Footprints of an impactful MMDCE – Wilson Arthur – Skyy Power FM

In May 2017, all MMDCEs in the new NPP Govt were trained at the Institute of Local Govt and Rural Devpt in Accra for days. Among the 10 Deans of MMDCEs, and among the 250 plus MMDCEs, I was nominated to speak on behalf of my colleagues.

I made a promise on our behalf to return to our Districts to execute the vision of our sender – the President 1. to open opportunities and create wealth for our people.

I participated in Wassa East District planning processes and became alarmed about how a collection of wish list projects could achieve the new vision.

After the community visits and desktop works by Planning Dept. I requested for a special strategic development colloquium to align what must happen to achieve the new vision.

Of course, there was serious resistance because that was a foreign activity which was not part of approved processes so had no budget line.

I had to personally foot the bill of invited Development Specialist – Ato Vaness (Industrialist), Abeiku Arthur (Development Lecturer and guru who once worked at Mpohor Wassa District) and Dr Obeng (Private Sector / Unilever Brands and Innovative Manager then) and we had the strategic session – that recommended a focus on Agric – Cocoa, Oil Palm Rubber and Cassava so we can target 3 1d1f – oil palm, Rubber and Cassava Starch Processing.

Unfortunately, no budget lines existed for these – can you imagine?
of course, that did not stop me. I targeted COCOBOD and Cocoalife to work on increasing the supply of free seedlings to our Farmers.

In the first season 250,000 were given out – planned before I took office. the second year, I got our Farmers 500,000. In the third year, we went up to 850,000 and 4th year 1.5m seedlings. We doubled Cocoa Spraying gangs from 17 to 34 and bought Cocoa 2 Spraying Machines for new voluntary groups.

Cocobod was so impressed they supplied Wassa East 108 Spraying machines additional. instead of 240 Pruners per Cocoa District, I lobbied to get Wassa East 640 slots and got more extension staff.

In the third year, I facilitated for free repair of cocoa Spraying machines using local mechanics and imported parts. I transformed the dry Farmers Day into a festival – professional branding spiced with inter-area Council soccer games and musical performances plus homecoming.

I negotiated with GSR Mines MD to up their game from Bicycles donation and knapsacks, boots and cutlasses for Farmers.

The first year we got 2 Tricycles. Second-year, 3rd and 4th year 3Tricycles so we gave one to Males, Female and Youth Chief Farmers. All those years, we did not increase budgeted spending on Farmers Day despite the additional activities and more prizes.

We gave so many Cocoa Spraying machines and more Boots, Raincoats, Catlasss Ferts etc. We intensified the search for sponsorship with professionally packaged proposals and got resources to deliver compelling festivals.

I introduces Service Fair in the second year – which saw all departments of the District setting up at Farmers Day for our people to visit and be served and know what services are available.

This was an innovation. I also facilitated the formation of Farmers Cooperatives which made Wassa East the only Cocoa District to benefit from 250,000 bags of Fertz supplied before COVID.

Cocoa productivity in Wassa East improved according to the Cocobod Office confirmed by Farmers from 2 bags an acre to around 5 acres and increasing. To God be the glory.

Another area MMDCEs were charged to impact was People Living with Disability (PWD) welfare. I directed for new album of PWD to be created because the 340 list in the note book I saw was doubtful.

I wanted a digital album with pictures, current contacts / Carer’s contact, etc. The budget did not exist to do this. My response was to direct Abraham Mensah – The akutiase guy I had employed at Skyy Media Group to look for funding support.

Ema Nordzro cooperated and a proposal was put together by Skyy Media Group to get a grant from STAR-Ghana specifically to sensitise PWDs about their rights and collate the new digital album.

After the process, we saw their number increase to 1,270 plus after touring community by community to capture their data. The digital album softwar…

Youth development was another area we were charged to focus. For starters, I bought Daboase Mighty Royals’ second division slot and transformed it into Skyy FC after touring to discover talents across the communities.

