We have begun the job you gave us – Bawumia to Dagbon Chiefs

The Vice President of the Republic, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has assured the chiefs and people of Dagbon that the perennial water crisis in Yendi will soon be a thing of the past, following discussions at Cabinet to approve the allocation of $3m for the Yendi Water Project.

The Planting For Food and Jobs, One-District-One-Factory and One Village One Dam Programmes were also designed with the people of northern Ghana in mind, to enable the largely agrarian society benefit from the fruits of their labour, he added.

Vice President Bawumia gave the assurance when he paid courtesy calls on the Kanpakuya Naa and the Bolin Lana at their palaces in Yendi on Thursday, as part of a four-day tour of the Northern region.

Thanking the people of Dagbon for their support in the December 2016 elections, Dr Bawumia said the Akufo-Addo government was committed to fulfilling the promises they made to Ghanaians.

“We have started in earnest, the job for which you gave us your votes. We believe that most of our people are farmers, and therefore we have started the Planting for food and jobs programme. This is going to bring down the cost of fertiliser, make tractors available, make better seeds available, make water available, to bring an increase in productivity.

“We have also noted that Yendi in particular has a major water problem, and that calls for us to bring water from the river Oti to Yendi. The project for that is now before cabinet. Three million dollars of funding is going to be approved to deliver that water project.

“We are also delivering on our promise of free SHS from September. Also our promise of one million dollars or the equivalent of four million Ghana cedis is also going to begin.”

Thanking the chiefs for the peace the area currently enjoys, Dr Bawumia reminded the sons and daughters of Dagbon that there can only be development when citizens are free to go about their activities in an environment of peace and tranquillity.

The Kanpakuya Naa and the Bolin Lana pledged their support for the policies and programmes announced by the Akufo-Addo government, and commended the security agencies for their help in protecting the peace.