Nana Ameyaa Ansu Gyeabour I, the newly installed Queen-mother of Kobedi Number One, near Chiraa in the Sunyani West Municipality has called people in local communities to re-ignite the ancient communal labour spirit to facilitate development.

    Development, she emphasized, remained shared and collective responsibility, saying local communities that initiate self-help development projects attracted support of non-governmental organisations and development partners.

    Speaking in an interview with Sompa FM on the sidelines of a colourful durbar held at Kobedi to formally outdoor to her, Nana Gyeabour said the government alone could not tackle all the development needs of communities.

    Known in her private life as Patricia Ansu Ameyaa, Nana Gyeabour I, a 46-year-old businesswoman is also Akyeremadehemaa of the Dormaa Traditional Area and owes allegiance to Osagyefo Oseadeyo Dr Agyemang Badu II, the Paramount Chief of Dormaa Traditional Area in the Bono Region.

   She asked local communities not to over-rely on the central government for development, instead contributing their quota, in one way or the other to push the development of the communities.

    Nana Gyeabour regretted the lack of communal toilets in the Kobedi township, and appealed to NGOs and corporate bodies to come to their aid to help forestall possible outbreak of communicable and water-borne diseases in the area.

    She regretted that sanitation in the town had worsened, since the onset of the rains, saying because the town had no toilets, residents had no other option than to defecate openly in nearby bushes.

   Nana Gyeabour I said the situation was worrying because it could lead to an outbreak of cholera and communicable diseases because school children defecate at open places.

   She said she was unhappy that Kobedi Number two community had been neglected in terms of development, saying the town was bedeviled with myriads of developmental challenges, including lack of market, lorry stations and potable drinking water.

   Nana Gyeabour I therefore called on the people to rally solidly behind her to facilitate the development of the community.

Source..www.sompaonline.com/Dennis Peprah