Tongraan Kulgbilsung Nalebegtang
Paramount Chief of the Talensi Traditional Area in the Upper East Region of Ghana, Tongraan Kulgbilsung Nalebegtang, has added his voice to the Pwalugu Multi-purpose dam debate, calling on the NDC Minority to tread cautiously and also consider the interest of the country and people living in the north.
Tongraan Kulgbilsung Nalebegtang, who is a member of the Council of State representing the Upper East Region, is hopeful that the construction of the dam would to some extent address the perennial flooding, destruction of farmlands and the flood-related deaths.
For him, the Pwalugu dam is a single project that will facilitate a significant transformation in the beneficiary communities and regions and commended government to committing itself to ensure that the very important project is done.
“In recent times, we have heard of some Members of Parliament expressing concerns about the project. I am appealing to them to tread cautiously so as not to cause the stalling of the project for the second time, since it stands to benefit farmers in both the Upper East Region and the North East Regions, as well as generate electricity into the national grid for the benefit of the entire nation,” the chief said during Tengmaalug Laong Festival at Tongo in the Upper East Region.
He said “the dam has three components: hydro-electric, solar and irrigation. We must all, therefore, keep that in mind our pronouncement about the cost of the project… no two dams of equal outputs situated at different places will cost the same, because the topography of the sites play a major role in the total cost.”
The prominent chief commended the government for the many developmental projects the Talensi District is benefiting from in the area of education, health and human resource capacity building.
In recent times, there have been suggestions that the airport in the Upper East should be relocated to Navrongo, others want more studies done on the Sirigu site to host the airport while another group insists that the current proposed site at Sumbrungu should be maintained.
But in all these, Tongraan Kulgbilsung Nalebegtang believes that having the airport in a community under regional capital – Bolgatanga – will be ideal, just as other regions have their airports in their regional capital.
The festival ushers the people of the Talensi Traditional Area into the planting/farming season.
It is marked by a durbar of chiefs and Tindanas (traditional landlords), queen mothers and son and daughters of the area.
The durbar was graced by some members of the Council of State, board members of the Tema Oil Refinery Board, the Upper East Regional Minister, the Talensi DCE and members of political parties, as well as the leadership of Fulanis in Ghana.
FROM: Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Tongo