Abu Jinapor markets Savannah Region in Parliament

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Damango and Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel A. Jinapor, has mounted a spirited call for investment and tourism in the Savannah Region, one of the six newly created regions in 2019.

Mr. Jinapor made the call when he spoke in Parliament on the Savannah Region’s historical and contemporary contribution to the political and socio-economic development of Ghana, as part of the 65th Independence anniversary of Ghana and the Heritage Month of March.

Making the Statement on Wednesday, (March 16, 2022), the MP said, though new, indigenes of the Region contributed significantly to the struggle for independence, he recalled the contributions of the likes of J.A. Braimah, who served as a Member of the Coussey Committee on constitutional reforms in the late 1940s and later one of the first persons from the north to become a Member of the Legislative Assembly and Cabinet Minister, and E. A. Mahama, father of former President John Dramani Mahama, who also served as a member of the Legislative Assembly and Minister under Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

Mr. Jinapor also mentioned several other distinguished personalities from the Region who served the country in various capacities from the Second Republic to the current Fourth Republican dispensation.

Turning to tourism, Mr. Jinapor said the four thousand five hundred and seventy-seven square kilometres (4,577 sq. km) Mole National Park hosts over ninety-three (93) mammal species, including Elephants, Buffalos, Kobs, Western Hartebeest, Roan Antelope, Defassa Waterbuck, Oribi, Bohor Reedbuck and Red-flanked Duikers, as well as endangered species like the Yellow-backed Duiker, Black and White Colobus Monkeys, Leopards and Lions.

In addition to the mammal species, the Park also has over three hundred and thirty-four (334)bird species, thirty-three (33) reptiles, nine (9)amphibian species, and one hundred and twenty (120) butterfly species.

He called on Ghanaians and foreigners alike, to visit the Mole National Park, at least, once a year. “Spending a day or two at an ecotourism site, like the Mole Park, according to experts, refreshes the entire being of a person,” the MP said.

According to Mr. Jinapor, people who visit the Mole National Park have the opportunity to also visit other exciting tourist sites within the same catchment area, like the Ancient Mosque and Mystic Stone at Larabanga, the Hippopotamus Sanctuary at Ntereso, the Slave Market and Wells at Salaga, the Black and White Volta Confluence at Lourchira and the Royal Mausoleum for Gonja Kings at Mankuma.

On investment, Mr. Jinapor said the Region offers huge investment opportunities in agriculture, extractives and transportation. He called on the private sector to take advantage of these investment opportunities, particularly in the area of agriculture and Rosewood plantation.

Mr. Jinapor thanked the President of the Republic, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for honouring his promise to create the Savannah Region.

He pledged the commitment of the Chiefs and people of the Savannah Region, including the youth, some of whom were in Parliament, to building a united nation.