Work on Daboya Bridge to start this year-• Vice-President assures

Work on the Daboya Bridge, spanning the White Volta, is expected to begin this year.

The bridge is a critical link in the commercial and everyday life of people in the north eastern parts of the country.

It is designed to serve as an alternative route for travellers from the north to the south, and from the Savannah Region to the Upper West Region.

Congress

The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, gave an assurance at Bole in the Savannah Region last Saturday at the 45th Annual Congress of the Gonjaland Youth Association, which brought together all the youth living in Gonjaland, irrespective of their tribe.

The congress was graced by chiefs of Gonjaland, and sons and daughters of the land based far and near.

Dr Bawumia indicated that the government was committed to constructing the Daboya Bridge, and to undertake various infrastructure works in the region to accelerate the socio-economic development of the area.

"The government of President Akufo-Addo has over the past four years completed over 600 infrastructure projects in the Savannah Region (captured in the delivery tracker), and will do even more to accelerate the development of Gonjaland and northern Ghana in general,” he said.

He said the projects cut across education to energy, health, water and sanitation, agriculture, youth and sports, and housing, adding that about 155 other projects were currently ongoing.

The Vice-President stated that the design works for the bridge were ongoing, and barring any unforeseen challenges, work would begin this year.

Infrastructure

Dr Bawumia emphasised the government’s commitment to the infrastructure development of the Gonjaland, as he outlined a list of projects undertaken over the past four years, promising more in the coming years.

“These projects, together with the several others, are geared towards improving the living standards of the people of Gonjaland. We are focused on providing quality drinking water, quality education, supporting local economic activities, and creating jobs and stimulating the potentials of the youth,” he said.

The Vice-President, however, reminded the youth that they were the pivot around which the accelerated development programme of the government revolved, and that it was for that reason that Ghana’s post-COVID-19 recovery plan (Ghana Cares Programme) focused on key projects on attracting educated youth into commercial agriculture, as well as promoting engineering, and information and communication technology industries.

The government, Dr Bawumia pledged, would give the needed attention to the Savannah Region to stimulate local economic development.

“I call on all citizens of Gonjaland, wherever you are, to channel your resources into investing in the opportunities in the area. It is now time to focus on the development of our people.”