President Akufo-Addo with the Kpembe Wura
The Kpembe Wura, Babanye Ndefosu II, has expressed appreciation to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the massive levels of development they have witnessed in Kpembe, in the Salaga South constituency of the Savannah Region, since 2017.
He expressed the appreciation when the President visited his palace yesterday as part of his tour of the Savannah Region.
Addressing President Akufo-Addo, Babanye Ndefosu II said his annual visits to the region had been “purposeful and beneficial”.
“These are marked by the numerous development projects at various stages of completion within the municipality and the tradition area as a whole,” the Kpembewura said.
He added: “Your Excellency, under your stewardship, the area has seen massive developmental projects and programmes, including other policies. In the [East Gonja] municipality, we have a sustainable water supply project, more than three ongoing market projects, including one at Bunjai, a modern astroturf football pitch, a completed modern warehouse facility, a rice factory almost completed, a regional Feeder Roads office complex, ongoing salaga township roads, Tamale-Makango road, and Deba-Fufulso road, and many more,” he said.
Positive impact
These initiatives, according to the Kpembe Wura, “obviously will or have positively impacted on the lives of my people and I in diverse ways, and also gave the municipality a facelift we never expected. Your Excellency, we are grateful.”
He used the opportunity of the President’s visit to appeal for increased admission quota for the Kpembe Nursing and Midwifery Training College, which, he said, receives some 2,000 applications, but only admits some 200 students.
He also urged the President to consider establishing a satellite campus of the University of Education to absorb many graduates of expected from the Free Senior High School programme.
“We continue to repose our confidence, unflinching support and hope in your leadership. We trust you will deliver us to the Promised Land. You are already on an enviable trajectory, and we can only invoke the presence of Allah to add more wisdom, sound health and guidance to serve Mother Ghana deservingly,” the Kpembe Wura added.
Salaga water project
Later in the day, President Akufo-Addo commissioned the Salaga water supply project, and a newly constructed astroturf football pitch for residents of Salaga, also in the Savannah Region.
During the President’s working visit to Salaga in 2017, he indicated that demand for water in the town had outstripped supply, and directed the Ghana Water Company Ltd to transform the water supply in the town, which was constructed in 1962, from a rural water supply category into an urban water supply one.
The completion of the project, which cost some GH¢13,906,629, now means the Salaga water supply system has the capacity to supply some 20,000 gallons of water a day to residents.
Details
The project resulted in the rehabilitation of two steel elevated tanks; the construction of twenty-one standpipes; the provision of ten storage tanks in Salaga, Kpembi and Masaka; the rehabilitation of the existing water treatment plant structure; and the replacement of the old treated water transmission pipelines.
The project also involved the renovation of two quarters for staff of the Ghana Water Company Ltd in Salaga; the provision of a new 100KVA transformer; and the installation of a new booster station to distribute water from the new concrete underground tank at ‘Nkwanta Junction’ to the new GRP tank at Kpembe.
Astroturf
President Akufo-Addo also commissioned the Salaga Astroturf football pitch, a project which was commenced in 2018 by the then Ministry of Inner City and Zongo Development.
Constructed at a cost of GH¢1.9 million, the purpose of the astroturf pitch in Salaga, like those constructed in Madina, Bolgatanga, Kyebi, Walewale, Bolgatanga and Yeji, is to help promote sports development in the municipality.
The President urged the youth to make good use of the facility, and called on the Municipal Assembly to undertake routine maintenance to ensure its longevity.
Bunjai-Fufulso road
Whilst in Salaga, President Akufo-Addo also inspected ongoing work on the 71-kilometre Bunjai to Fufulso road, which connects Bunjai to Yapei through Tuluwe and Kusawgu to Fulfulso.
Upon completion, the road will help ensure connectivity between the Eastern and Western parts of the Savannah Region, without commuters having to use Tamale in the Northern Region, and also reduce travel distance between Damongo and Salaga by some 60-kilometres.
The project, which was started on February 27, 2020, and is expected to be completed on August 25 2023, will help in the carting food stuffs from the eastern part of the Savannah Region to the western part, and to the Bono and Ahafo regions.
According to the contractor, M/S Mawums Limited, the project is currently 30 per cent complete, and assured President Akufo-Addo that it would be completed on time.
