Govt committed to developing UWR – President

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has told the Chiefs and people of the Issa traditional area in the Upper West Region to choose the New Patriotic Party (NPP) over the others if they wanted to see more development.

He expressed that although the district continued to vote massively for the National Democratic Congress, it was during the tenure of the NPP government that the area had seen some form of development, particularly with regards to the tarring of roads.

“You voted seven times for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) yet you did not see any tarred roads in your area until I assumed office in 2016 and that tells you the priority I place on fairness and equity in national development,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo stated this on Tuesday when he met with chiefs and people of the area during an official inspection of the construction of a district hospital at Issa under government’s Agenda 111 project.

He explained that on his road to the presidency, he had visited the district severally and had not seen any tarred roads yet not in any of those instances had the district voted for the New Patriotic Party either at the parliamentary elections or the presidential.

Regardless of the trend, the President said he was committed to the development of the area, hence the increased development interventions such as the hospital facility.

“Since I became President in 2016, you are beginning to see tarred roads in the DBI, even though you still do not vote for me; we are continuing the road development in the district. Every part of the country should get their fair share of development whether they voted for me or not”, he said.

The President of the Traditional Council, Naa Yelekuang Bawiele commended the President for the numerous development interventions and the swiftness with which he addressed some of the requests they put before him during his last visit to the area in 2018.

“We requested that you hasten the process to upgrade the Issa Health Centre which was then a CHPS Compound to a district hospital; it was upgraded to a Polyclinic in 2019, we also requested a school bus for the then Issa Youth Leadership Training Institute and the bus was provided.

“We are also happy to announce that through your leadership, the District Assembly led by the DCE in collaboration with the Catholic Church has established a Senior High School in Issa some two years ago as requested”, the chief listed.

He again commended the President for facilitating the upgrading of the Issa Youth Leadership Training Institute to a Technical Institute (TVET) and delivering on his promise to tar the roads in Issa town.

“More importantly the Fian – Wogu road, Issa – Kojokperi – Wahabu – Wellembelle road are also under construction;and we are also aware of your government’s collaboration with the European Union to construct some roads and markets in the district which include the Fain-Owlo-Daffiama road, Wogu Saamabo road, among others,” he added.

The chief, however, appealed to the president to help them secure a meeting hall for the traditional council as well as a community centre for the area.

“Chiefs do not participate in partisan politics; all that I have said is devoid of political interest but facts that can be verified”, he added.

The traditional council conferred on the President, the chieftaincy title; ‘Yelemenga Naa I,” which is translated to mean the ‘Chief of Truth.’

FROM LYDIA DARLINGTON FORDJOUR, ISSA