North Mo Traditional Area To Get Development Projects

By Innocent Samuel Appiah

THE VICE President, Dr. John Dramani Mahama has reiterated his resolve to support the chiefs and people of the North Mo Traditional Area, to lend a hand of support in the development process of the area.

He said despite the fact that he is no more the Member of Parliament for the Bole – Bamboi any longer, he would never forget the role the chiefs and people of the area, played in his days as a Member of Parliament, which according to him, propelled him to be exposed as a good material for the Vice President.

Mr. Mahama ssaid in so far as he comes from the area, especially the Bamboi area where he has a lot of support for his political ladder, he would do things possible to ensure that demands by the chiefs and people of the North Mo are provided.

The Vice President said this when a delegation of chiefs from the North Mo Traditional Council, led by the Paramount Chief, Nana Kwaku Dapaah II, called on him at the Christiansburg Castle, Osu to discuss matters concerning the development of the area.

Mr. Mahama informed the delegation that all was not lost with regards to the people’s crave for a separate district, saying that the Electoral Commission would be creating more districts are the December elections, and thereby assured them that he would do all that he can to assist them in that regard.

Nana Dapaah on behalf of the chiefs officially informed the Vice President about their quest to get a separate district to be carved out from the Bole district because of the distance between Bole and Bamboi, which is 72 miles apart. He said they had already submitted a proposal to that effect to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, and thereby appealed to the Vice President to use his good offices to assist them in getting its own separate district.

The delegation also mentioned other areas they believed Mr. Mahama could help them to achieve. Notable among them are a classroom block and Principal’s bungalow for the proposed Secondary Technical School.

“I want to thank you people for giving me all the necessary support, which enabled me to serve as an MP. If I made a good name in this country, it is based on your support that made me achieve that feat and this has metamorphosed into the position of Vice President today, for which reason I will never desert the North Mo area,” he noted.

The chiefs also appealed to Vice President Mahama to assist them in getting a Senior High School to absorb the numerous students who may qualify from Junior High Schools each year, since the Bole District has only one Senior High School.

They equally appealed to the government ungraded the Health Centre located at Bamboi to a polyclinic, which has been overstretched by the number of communities within its catchment area.

The chiefs commended the government for the birth of the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) and assured government of their fullest support to release lands to open potential areas for development within the Traditional Area and the Bole district in general.

“I have welcomed this opportunity, especially the moment of it, to humbly enlist your support and cooperation, as Vice President of the Republic of Ghana and an important son who represents the conscience of the two Traditional Areas of Bamboi and Bole, to broker peace and partnership between the two-sister traditional areas to take up education and investment as part of a pioneering endeavour to cast traditional leadership role in the SADA project.

“The two-sister Traditional Councils have been inspired by the frontline role of some key Traditional leaders in the southern part of Ghana in successfully brokering trade and investment partnerships for their respective traditional areas and regions either on sister-city initiatives or other initiatives to demonstrate a commitment to complement government’s efforts in development,” Nana Dapaah noted.

The Paramount Chief, who is domiciled in the in America, told the Vice President that over the past decade, his association with high profile investors and organizations in the USA had brought investors and development organizations into the country, and subsequent invitations and participation in programmes by government officials, National House of Chiefs and the Northern Regional House of Chiefs for development and investment inclined trips in the USA.

“We have been able as twin-sister Traditional Councils to build on this successful engagement and over a decade long-standing relationship to broker partnership with the globally reputable Seattle Trade Development Alliance and The Pacific Institute in Washington, to promote education, economic and investment in Northern Ghana as an investment gateway project. This initiative is intended to establish the Northern Ghana – Seattle education, Economic and Investment Summit to advance the prospects of Education, Economic and mutually beneficial investment partnership for Northern Ghana.

“We have been challenged by the reality that in the absence of any initiative to define and put us on a definite development path as part of the SADA project, anything but development would be the automatic by-product. In such situations, dispute becomes rife and development becomes rare. In our quest to change this course we would require your personality and assistance to fuel this prospective partnership we have been able advance to bring the two traditional areas together to chart a path for greater development involvement and focus. This initiative could set the basis for the adoption of a common model to define traditional leadership role as part of the SADA initiative,” he indicated.

Responding to their request, the Vice President hinted that an additional 200 Community Senior High Schools would soon be created across the country, and that Bamboi was one of such communities that would benefit from that. He added that whatever developmental projects that need to be brought to the area, would be given to them and jokingly said that he considers himself as part of the North Mo Traditional Council by virtue of his enstoolment as a Development chief by the chiefs and people of the area in 2010.

“Your quest for an SHS is long overdue because between Wenchi in the Brong Ahafo region and Bole, there is no SHS, and this situation is worrying. I assure you that very soon, this request would be granted to them,” he maintained, saying that the appeal made was in the right direction and said government was already in the process in ensuring that their concerns were addressed.