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In anticipation of an imminent end to the load shedding exercise, the Ministry of Power has awarded contracts for 22 more communities in the Akatsi North District to be connected to the national grid.

Similar extensions were carried out in March this year, to some of the new sites in the district capital, Ave-Dakpa, and Havi.

Ave-Dakpa, which had long been connected to the national grid, had been expanding rapidly since attaining the status of a district capital recently, prompting a sudden rise in the demand for more power.

Mr. James Gunu, the DCE, disclosed this here on Tuesday, in his Sessional Address at the First Ordinary Meeting of the First Session on the District Assembly.

He said the move was an appropriate and timely response to the Akatsi North District’s development needs.

Mr. Gunu mentioned Glime, Nyiwuta, Buvikope, Sodokpokofe, Ekpekofe, Adedavokofe, Hukportsi-kofe, Kamiakofe, Ashikotor and Kpeta, as some of the beneficiary communities.

The rest are Zemu Etrokofe, Zemuga, Boeke, Atsinuve, Bame Adjahokofe, Adanugbakofe/By Plan, Hodagbakofe, Agblonu, Narmenyokofe, Tonkor and Lomnava.

Touching on water and sanitation, he said, a US NGO, Lifeline Wells, was, collaborating with the assembly to provide boreholes to some 80 communities which did not have potable water.

“Hydrological studies are yet to be done in the beneficiary communities”, Mr Gunu added.

On education, Mr. Gunu revealed that the assembly had allocated GH¢316,000 in its 2016 budget estimates and Annual Action Plan to expand the Ghana School Feeding Programme to the remaining 17 basic schools in the district.

He stated that the expansion was expected to feed about 4,263 pupils from kindergarten to primary six with one nutritious hot meal a day.

“So far, out of the 29 kindergartens and primary schools in the district, only 12 are benefiting from the programme, with a population of 2,163 being fed” said Mr. Gunu.

He gave the assurance that the assembly would attain 100 per cent coverage of programme by the end of 2016.