By
Edward Williams, GNA
Nkwanta (O/R), Feb. 17, GNA – President Nana
Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Sunday cut the sod for commencement of work on a
Regional Office for the Food and Agriculture Ministry at Nkwanta in the Oti
Region.
The project, expected to be completed in eight
months, comes with residential accommodation and offices and going to
disability friendly.
President Akufo-Addo, addressing a durbar of
Chiefs and people of Nkwanta at the sod cutting ceremony, to begin his
three-day tour of the Oti and Volta regions said his government was committed
to delivering all promises made to the people, as it did in the creation of the
Oti region.
He said government decided to develop the new
regions by evenly distributing development projects to all areas in these
region, hence the siting of the Agriculture Department outside the regional
capital.
President Akufo-Addo announced that they would
soon be establishing a Tree Crop Development Authority to oversee the
production of coffee, cashew, palm oil and rubber in the country.
The Authority would put measures in place to
boost the yield of these crops and returns to farmers to improve living
standards of farmers.
The President told the gathering that
deplorable roads in the area would be fixed to promote socio-economic
activities, especially agribusiness.
President Akufo-Addo urged the people to
remain united and work together to speed up the progress of the new region.
Nana Obombo Sewura Lupuwura II, Paramount
Chief of Akyode Traditional Council, said the Oti Region was already
witnessing, “remarkable and progressive” development barely a year
after its inauguration and commended Government for the foresight.
He mentioned the construction a warehouse to
support agricultural activities, rehabilitation of a Magistrate Court and a
market at Nkwanta among others, under the One million Dollar per Constituency
initiative.
Nana Lupuwura said the President’s
intervention in the construction of an emergency school block and girls
dormitory at the Nkwanta Senior High School was relieving, following an
increase in school enrolment under “his best policy”,- Free Senior
High School (SHS) policy.
He added that they were grateful for efforts
at fixing the Nkwanta-Dambai and Nkwanta-Shiare roads, and the supply of an
ambulance to improve healthcare delivery.
The Paramount Chief said Nkwanta South was an
agricultural area and appealed to the President to support farmers with
tractors and to work on feeder roads such as Nkwanta-Kpasa to promote inter
district economic activities.
He also appealed for Nkwanta town roads to be
fixed and the provision of potable water to the people.
Mr. Alan Kyeremanteng, Minister for Trade and
Industry, said government would construct a cassava processing factory in the
area to help farmers increase their production.
GNA