Veep Commissions Projects in Upper East

Chiana (UE), Aug. 11, GNA - The Vice President, John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday commissioned two projects sited in two separate communities in the Upper East Region, and valued at Gh¢195,000 Ghana Cedis.

They include an eye clinic at Chiana which was built at the cost of Gh¢140,000 and an Information Communication Technology (ICT) centre built at the cost of Gh¢55,000 at Nabango, all in the Kassena-Nankana East District.

Commissioning the projects, Vice President Mahama explained that the eye clinic project was in fulfillment of the President’s promise to the Chiana Traditional Council when he attended the funeral of the late Paramount Chief, Pe Roland Ayagitam.

He said for several years it had been a known fact that the inhabitants of the area had high prevalence Onchocerciasis which was the leading cause of blindness in the area.

He stated that the disease led to de-population of the area as compared to the other parts of the Region, adding that blindness from onchocerciasis further impoverished the people and resulted in early death and low life expectancy.

The Vice President assured the people that the area which has potential agriculture land would be turned into the food basket of the country under the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) programme, adding that roads along the Navrongo–Tumu-Yendi, and Bunkpurugu, among others, would be opened up.

He said the ICT Project at Nabango in the Kassena-Nankana West District which was meant to serve schools and the general public in the District, would help to improve the academic performance of pupils and students and provide them with profitable information.

The Vice President stated that Government through the Ministry of Communication would equip the centre with enough facilities to enable it to cater for the needs of the people.

The Minister of Health, Mr Joseph Yielechire who was part of the Vice President’s entourage said the eye clinic had been equipped adequately with specialists posted to man it adding, “A visiting ophthalmologist from the Regional Hospital or Bawku Presbyterian hospital would come periodically on outreach to provide services.”

He said services including eye-lid surgery for trachoma and other eye related diseases would be undertaken.

The Chiana Pio, Pe Adiali Ayagitam 111 commended Government for the eye facility and appealed for additional Senior High Schools in the area to absorb the increasing number of JHS students who did not get the opportunity to travel to other distant schools as a result of the cost involved.

He further appealed to Government to create a new district for the area and construct dams to speed up the development of the area.

The Regent of Nabango, Akansake Atuguba expressed gratitude to Government for constructing the ICT Centre, and appealed for the provision of electricity, irrigation dams, as well as the creation of a separate constituency in the area.

The Vice President in response assured the people of the area that their request would be granted but asked them to exercise patience while Government worked out solutions to their problems.