The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Saturday, said his government was committed to ensuring an all year round farming in the country, through the One-Village-One-Dam (1V1D) programme to transform the agricultural sector for the development of the country.
“The promise I made that in my time we are going to have all year round farming in the Upper West, Upper East and all the northern sector of our country, that is going to be one of the legacies I want to leave the people of Ghana and we are on course to provide the means to that”, he stressed.
President Akufo-Addo noted that 13 dams were under construction in the Sissala East Municipality under the 1V1D programme.
Addressing the chiefs and people of the Tumu Traditional Area at this year’s Paari Gbielle festival, the President explained that he was determined to extend development to all parts of the country.
“It is the determination of my government and myself to bring development to all parts of the country without discrimination, it is important for us as Ghana goes forward, all the people go forward together in unity and in the hope of a brighter and better future for our country,” President Akufo-Addo said.
The Paari Gbielle which means “farmers’ play”, is a festival of the chiefs and people of the Tumu Traditional Area meant to celebrate and thank the ancestors for a bumper harvest and in anticipation of greater seasons ahead.
The festival, on the theme: “Paari Gbielle festival; a tool for the restoration of our cultural heritage”, was attended by traditional authorities across the region, queen mothers, some Ministers of State, and people from the Upper East Region and neighbouring Burkina Faso.
It was full of euphoria as the President and his entourage as well as the public were treated to the rich culture of the Tumu people with the display of the Bayela, characterised by eating of live dogs, the Nangkpaayela dance as well as other forms of cultural performances.
President Akufo-Addo said: “a contract has been awarded and site handed over for the construction of a 1,000 metric storage capacity warehouse in Tumu” and had provided 15 motorbikes for agricultural extension agents to improve extension services to farmers in the area.
Touching on education, the President said his government had constructed a six-unit classroom block at Kanton Senior High School (SHS) while construction work on a two-storey 12-unit classroom block at Tumu Senior High Technical School (TSHTS) was ongoing.
“Work is ongoing to complete a one-storey 320 capacity girls’ dormitory block at TSHTS, we have opened a tender for the construction of another 320 capacity boys dormitory at the same school”, President Akufo-Addo stated.
The Paramount Chief of the Tumu Traditional Area, Kuoro Richard Babini Kanton VI, applauded the government for putting in place measures to ensure the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Policies such as; the Free Senior High School, One-Village-One-Dam, One-Million dollars-One-Constituency, One-District-One-Factory, Planting for Food and Jobs and many others are those policies that could help the country achieve the SDGs in record time”, he explained.
Kuoro Kanton VI, however, reminded President Akufo-Addo of some development deficits in the area including the deplorable state of some major roads especially the Bolgatanga-Tumu-Wa road, Tumu-Leo road – as well as other roads within the municipality which needed attention.
He also appealed for a modern hospital to be located in Tumu to help improve health care delivery to the people in the area as the only referral facility was the regional hospital located in Wa, about 84 kilometres away.
Kuoro Kanton VI conferred on the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the honorary title of Nandon-Tengeh Naa, meaning “a reliable friend”, in a brief ceremony at the festival.
LYDIA DARLINGTON FORDJOUR, WA
