“We acknowledge your challenges, years of neglect, and alienation from the development of our country due to your political choices. But I stand here to assure you that this narrative will change. My visit signals my commitment to ensuring that the Volta Region receives its fair share of national development,” President Mahama stated.
He was speaking at a durbar of chiefs and people of the region on his ‘Thank You Tour’ in Ho on Friday.
President Mahama itemised the creation of jobs through agriculture and agribusiness and infrastructure development as top priorities of his government for the region.
“I assure you that the Volta Region will receive its fair share (of the national cake). One project we target is the Volta Palm Initiative,” the President said.
He explained that the Volta Palm initiative, a private enterprise which has begun would be supported by government “so that the Volta Region can become the centre for oil palm production and processing into vegetable cooking oil”.
Additionally, government, President Mahama said would support rice farming in Afife in the Ketu North District and other parts of the region with equipment, machinery and capital to expand their production capacity to reduce imports whiles creating more jobs for the youth in the sector.
According to the President, the support would be extended to cultivators of ginger in the Oti Region and cassava farming in the Tongu area with processing plants.
Government, President Mahama said, would revisit the cocoa seedling bank initiative, as was the case in his previous term, to provide seedlings and extension services to young people who wish to go into cocoa farming.
In the area of infrastructure, he said the Ho-Aflao road, the Have-Hohoe and Nkwanta-Kpassa portions of the eastern corridor roads and a bridge over River Oti at Dambai would be done to facilitate free movement of people and goods along those stretches.
Government, President Mahama said had taken note of the recent water problems confronting some communities in the Volta Region, and would take steps to expand the Kpeve and Adidome water systems to provide the water needs of the people.
He noted that the region was blessed with good environment free from illegal mining activities which made it a toast for tourists, an area government would invest in for development.
He said government would take the necessary measures to compensate the victims of the Akosombo and Kpong dams as well as put in place mechanisms to prevent future occurrences.
“The road ahead will not be easy and I don’t underestimate the task ahead but we can build the Ghana we want together. Therefore, let us rise above our divisions and work hand in hand to create a nation where every Ghanaian has the opportunity to thrive,” he rallied.
In a speech read on his behalf by his vice president, Togbega Patamia Dzekle VII, the president of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs, Togbe Tepre Hodo IV, appealed to President Mahama to operationalise the Ho airport to open the region to the rest of the country.
He commended the President for his swift appointments which featured sons and daughters of the region but said it has the requisite human resources to have more appointments.
FROM JULIUS YAO PETETSI & SAMUEL AGBEWODE, HO
