Ensure peace for accelerated devt - Mahama urges Gonjaland

Former President John Dramani Mahama has urged the chiefs and people of the Gonja Traditional Area in the Savannah Region to work together to help resolve the various chieftaincy disputes within the area to ensure peace for accelerated development.

He said without peace, no meaningful development could take place.

At the 43rd annual Gonjaland Youth Association meeting last Saturday in Damongo, the capital of the Savannah Region, former President Mahama urged his kinsmen to bury their differences and let peace and unity prevail for the development of the new region.

He reminded the people that in Gonjaland, chieftaincy followed a laid-down succession order.

The former President, therefore, asked for an immediate solution to all chieftaincy problems and praised the Overlord of the Gonjaland Traditional Area, Yagbonwura Tuntumba Boresa Sulemana Jakpa l, for constituting a committee a few weeks ago to find lasting solutions to all conflicts in Gonjaland.

Waterroad

Touching on the water problem affecting Damongo, former President Mahama appealed to the current government to follow the initial plan designed by his government to supply Damongo and its environs with potable water from the Black Volta, adding that if the government failed to solve the challenge, he would solve it in 2021 when he returned as President.

On the road network in Gonjaland, former President Mahama appealed to the government to continue with work on some roads started under his administration, especially the Busunu-Daboya-Mankargu road.

He also urged the government to develop not only the Savannah Region but also all the newly created regions since they were all lagging behind in terms of development.

Honorary doctorate, professorship

Earlier in the day, former President Mahama called on the Yagbonwura in his palace to witness the conferment of an honorary doctorate degree and professorship on him (Yagbonwura) in recognition of his dedication to the progress and development of the Gonjaland and the entire country.

The Poltava University of Economics and Trade in Ukraine (PUET) conferred the honorary doctorate degree on the overlord.

The conferment was done at a special congregation held at the Jakpa Palace and attended by all the paramount chiefs of the Gonja Traditional Area, as well as some of the indigenes from the area.