The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Julius Debrah, has expressed satisfaction with the patronage of the ongoing limited voter registration exercise in the Central Region.
He said despite the fact that the 10-day exercise had coincided with the major fishing season for the people, the turnout had been impressive and “I am happy about it so far.”
Mr Debrah expressed this sentiment when he, in the company of the Central Regional Minister, Mr Acquinas Tawiah Quansah, toured some registration centres in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) Municipality in the Central Region.
Some of the centres he visited were Amatoe, Sasem Ahenfie, Kissi East and Kissi West and the Elmina Old and New Market squares.
The exercise
The exercise, which is expected to end today, was to enable Ghanaians who have attained the minimum voting age of 18 and other adults who did not have their names in the voters register to have their names in it.
To be eligible, a person must prove his or her status by a Ghanaian citizenship identity card, a driving licence, a birth certificate, a passport, a baptismal certificate or be attested to by two guarantors.
At the Elmina old market centre, 81 persons had been registered since Monday, according to Francis Arthur, the registration officer.
He attributed the low patronage there to the fishing season, which had made a number of eligible persons busy, but expressed optimism that the patronage would increase towards the end of the 10-day exercise.
At the Amatoe registration centre, Mr Eric Botsio, the officer in charge, told the team that 206 people had been registered since Monday but their only challenge was that their printer had developed a fault, and officials were working to get it repaired.
The Sesam Ahenfie centre also had a faulty printer but the officials had been able to register 185 persons since Monday, according Kojo Abakah Assan, the officer in charge.
However, the Kissi East and Kissi West registration centres, as well as the Elmina Market centre, had no problem with their equipment and had registered 119, 61 and 49 persons respectively, since Monday.
The ministers said they were satisfied with the progress of the exercise, despite the challenges, and were sure the patronage would increase when the exercise entered its last day.
Sanitation
In a related development, Mr Debrah expressed disappointment about the poor sanitation along the beaches in the region.
Heaps of refuse were found along the coastal areas where the minister and his entourage visited, a scene that prompted him to direct the assembly to clear the filth within one week.
“We [the assemblies] have underestimated the work we have to do. We are not enforcing the bylaws,” he said.
He directed the assemblies to furnish his office with the list of people arrested for sanitation-related offences within two months.
Mr Quansah assured the minister that the assembly would marshal all resources to clear all the refuse along the coast.
