Government will build Atuabo Free Port - Bawumia

Vice-President Dr. Alhaji Mahamadu Bawumia has given a strong indication that government would take the necessary measures to conclude negotiations to build the Atuabo Free Port to provide more jobs to indigenes in and around Adoabo and the Western Region.

He said the Port was dear to the heart of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his quest to improve the living conditions of Ghanaians.

Vice-President Dr. Bawumia gave the assurance when he joined the Chiefs and people of Eastern Nzema Traditional Area to climax their week-long annual Kundum festival at Atuabo in the Ellembelle District on Sunday, October 28, 2018.

The event which was attended by government functionaries including the MP for Ellembelle, Mr. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, was on the theme "Improving Education Through Culture and Heritage".

Dr. Bawumia said the project was awarded to Lonhro Company from the UK by the NDC government but disappointed the government brought the project to a standstill.

"However, government would persist to ensure that the Atuabo Port became a reality to offer services in the oil and gas enclave and improve the living conditions of the people", he assured.

The Vice-President asked the Chiefs and people to enrich the festival and make the area a potential tourist destination in the coming years.

He said government would make provision for educational inputs to train the human resource base to accelerate the socio-economic development of the county.

Dr. Bawumia who taunted a litany of achievements and social intervention policies embarked upon by government in the last 20 months, said the one million dollar fund for each Constituency would be considered in the 2018 budget proposal and tasked development partners to commence preparations for the use of the fund before January 2019.

He urged oil and gas companies in the Nzema area to be mindful of their corporate social responsibility and improve the quality of life of the people.

The Vice-President said a fertilizer plant would be established in the District and assured that government would tackle the Okada form of transportation to inure to the benefit of the people.

Earlier, the Omanhene of Eastern Nzema Traditional Area and Vice-President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs, Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli III said the role of the citizenry to build the nation was paramount and entreated all Ghanaians to contribute to the growth and development of the country.

He appealed to government to do well to build the Adoabo Free Port to reduce unemployment in the area.

The Omanhene charged companies in the area to support infrastructure and speed up development of the District.

Awulae Amihere also appealed to government to relocate the Tullow office in Takoradi to the Ellembelle District.

The MP for the area, Mr. Kofi Buah said the District performance in the BECE had dropped over the past two years and called for concerted efforts to prepare the children with requisite skills to arrest the situation to succeed in the future.

He tasked companies in the District to formalize their long-term agreements with the communities and live up to their corporate social responsibility.

Mr. Buah reminded the people that "it was only a united front that could propel the development of the area but not partisan politics"

District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, Mr. Kwasi Bonzo on behalf of the Assembly donated GHc10,000 as seed fund to support the Omanhene Education Trust Fund.

He said the District had trained 40 smart and intelligent graduates to go round and collect data about people in the District in the next two months.

Mr. Bonzo said the District had awarded scholarships to many students to pursue higher education and tap their expertise to develop the area.