EL’s song Wosop leads the charge as the show opens every Monday at 5pm and for 60 minutes, Johnnie Hughes delves into the issues that affect our communities.
The issues that Community Connect addresses range from the overwhelming filth in our markets, fuel stations springing up in residential areas without the right documentation to dump sites in the centre of the Captial City – Accra. It’s very easy to be removed from the everyday developmental challenges that face communities right here in the city of Accra and duty bearers may forget (for want of a better word), that these needs exist, but a programme like Community Connect will not let them be!
What is it called when a library is built and then left idle for eight years? When there are schools in that community and they have no access to a library? Yet, there is evidence that the standard of education within the community continues to decline! Or should I rather put it this way: a structure that is supposed to be a library is built and then left for eight years to deteriorate? Is that apathy or a lack of leadership? Maybe it’s nonchalance. Whatever it is, it can’t be good. This is the situation in Okaikoi South – a community in Accra, where a library was built and then left to die. This is one of the issues that Community Connect is working on and making significant strides with.
As I listen to the programme on a weekly basis, I am hit by the sheer magnitude of the challenges we face as a people. But I am even more perplexed at the posture of some of our duty bearers and their unwillingness to respond!
Case in point: a few weeks ago, Community Connect focused on a dumpsite situated in Abossey Okai in Accra. This dumpsite is near a church with a large congregation, a mosque, a meat market and a densely populated community. The production team, try as they may, were unable to get the city authorities to speak to them on the issue. I just could not understand for the life of me why they will not speak to us? Whose mandate is it to ensure that issues, like a dumpsite that poses a serious health hazard is closed? What makes duty bearers reluctant to be accountable? Or do they feel that we, the people, don’t deserve answers? It is that ability to stick to a course and push for results that I so admire of the women and men in my team. I invite you to join us at 3FM 92.7 as we focus on you!
By Petra Aba Asamoah
The writer is head of station, 3FM
