Based on the fact that “water is life,” Dr Agumenu said deploring alternative mechanisms for the provision of potable water to rural and urban communities should be paramount to stakeholders as it will contribute to healthy living and sustainability.

“We need to mitigate water scarcity in rural and urban communities, especially in these days and age of economic difficulties and the devastating effect of climate change,” he said.

Dr Agumenu was joined by pupils and teachers of Fiagbedu Cluster of Schools, community elders and some National Democratic Congress chieftains of Ketu North Constituency in the sod-cutting ceremony.

The project, which is expected to take three months to complete, will augment water supply to the 10,500 residents of Fiagbedu.

Water for Rural Africa has through policy, advocacy, research and direct project intervention helped several communities in Ghana to have access to potable water.

According to Dr Agumenu, Sustainable Development Goal 6 which is “clean water and sanitation for all”, as one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 to: “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” can only be achieved through critical interventions, strategic investment and deliberate effort.

He announced that after completion of the project at Fiagbedu, a second phase will be activated to serve the people at Afife, Weta and Penyi Traditional areas, assuring that no community would be left out within the constituency.

According to him, the strategic location of Ketu North and the rapid population growth and its economic activities calls for a critical intervention to ensure every community has access to quality drinking water.

Dr Agumenu also assured that he would work towards getting the necessary investment to improve upon the existing water infrastructure within the four traditional areas in the Ketu North constituency.

He said that was the only way to ensure quality assurance and get value for money invested in such projects.

“It is unfortunate to note that many projects, especially roads, begin to develop potholes just a few months after construction, causing motorists huge discomfort and carnages.

The Roads Ministry must look at an efficient way of sponsoring road projects having in mind a clear scope, cost, time and quality,” Dr. Agumenu added.

Expressing his disgust at the nature of roads through Denu to Ho, Dr. Agumenu said he doubted if we could mobilise enough revenue for development at their neglect.

“For instance, the road, connecting from Ketu North through Akatsi North on the Dzodze-Xevi stretch and that from Weta to Xevi through Kpetoe has become a death trap. Same applies to Akatsi-Dakpa and many others across the country.  It is important at this moment for us to give those roads a top priority so that we can mitigate road crashes and improve trade,” he stated.

According to Dr. Agumenu, the Volta region roads adjoining entry points to Togo are the conduits for haulage trucks loading from the Lome Port and for onward transit movements to Cote D’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

He said if Volta roads are prioritized and put in good shape, they will complement efforts by the Togolese government that has invested massively in dual carriageways to boost and harmonise trade.

He posited, saying, “It is gratifying to underscore the fact that, the ECOWAS Corridor road connecting to Akanu and Aflao are in good shape. However, a few kilometres from Aflao Police Station to the only mega Diamond Cement factory, serving almost the subregional market is a complete shame.

“In my recent visit to Togo, I realized that villages that hitherto had no roads and some smaller towns that were not properly connected to the capital city now have dual carriage roads.

“We are also impulsely indebted by obligation to put our roads in shape in the West African spirit of trade harmonization. As hosts of the African Continental Free Trade Area, that step is needed to boost intra-trade.”

“Look at Kpetoe which houses the CEPS Academy. That institution must be given a facelift with state-of-the-art facilities not only as a training academy  for Ghana Revenue Authority or CEPS but as a regional centre of excellence to train customs officers, business leaders, captains of industry/trade and customs officials within ECOWAS.”

Dr. Agumenu added that the training unit of the CEPS Academy in Kpetoe could also serve as a post-graduate University to build cutting edge capacity for a proper take-off of trade, industrialization and harmonization of existing and new protocols.

He lamented that the road linking Kpetoe where this strategic state facility responsible for training our officers from all angles is not in good shape. “We must do something quickly,” he said.

Dr. Agumenu further observed that aside from the roads helping to improve trade facilitation, there are benefits for smooth haulage of farm produce to the cities and for export.

“Akatsi North especially remains a virgin ground for agriculture production. And if that environment with roads leading from other connecting constituencies within the region can be properly looked into, then the negating factors within the agricultural value-chain can be solved or largely mitigated. The size of land, vegetation and climatic condition are conducive to the cultivation of many food crops. This area should become one of the country’s major breadbaskets with the right investment and projections,” he explained.

“Beyond the debates, I think the time is riper to embark on a national monitoring and evaluation campaign to access the health status of the already existing roads, newly constructed ones and works in progress,” he stated.

“I am respectfully appealing to the Minister of Roads, the Parliamentary Select Committee on Road and Chairman of the Road Fund to take a tour among other things on some critical roads in the country including those in the Volta region as a matter of urgency. After getting the factsheet and reports on the state of our roads, I believe they will take immediate action, and set priorities right,” he stressed.

Dr. Agumenu, also a leadership expert, told the media the foremost surest of way is for the government to tackle head-on immediate economic problems that will answer “bread and butter” issues affecting everyday Ghanaian.

“It’s time for the government machinery to consolidate its effort on key priority issues of the economy that can bring  some emergency relief to avert further economic complications,” he said, adding that “Pushing hard to touch so many things at the same time with scarce resources will have serious socioeconomic implications and eventually effect livelihoods.”

Dr. Agumenu stressed that violent overthrow of legitimate government will not and should not be the alternative to our challenges. It will only erode the constitutional and democratic investment of the nation especially at this abnormal times he stressed. 

He reiterated thatnations that throng the path of coups and arm conflicts in modern constitutional governance have rather turned to inflict more pain and destitution on their citizens with disastrous consequences for stagnation in infrastructure and economic development.

He said the country should rather channel collective “energies into building a robust democratic architecture , uncompromising independent media climate, building capacity for electoral participation, curing voter apathy and  electoral mistrust.”

“Every Ghanaian must have value for his or her vote . In effect the kind of leadership we expect lies in the quality of vote we deliver,” the leadership expert stated. 

At a public lecture a week ago, Prof. Raymond Atuguba, Dean of the Faculty of Law, at the  University of Ghana while stating clearly that coups should not be accepted, observed that events in Ghana are making the country rife for a violent overthrow. He called on the government to act quickly by solving economic problems.

His comments have received sharp condemnation from some government officials.

Dr. Agumenu believes government’s reactions to coup comments and more importantly the ones that are coup- preventive and advisory in nature , should be handled with much diligence.

“Government’s role should be calming tensions while assuring citizens of steps to ensure an economic turnaround to their benefit.”

Dr. Agumenucalled on all Ghanaians to use this year’s 65^th independence anniversary celebrations to do a dispassionate introspection “on our gains as a country and collective aspirations.”

He said, “The day must reignite the Ghanaian spirit of resilience, courage,  culture of inclusion and consultation. This resolve will take us a notch higher towards our dreams as a free and fair society with economic capabilities not only to feed ourselves but to buffer resources and reserves for the unborn generations yet to come.”

He urged the leadership of ECOWAS and AU to expeditiously deploy every necessary tool and steps in addressing the constitutional drawbacks on the continent while creating sustainable economic climate to engender hope for millions of teeming youth on the continent to give meaning to our independence.

The suspect was trying to use the name and pictures of Dr Donald Agumenu to dupe a Nigerian woman.

According to reports, the young man, who engaged the lady on Facebook, demanded money.

He asked her to meet him at the Accra Mall for further discussion. The Nigerian lady alerted the police leading to his arrest.

The suspect is currently in custody assisting Airport police with investigations.

Meanwhile, the general public is advised to be cautious about such fraudsters, especially on social media.