Nine warehouses scheduled to be built in Upper East Region

President Akufo-Addo has reiterated the commitment of his government to build nine warehouses spread across the Upper East Region to support the storage of foodstuffs and agricultural produce.

He announced that the warehouses, some of which are even in their completion stages, will be erected in Bawku, Paga, Sandema, Pusiga, Tempane and other areas across the region.

Five out of these nine storage facilities, he stated are being constructed under the Special Development Initiatives.

The rest of the four, he continued, will be constructed under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture.

“Our commitment goes to build warehouses for the storage of foodstuffs and agricultural produce in every district in the country. There are nine that are scheduled for the Upper East Region. Five is being undertaken under the special development initiatives in Bawku, Paga, Sandema, Pusiga, Tempane and other areas. The four others that are being done under the auspices of the ministry of agriculture are all under construction. Some of the warehouses are virtually complete and others are in the course of construction”.

Addressing the Chiefs and People of the Navrongo Traditional Area, Wednesday as part of his two-day working visit to the Upper East Region, President Akufo Addo said his commitment to the people of Navrongo goes beyond promises and mere political talk.

He reassured the Navoro-Pio and his people of his dedication to finish the water treatment plant and rehabilitation of the Tono Irrigation dam on time to enable the farmers benefit from all year round agricultural activities and to also address the water challenges in the area.

The President said- “I came here to see how things are going and I am happy to be able to report that two of the most important projects in the area are ongoing in good shape. The Tono Irrigation project that was allowed to decay and decline very drastically is now the subject of a comprehensive rehabilitation and it is going very well. My understanding from the contractors and consultants is that, within 9 months from now, the entire project will be up and going so that the farmers in the area can benefit from all year round agriculture.

The water project that is now going to be able to supply Navrongo and all the catchment areas around here will be ready in July 2021. They are about 36 complete now and by the end of next year on, the whole project will be completed to bring an end to any water problems in this area”.

The President condemned activities of unpatriotic and greedy individuals who engage in the smuggling of government subsidized fertilizer and other farming inputs into neighbouring countries, with a call on the Chiefs and people to look out for such recalcitrant individuals bleeding the state for personal gains and report them to the right authorities for punishment.

He strongly urged all to complement the efforts of government in the fight against the smuggling of the fertilizer meant for the hardworking Ghanaian farmers, with information that will lead to the crashing of such syndicates and individuals.

“Navoro-Pio, the traditional rulers, I think we should all understand one thing. I don’t think it is possible for all of us to use the country’s money, our tax payers money to buy fertilizer and subsidize it by 50% in order to improve the productivity of our farmers under our planting for food and jobs policies which now stands with a total farmer participation of almost 1million in the two and a half years of my government, only for a handful of greedy people, greedy criminals to smuggle the fertilizer into neighbouring Burkina Faso. It is not right”.

“I am appealing to you, the traditional rulers and the population, so that all of us can bind together to stop the smuggling of our fertilizers to Burkina Faso. Give the security agencies here your maximum support to bring these activities to the end. We will deal with anyone complicit in this activity”. He warned.

On security, President Akufo Addo said government has increased the presence of officers of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) especially in areas close to the borders to make sure terrorists infiltrators do not come into the country to cause problems for Ghanaians.

He asked the Chiefs and citizens to give members of the Ghana Armed Forces all the needed support in the form of intelligence or general information that will assist them execute their work properly.

To the officers, he commended their patriotism and sacrifices in ensuring peace and safety of Ghanaians and urged them to keep the spirit of bravado.

He assured them of government’s continuous support for their work and welfare.