FULL TEXT: Speech by Osagyefo Ernest Egyir De-Graft (EED) at the Sod-Cutting Ceremony for the Sustainable Water Project Saltpond Municipal Hospital

Here is the full speech read by OSAGYEFO Ernest Egyir De-Graft (EED), the President of MSDA at the Sod-Cutting Ceremony for the Sustainable Water Project Saltpond Municipal Hospital

Speech by OSAGYEFO Ernest Egyir De-Graft (EED)
At the Sod-Cutting Ceremony for the Sustainable Water Project
Saltpond Municipal Hospital – Friday, 17th October 2025

Theme: Rebuilding. Reconnecting. Rising Together.

Hon. Municipal Chief Executive, distinguished guests, traditional leaders, medical staff, clergy, fellow citizens of Saltpond and Mfantseman — good afternoon.

Today is a defining moment in the journey of community-led development. We gather not merely to cut the sod for another project, but to begin a transformation — one that touches the very heart of healthcare in Mfantseman.

For many years, the Saltpond Municipal Hospital — our main healthcare facility — has struggled with a chronic water shortage that has affected medical care, sanitation, and daily operations. Today, we are taking a bold and lasting step to change that story.

This Sustainable Water Project, initiated and led by the Mfantseman–Saltpond Development Alliance (MSDA), is designed to provide the hospital with a permanent and self-sufficient water supply system. The project will include the drilling of underground water sources, installation of high-capacity storage tanks, an electrical pumping and boosting system, and a solar-powered generation unit — all fully integrated into the hospital’s existing water distribution network.

This is not just a water project; it is an engineering solution that guarantees reliable, clean, and continuous water supply to sustain healthcare delivery. It is a model of sustainable infrastructure — powered by innovation and guided by purpose.

We are deeply grateful to the members of the MSDA, both at home and abroad, who have believed in this vision and contributed to make it happen. You are the true partners of progress. This is what community leadership looks like — when citizens come together to solve their own challenges rather than wait for others to act.

This initiative is a testament to what unity and purpose can achieve. It shows that when people share a vision, when they give their resources, and when they act in faith, transformation becomes inevitable.

As we break this ground today, let it mark the beginning of a new chapter for Saltpond — one of collaboration, innovation, and sustainability.

To all gathered here, I say: let’s continue to rebuild, reconnect, and rise together. The future of Saltpond and Mfantseman is in our hands, and with commitment and unity, there is nothing we cannot achieve.

May God bless this project, bless all who contributed to it, and bless our beloved Mfantseman Municipality.

Thank you.