We found Solomon Ohene Nimo at Atobiase zone and Teacher Oteng at Ateiku zone and of course Ages, JK, Afful, Martins and a host of others.

All the Coaches were local boys. In Skyy FC maiden edition in Division Two shama zone – we qualified one touch to playoffs for Division One slot unbeaten in the league. At the Playoffs, Skyy FC maintained an unbeaten run to grab the only slot for Division One.

This is where the challenge was. There was no suitable venue to host professional football in Wassa East.

I had to invest in excess of Gh500,000 to reconstruct St Martins Park, Inner Perimeter fencing alone cost me Gh55,000, and the changing rooms and the 2-storey VIP stand foundation cost over Gh35,000
I got the 300-seater VIP done and the Japhet Baidoo Supporters stand.

Set up water system and created the pitch panels to get St Martins to be accepted as one of the good venues in WR for professional Football.

I procured a 37 Seater Hyundai dedicated bus for Skyy FC and rented the Club House and furnished it into a 35-bed facility with a kitchen and gym for the players to be groomed. The rest is history.

In the 2021/2022 season, Skyy FC made Wassa East proud by winning the maiden edition of the TOP 8 division One Clubs in Ghana competition at Madina.

Skyy FC has been close to qualification for Premier in all these seasons and looks good this year to make it.

I have invested heavily to bring Asante Kotoko, Accra Hearts of Oaks (twice), Karela, Dwarfs and top Premier teams to play at Daboase. Skyy FC has put Wassa East and Daboase on the map of Ghana Football and International. Some of our players are playing in Europe – John Asmah is in Spain, Sanie is in Dubai, Ebenezer Mamatah is with Ashdod FC playing in the Premier League in Israel, and Emmanuel Eshun is in Belgium’s second-tier team.

Afful is with Samartex, playing Premier league. To God be the glory.
Human Capital development is key for sustainable transformation. Under my tenure, I restored Wassa East Reachers awards – gave out laptops, Tablets, Fridges, Bicycles and valued prizes along with framed citations to award winners presented to the Assembly by the GES panel.

We had a memorable dinner event to celebrate our successes on the educational front. I paid for two mocks to be done which was normal. The innovation was we got other school teachers to mark the centralised exams sheets and analysis done to identify subject areas where the particular school needs additional help and additional teaching was invested and this was told on our District BECE and WASCE results.

Wassa East is one of the Districts where the free SHS Policy impacted the most. Before this policy, we had an average of 250 BECE Passers making it to Secondary schools. On average 2,200 students sat BECE annually. Parents could not afford Secondary education. With free SHS policy and good results outcome we had over 2,000 Passers progressing to SHS.

We focused on expanding the Daboase Sectech facility to take more students and it worked. More Dormetry and Classroom facilities and over 2,000 pieces of furniture were secured under my tenure.
My biggest nightmare was the quantum of Wassa East youth dropouts.

I teamed up with Aseda Foundation to find a Master’s and free accommodation and feeding support for our youth to acquire livelihood skills in Sekondi Takoradi. Thousands benefited. I enrolled some at Goshen Training Institute where they benefited from Mastercard sponsorship.

I supported the Aseda Foundation to win MTN National Heroes of Change using the Wassa East story. I helped her access support from GNPC Foundation so she could resource graduands after passing out.

To make this sustainable we renovated the Ntomiremu Facility to serve as First Wassa Wast Training Centre. We built a complete school at Akutuase to serve as a skills training centre for the Atobiase zone.

Ateiku zone was earmarked to benefit from MDF Skii Centre Project in 2022, likely to happen in 2023.
I convinced GSR Mines to create a better Community Welfare MOU.

We got one done before I left office which was skewed to favour our youth and raise Giant Entrepreneurs to create wealth. GSR put aside $1 per ounce of Gold they export. That is millions of USD for Wassa East development but before the MOU it was managed by GSR just like Plantation Socfinaf manages Daboase Community Welfare Fund.

