Chiefs in Bono and Bono East Traditional Areas have lauded the development driven governance by the Nana Akufo-Addo-led – government.
According to them their respective towns have had its fair share of development under the current administration.
Ranging from hospitals, roads, agricultural development, through to the establishment of factories, the Chiefs individually and variously commended the President for giving the region its share of development.
The president has been touring the region to familiarize himself with the development in the region and to interact with the people after his resounding victory in the 2021 December presidential elections.
At Berekum, the Omanhene of the Area, Dasebre Dr. Amankona Diawuo III, praised Nana Addo Akufo-Addo, for supervising the transformation of Berekum, since he assumed office in January 2017.
“I cannot stop thanking the President. When I drive through Berekum township, I always say ‘had it not been Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, where would Berekum have been’? Before the NPP came into office in 2017, Berekum town roads were in a deplorable condition,” he said.
The Berekum Omanhene recounted a visit to Jubilee House in 2019, where he appealed to the President to help fix the road network in Berekum, as a fitting testament to the fact that the town is a stronghold of the ruling New Patriotic Party.
“The President assured me that in two or three weeks, work will begin. True to his word, work begun, and it has been a happy experience so far for residents of Berekum and for all motorists. This is because he promised that 14km of inner Berakum streets will be asphalted, and it has been done. God richly bless him”, Dasebre Dr. Amankona Diawuo III said.
He also applauded the President for overseeing the ongoing construction of roads in Berekum and adjoining towns, under the Sinohydro Facility, as well as the completion of the first phase of the “Thursday Market”, which is the major market for residents of the town.
On the President’s pledge of ensuring an even spatial spread of industries across the country, through the 1-District-1-Factory policy, which will promote rapid industrialisation at the district level, driven by strong linkages to agriculture and other natural resource endowments, to create jobs and wealth, the Omanhene indicated that this has been realised in Berekum through the establishment of the $16 million WEDDI Africa Tomato Factory at Domfete.
Touching on Agenda 111, the pledge to construct a district hospital in 101 districts across the country that do not have district hospitals, Dasebre Dr. Amankona Diawuo III indicated that this will become realities in Berekum West, precisely at Domfete, and at Kutrie no.2. in Berekum East.
“We thank President Akufo-Addo and the NPP for these developments.
He, nonetheless, urged the President to help ensure the vaccination of all Ghanaians against COVID-19, as this is the surest way of returning the lives and livelihoods of the population back to normal.
Upgrading of Wamfie-Adiembra Phase 1 & 2 Feeder Roads (36.50km)
At Wamfie, the President inspected ongoing work on the Wamfie-Adiembra road, which is important inter-district road, that links some ten (10) communities from the Dormaa East District to the Sunyani East District.
The major communities along the road corridor are Wamfie, Praprababida, Adiembra and Nsagobesa, and with inhabitants of these communities being predominantly cocoa farmers, it will also help in carting food produce from these communities.
At Kintampo, the Chiefs and people said they remain indebted to the president for his good works in the Municipality.
According to the Krontihene of the Mo Traditional Area, Nana Adjei Adinkra II, the flagship policies have had a tremendous impact on the lives and livelihoods of the people of Kintampa include the Programme for Planting for Food and Jobs, which, he explained, has “made fertilizers and seeds available to our farmers, leading to increase in yields.”
Again, Nana Adjei Adinkra II indicated that Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD), another flagship programme of the Akufo-Addo government, has ensured that cashew farmers in the Kintampo Municipality have been supported with the free distribution of 100,000 cashew seedlings.
“Equally worthy of mention under your flagship policies is the Free Senior High School Programme, in which two public schools in the Municipality, Kintampo Senior High School and New Longoro Senior High School, are benefiting. Again the swift response you deployed to address the infrastructure deficit in Kintampo Senior High School following the implementation of the programme is very much appreciated,” he added.
The Kintampo Chief cited the 12-unit block, with a 6-seater toilet facility and a single storey dormitory block, under the Emergency GETFund Projects across the country, as examples of projects that have been constructed and completed to bridge the infrastructure gap in these senior high schools.
He thanked President Akufo-Addo for the location of the Regional Health Directorate in Kintampo, which is in fulfilment of his promise not to concentrate all decentralised institutions in the newly created regions in the capitals.
“The construction of a mango juice processing factory at Habitat, a suburb in Kintampo, is in line with the One-District-One-Factory (1D1F) programme, under the Rural Enterprise Project. This Project will provide our teaming unemployed youth with jobs when the Project is finally completed. Similarly, the Assembly in collaboration with PRODESOP, an NGO and with funding from the European Union, has also constructed a Ginger Processing Factory at Chiranda,” Nana Adjei Adinkra II said.
He continued, “The construction of a Business Resource Centre under the same REP within the Assembly’s premises will provide business support and the needed entrepreneurial skills to small businesses in the Municipality. We are, indeed, grateful for that.”
