphasised that sustainability of this mechanized borehole is essential and if managed well, would go a long way to help the community in this era of the water crisis.

“Sustainable development encourages us to conserve and enhance our resource base, by gradually changing the ways in which we develop and use technologies. Communities must be helped to meet their basic needs of employment, food, energy, water and sanitation”.

It’s important we use the available resources we have been given judiciously and work towards maintaining it” he said.

In attendance at the commissioning of the mechanised boreholes were Anthony Agala (HR/Administrative Manager and member of the community development project committee); Anthony Selorm Wordi (Regional Manager, Western South Region) al of CAA; Clement Endeh (Western South Regional Representative on the CAA Council), Engr. Simon JoJo Dei (Contractor) Khamons Ghana Ltd, Michael K. Oppong (Planning Officer Amenfi Central District), Mr. Wisdom Teitu (Environmental Health Officer) Amenfi Central District), Stephen Tiheptey (NADMO District Officer, Amenfi central), Akyekyre Traditional Council lead by Nana Okofo Asafo Adjei II and some cocoa farmers in the Amenfi Central District took part in commissioning of the Mechanised Water Borehole.