Now the GSR fund has a board made of MP, DCE, Nana Damoah and Anyinabrim Chief and 3 members from GSR. Part of the money is planned to be invested in legacy commercial projects like accommodation that the Mines can rent and the proceeds used to build the Community Centres and Toilets etc. Part of the Money was for resourcing locals who win contracts to supply items to the Mines.

The refund is paid directly to the fund so locals cannot chop our money lol.
I also got GSR to allow the Assembly to crush part of the mountain of waste rocks to sell as quarry products to support the civil infrastructure development of the district.

Note it was not a Wilson Arthur personal project, even though I paid for the Minerals Commission License from my pocket because the Assembly had no budget for it. GSR and Justmore Construction gave millions of USD contracts to the Private Operator Halsan Ltd to supply chippings but one challenge after another frustrated this laudable project.

Unfortunately, he needed new equipment which cost Millions of USD and he has struggled since.
In the area of industrialising the district, I facilitated for Narubiz Rubber Processing factory set up at Dompim, Wassa East.

The frustration from the MP and the Chiefs against this project is well known. Plantation Socfinaf’s $20m Oil Palm Factory meant no need for another one.

We had Investors showing interest in the Starch Business but were discouraged by fear of Farmers not being faithful to serve the project. Very sad because they always came back with the same research outcome that our Farmers will divert the products to sell to other Buyers even after benefitting from investment support.

Another challenge was the size of the land required.
Of course, under my tenure Wassa East saw record Govt and Assembly funded Projects unprecedented. Personally, I do not enjoy taking credit from Ghana Government projects like Brofoyedur to Ateiku Road, Ateiku to Damang, and Ateiku to Anyinase Road construction on going even though I lobbied.

There are other roads like the Prato road that I lobbied for and electricity expansion projects across the district. Access Water Numa service across the district was escalated by my enthusiasm and convincing powers.

Police station at Enyinabrim, Hemang, School Buildings at Daboase SHS, Atobiase, Domama, Edwenasi, Akutuase KG and Skill Centre, Amponsaso, Asumunamu (in addition to one I funded plus MTN support in 2014). Nursing Quaters at Akyempim, Amponsaso and Ebukrom CHP completion and completion of Sekyere Krobo Health Centre, CHP Compound at Essaman, CHP Compound and Nursing Quarters at Osenso and Subri (yet to be complete) CHP Compound and Nursing Quarters at Brofoyedur, CHP Compound at Bienuyie, Health Centre at Atobiase, Culverts and Markets infrastructure at Daboase, Senchem and Ateiku and Community Centre construction support across the districts and Abrodzewuram grass park.

I don’t like bragging about protocols like Immigration, Fire Service, Police and Military slots because those are no achievements. I had plans to accommodate Cocobod at Daboase so our Farmers would get more goodwill and support and hydro form Bricks Housing project and Shower gel factory plus plans to resources Traders in Wassa East were discontinued for good personal experience, research outcomes and other factors.

I attracted a Fish Farming pilot project for WR to be sited at Daboase and Aboaboso. I also facilitated for setting up of Wassa East District Football Association.

I am still committed to the development of my home district as Board Chair of Wassa East MDF Committee and member of NPP but for now, I work for Ghana Football as Chairman of the FA Cup Committee, I continue to serve as Chairman of WR Sports Committee, Executive Commissioner with National Development Planning Commission and Convener for Editorial Commission and work full time as CEO of Skyy Media Group – driving projects like Westside Carnival and Skyy FC has become my new passion.

Of course, your support, time and money investment provided me with the opportunity to serve Wassa East as DCE. I am grateful for all the support I got from Party Folks and especially the very competent American Muslim set of Civil Servants team I built – fantastic guys.

I face so many challenges within and without detractors, but the personal experience is worth the over one million Cedis of personal funds I have burnt on Wassa East elections and continue to burn via Skyy FC. Thank you for being there for me and for whatever role you played. Still, the battle is the Lord’s.