Peace in Bawku our priority — John Mahama

Former President John Dramani Mahama has pledged to collaborate closely with religious and traditional leaders in the Upper East Region to achieve sustainable peace in Bawku, for accelerated development if re-elected as President in the December polls.

He said the Bawku community, which has been plagued by intermittent violence and instability for years, was usually more peaceful under a National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.

“So when we come to power after winning the December polls, we are going to work closely with the chiefs, religious leaders and other stakeholders to make sure we bring everyone together for the sake of peace,” he stressed. 

Rally

Mr Mahama, who is the flag bearer of the opposition NDC, was addressing a rally at Denugu in the Garu Constituency on his campaign tour in the Upper East Region last Saturday.

Earlier, Mr Mahama visited the Bawku Central, Pusiga and Tempane constituencies to interact with chiefs, opinion leaders and party supporters and sympathisers. He highlighted Bawku's potential as a commercial hub, emphasising that peace was essential for prosperity. He outlined various initiatives, including a farmers' service centre and women's development bank, which would benefit the area once there was peace.

“If there is no peace, it will be very difficult for the people to benefit from such laudable initiatives,” he said. 

Pusiga

During a courtesy call on the Pusiga Naba, Naba Tambiis-baaluk-Kunwiak Ibrahim Aguuri I, Mr Mahama acknowledged the deplorable state of the road to Pusiga township and promised to address it as part of the Bolgatanga-Bawku-Polimakom road project.

He reiterated the promise to set up farmers service centres in every district with at least 10 tractors and other equipment and inputs to assist farmers in producing more food crops.

The Pusiga Naba commended the erstwhile NDC administration for the numerous developmental projects it executed for the benefit of the people. Further, Naba Aguuri I, appealed for the creation of a district police command since the area was under the Bawku Police Command which was already overstretched. 

Kaadi chief

During a courtesy call on the Kaadi chief at Binduri, Mr Mahama in an address set the record straight on his position regarding the creation of a new region from the six constituencies in the eastern part of the Upper East Region.

He stated that during his visit to the Bawku Naaba's palace, he discussed the criteria for creating a new region, including land size, economic viability, population and the submission of a petition followed by a commission of inquiry. 

However, he claimed that a fake news story distorted his words, attempting to create a rift between him and the Mamprugu state. "I never spoke about the Mamprugu state," Mahama emphasized. "I was simply comparing land size, population and economic viability with other recently created regions."

Zebilla

In Zebilla, Mr Mahama interacted with religious and traditional leaders at the Amazon Hotel, emphasising the importance of collaboration between government and community leaders for the development of the country.

Addressing a gathering of hundreds of market women, Mr Mahama reaffirmed the NDC's commitment to establishing a development bank specifically designed to support women-led businesses.

He explained that by prioritising women's economic empowerment, the country could unlock the full potential of Ghana's female entrepreneurs and stimulate sustainable growth.

Accountable

The former President urged supporters to vote out the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to hold them accountable for their actions over the past eight years. He said NPP leaders, including their flag bearer, were hesitant to discuss their past economic promises because they had failed in governance.