President Akufo-Addo and the Paramount Chief of the Builsa Traditional Area, Nab Azagsuk Azantilow, have jointly cut a sod in Sandema in the Builsa North District of the Upper East Region for the commencement of the first phase of a two-storey district police headquarters for the Ghana Police Service.
The first phase of the police headquarters will serve as the administrative office for the district command and will also be used as a police station with washrooms, male and female cells, as well as a holding place for persons who need to undergo correction or punishment for offences they may commit.
The police district headquarters is being funded through the District Development Fund (DDF).
A project engineer with Katham 5 Company Limited, Ahmed Yakubu, in an interview with DAILY GUIDE at the project site, said the company is capable of working according to schedule, but called for the co-operation of the people in the area.
The President also inspected work on a storage facility under the Ghana Buffer Stock Company also in Sandema, before addressing a durbar of chiefs to climax the end of his two-day working visit to the Upper East Region.
The paramount chief suggested to the President to consider attaching to the ‘Planting for Food and Jobs’ programme, a pool of tractors in every district to help in land preparation for farming at a subsidized fee.
In his view, many people are not able to cultivate bigger acres of land due to the cost of land preparation and also the non availability of tractor services in some villages in the Upper East Region, hence the small acreages being cultivated by farmers under the programme.
The paramount chief was not happy with the deficit in the housing sector in the region and wanted government to help address the problem.
He appealed to the President to ensure that the cost of building materials remain the same in the northern part of Ghana as they are in the southern part.
“In the brewery industry, the price of beer is the same. Perhaps we can bring great relief to those in the north by establishing depots in each of the three regions in the north, where cement will be sold at the factory price.” The chief indicated.
He pleaded with the President to spearhead the establishment of a tertiary institution in the Builsa North District, preferably nursing and teacher training colleges, as well as a modern technical and vocational institution in the area to open up the place for development.
The chief also wants the Energy Ministry to consider building a substation in the area to help improve power supply to the area.
President Akufo-Addo assured the people of the Builsa North District that government was fully committed to the development of the area.
Earlier the President and some appointees that accompanied him inspected on-going works on the Navrongo, Chuchuliga, Sandema road. He interacted with the contractor (My Turn Company Limited) to work according to schedule.
FROM: Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Sandema