GOVERNMENT has announced the establishment of a GH¢1 billion Bawku Revitalisation Fund to bridge the development gap between the conflict-ravaged town and other parts of the country.
A statement issued and signed by Felix Kwalye Ofosu, the Minister of Government Communications, said the decades of insecurity in Bawku had severely constrained public and private investment and stalled critical infrastructure development, hence the need for Government intervention.
According to the statement the Government acknowledges that the protracted conflict had resulted in grave human, social, and economic losses, significantly undermining livelihoods, social cohesion, and development prospects in Bawku and its environs.
“The Fund which shall be disbursed over a three-year period between 2026 and 2028, will be dedicated to the reconstruction and development of priority infrastructure, including roads, healthcare, education, dam and irrigation facilities for all-year-round agriculture, security installations, and economic and commercial facilities, to restore Bawku to its historic position as a significant economic and trading hub in Northern Ghana,” the statement outlined.
The Fund, the statement said shall be managed by a high-level committee chaired by the Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, with the Upper East Regional Minister, Donatus Akamuguri, the Majority Leader and MP for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, as members.
The announcement of the fund comes a day after the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Mediation Committee presented its report to government.
Government, the statement said “fully endorses and accepts all the findings and recommendations contained in the Mediation Report”.
“The Report constitutes a comprehensive, fact-based, and forward-looking roadmap aimed exclusively at achieving lasting peace, reconciliation, and stability in Bawku and its surrounding areas. It is not intended to apportion blame or confer victory on any party.”
The Otumfuo Mediation Committee established that Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, is the lawful heir to the Bawku skin and Paramount Chief of the Kusaug Traditional Area.
Government said it aligns with the findings of the Committee that Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II is the lawful Bawku Naba, and that “no individual or group is permitted, under any circumstances, to contest his authority or legitimacy”.
It also accepts the recommendation that Alhaji Seidu Abagre, who was installed as a rival claimant to the Bawku skin, be recalled to Nalerigu by the Overlord of Mamprugu, the Nayiri, to assume an alternative traditional role, with the necessary facilitation and support of the State.
“Pursuant to this recommendation by His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Government will immediately facilitate the safe movement of Alhaji Seidu Abagre to Nalerigu, where he shall remain available to receive the directives of the Nayiri.”
The statement called on all traditional authorities, political leaders, youth groups, civil society organisations, religious bodies, development partners, and the broader citizenry to support the peace-building and reconciliation process in the spirit of unity, restraint, and patriotism.
It further requested the Asantehene to continue to lend his distinguished leadership and moral authority to subsequent reconciliation efforts aimed at fostering enduring peace and harmonious coexistence between the two factions.
“Government reiterates the admonition of His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II that there are no winners and no losers in this process. His Excellency the President, John Dramani Mahama, urges all parties to accept and faithfully abide by the conclusions and recommendations of the Mediation Report in the supreme interest of peace and national stability,” the statement urged.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
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