Northern Ghana asked to collaborate with government bridge gap in development
The Yendi Municipal Information Director, Mr. Edward Atta Abebe Dawuni has called on the people from the North to collaborate with the government in order to help bridge the north and south development gap.
He said Yendi Municipality and the entire northern region could only benefit from the 2012 infrastructural development budget and other National budgets, if there was peace in the area.
He said already government was spending huge sums of money on security and some parts of the country including Yendi Municipality.
He indicated that the 2012 budget has been designed to address the infrastructural deficits in order to sustain growth, create more employment opportunities, improve incomes and improve the standards of living of the people thereby reducing poverty.
Mr. Dawuni made the call when he delivered a talk during the public education campaign on the 2012 budget statement and the economic policy at Sambu, Kpabiya, Salankpan, Puriya among others in the Yendi Municipality of Northern Region.
Touching on poverty reduction, the Municipal Information Director indicated that government had allocated an amount of GH¢3,433.5 million representing 23.7 percent of total government expenditure to support the provision of basic education, primary health care, poverty-focused, agriculture, rural water, feeder roads and rural electrification.
He added that government would provide an amount of GH¢25.37 million, GH¢28.80 million, GH¢28.97 million and GH¢54.92 as intervention packages for capitation grant, free school uniforms, free exercise books and subsides to basic and senior high schools respectively.
Mr. Dawuni said government would provide 4,000 new boreholes country wide in fulfillment of its promise in 2010 of providing 20,000 boreholes over next 5 years.
He noted that government would extend electricity to 500 communities in the Northern and Upper East regions.
Mr. Dawuni stated that under the agriculture government will expand the agriculture subsidy programme to include liquid fertilizers (bio fertilizer) and improved seeds and also distribute 165 metric tones of chemical fertilizer and 800,000 litres of liquid fertilizer to farmers in 2012.
He reminded them that Northern Region is benefiting from the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA).
Mr. Dawuni explained that all these will become a reality if there is peace in the region and Ghana as a whole.
He therefore called on the people to appreciate the efforts the government is making to maintain law and order for the country to continue to enjoy permanent peace in Dagbon and the country as a whole.
Source: GNA