Information gathered by our investigative lense has it that, residents living in Nkawkaw Ampehkrom, a farming community along the Accra-Kumasi by pass road, particularly the youth are not happy and could soon hit the streets of Kawhu Atibie to demand the community’s share of proceeds from a 76 acre plot of land sold to some private investor for the construction of some housing projects by the Chief of Kwahu Atibie, Barima Kwame Asante Betiani II who doubles as the Djaasehene of the Kwahu Traditional Area.
According to our sources, the said piece of land has been sold over a year ago to a firm known as Mountain View Royal Estate with residents looking to see some amount of life enhancing developments in the community from gains made out of the sale such a property but has seen non.
Our sources further reveals that, the community has die need of very basic but essential social amenities such as road, schools, proper places of convenience, a market, portable drinking water a durbar ground and even a safer place for refuse which are all presing needs of residents in the area. The information further sites how the bad nature of road in the community is seriously affecting health care delivery in the community due to the fact that, it is the only road that links the only CHIP compound in the area which serves several other neighbouring communities to Nkawkaw Ampehkrom and yet, it is bad during dry season, producing a lot of dust through the area and very muddy when it rains, therefore making access to the health facility very cumbersome for residents.
In view of this, community members welcomed the move by elders of the community to sacrifices their Cocoa farms to be sold out to the investors for the housing projects, expecting to see a positive impact from the sale of the land on the development of the community but have rather seen nothing after over a year and many months now.
Some residents who spoke anonimosly to our news team rather tells us that, they have heard that what should rather be given to the community has rather been used to renovate and lighten up the Atibie palace which to them is a stab in their back and will soon hit the streets to protest and demand what belongs to them. The information again reveals that currently, most of the youth are very angry with the Odikro, Queen Mother and other community leaders on the issue, alleging that they have kept what should be used for the development of the community to themselves.
Our attempt so far to hear from the community leaders have not yielded any fruit. This, some community members believe could confirm the truth in the allegations or could also be for fear of their superiors.
Story by Nana Kwame Andoh, Nkawkaw