Government secures $45.7m financing for water systems – President
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced that the government has secured a $45.7 million facility to rehabilitate and expand water systems across three regions in the country.
President Nana Akufo-Addo announced this when he paid a courtesy call on the Overlord of Mamprugu Traditional Area, Nayiri Bohagu Mahami Sheriga II at Nalerigu in the Northern Region.
He mentioned Nalerigu, Gambaga and Walewale as some of the communities that would benefit from the water systems.
The President, who arrived at Nalerigu on Friday at the start of his three-day tour of the Northern Region, said work on the water systems would begin before the end of this year to bring relief to the people.
He also announced that 447 communities in the three regions of the north would be connected to the national electricity grid to expand economic activities in the area.
President Akufo-Addo touched on agriculture, saying that, 3,000 extension agents would be employed as part of government’s efforts to expand the Planting for Food and Jobs programme.
The President said 500,000 farmers would be engaged next year to benefit from the Planting for Food and Jobs programme to help transform the country’s agriculture.
He said government had paid GH¢560 million, out of the GH¢1.2 billion debt of the National Health Insurance Scheme, adding that, the rest of the debt would be paid within the next year to strengthen the country’s health system.
He appealed to the Nayiri and the Eminent Chiefs mediating the Dagbon Chieftaincy dispute to intensify their work to ensure that a new Overlord of Dagbon presides over this year’s Damba Festival.
Nayiri Bohagu Mahami Sheriga II, whose speech was read on his behalf, commended the President for his government’s pro-poor policies, which would help address poverty in the country.
He appealed for the improvement in the roads, education and infrastructure in the Mamprugu area as well as building of dams for all-year round agriculture production.
He also appealed to the President to help woo investors to establish a cement factory in the area and make use of the limestone deposits, as raw materials to feed the factory.
Ministers of Roads, Sanitation, Food and Agriculture, Gender, and Local Government took turns to explain projects being undertaken by the government in the Mamprugu area.
Source: GNA