The Krontihene also acknowledged the grading and routine maintenance works which were carried out on selected roads under the Department of Urban Roads in 2020, adding that “the same year also witnessed the construction of about 500 metres of roads in Kintampo Zongo township under the Zongo Development Fund. This is a landmark achievement under your government.”
He also noted that two (2) ambulances; the construction of an office complex for the Fire Service at Kintampo; the construction of CHPS compounds at Kyeremankuma, Atta Akura and Kawampe; the drilling and mechanization of 20 boreholes across the Municipality; the construction of a 3-unit classroom block for the Girls Model School in Kintampo; the construction of a 3-unit classroom block at Kadelso; and the extension of electricity to remote villages in the municipality as other e xamples of projects undertaken by Government.
“Nananom and the people of Kintampo will forever cherish the beautiful and magnificent Dual Court Facility which has been constructed and fully furnished by the Municipal Assembly, and which you are here to fully commission.
The Paramount Chief of Prang Traditional Area in the Pru West District of the Bono East Region, Nana Kwadwo Nyarko III, expressed his gratitude to the President for establishing the factory in his district under the “One District, One Factory” initiative.
Nana Kwadwo Nyarko III indicated that “Pru West District is a proud host of a gigantic starch processing factory that we are confident that very soon you will be back with us again to commission. Personally, I feel proud and privileged to see such a project in my lifetime.”
The Paramount Chief also thanked the President for solving their perennial water shortages that have plagued the Traditional Area.
“Mr. President, as part of improving the perennial water shortage that was a nightmare in Prang, you have successfully constructed the Prang Small Town Pipe Water System Project. The people of Prang now have running water in their homes, all year round” he said.
Touching on agriculture, the Paramount Chief noted that the Pru West District has received two farm tractors and other farm implements, and has started an Agriculture Mechanization Centre, which is helping farmers plough their fields at subsidised rates.
For his part, the Paramount Chief of Nkoranza Traditional Area, Nana Kwame Baffoe IV, said President Akufo-Addo’s reputation of resilience and courage has been exemplified in the unprecedented achievements achieved.
According to Nana Kwame Baffoe IV, the decision to decentralize state institutions beyond the regional capital, resulting in the establishment of the Regional Education Directorate in Nkoranza and the Health Directorate in Kintampo, all under the Nkoranza Traditional area, remains the single most well-thought through idea to equitably develop every part of the country.
In addition to this, he indicated that the construction of a dining hall, a 12-unit classroom block, an assembly hall, and a 2-unit girls dormitory block for Nkoranza Technical Institute, together with the construction of 16 other 3-unit classroom blocks across the district in the first term of the President “is truly unprecedented.”
He also expressed his appreciation to Government for the construction of a new nurses’ quarters in Tumiebu, a Maternity Block at Dromankese, and the provision of an ambulance for Nkoranza.
On roads, Nana Kwame Baffoe IV thanked the President for the commencement of phase 2 works on the Jema Nkwanta-Asekye road, which, when completed, will shed off some three (3) hours off normal trips between the North, Bono East and Ashanti regions, and also for steady progress of work on the Yefri, Boana and the Tanoboase road that links Nkoranza.
On agriculture, which is the main stay of the people in the area, he said the new warehouses at Yefri and Donkro Nkwanta will eliminate post-harvest losses, adding that the supply of 100,000 cashew seedlings yearly to tree crop farmers was a welcome initiative.
Still in the region, the Chief of Chiraa Traditional Area in the Sunyani West District of the Bono Region, Nana Afari Mintah, has also told Ghanaians that Ghana can only be “fixed” if all the citizens come together to play their respective roles.
“Nana, not long ago, some young men, who call themselves fix the country advocates, demonstrated. Nana, I and my (queen) mother will help you in fixing the country. Governance is not for a single person or few people to undertake. It is a collective responsibility. It is for all of us to contribute our quota in developing the country. Let us all, in unity, support the President in discharging his vision to develop Ghana” he said.
On roads, Nana Afari Mintah praised President Akufo-Addo for living up to expectations with his year of roads pledge.
“When he talked about the year of roads, it wasn’t a fluke. Today we have seen it ourselves. A road network, which has been unattended to for years, regimes upon regimes have come and gone but it has never witnessed even an upgrading, today, we see it being constructed”
“In all sincerity, what Nana has done for us, the Chiraa Senior High School, when the students were 2,155, where they would sleep was a challenge. At a point in time, we even considered renting a house for the students to stay in. The MP, Ignatius Baffuor Awuah told me to exercise patience. As we speak, thanks to you Nana Addo, within a short time, we have three girls’ dormitories. We no longer have any challenges for the girls. The boys also have dormitories. There are also enough classroom blocks, Nana, the people of Chiraa are grateful to you”