Government provides 384 projects in Upper West Region

Government has for the past three years allocated 384 projects to the Upper West Region with 301 of them being completed and impacting positively on the lives of the people.

Alhaji Issahaque Salia, Regional Minister made this known during the “Meet the Press” series in Wa on Wednesday.

He said the education sector benefited from 164 projects, with 141 of them completed while work is on-going on the remaining 23 projects.

The School under Trees Project took 70 projects, 49 of which have been completed.

He expressed dissatisfaction about the poor performance of students in the Basic Education Certificate Examination and called for concerted efforts to improve on the situation next year.

He said chieftaincy disputes had been a source of worry to the security of the communities as many vacant skins are yet to be filled, while some are being contested in court and other mediation sources.

Alhaji Salia said 17 armed robbery cases had been recorded this year as against 21 last year while vehicular accidents claimed 44 lives within the period.

The Regional Minister announced that government had spent GH¢2.5 million on the maintenance of some culverts, while major work are ongoing on the Tumu-Sisili, Nadowli-Lawra- Nandom and Wa-Hain roads.

On agriculture, Alhaji Salia said government had spent GH¢6.9 million this year to subsidise fertilisers for farmers in the Region.

He said 6,908 farmers had cultivated 4,461 hectares of sorghum, soyabeans, rice and maize under the Block Farming concept and about 8,500 metric tonnes expected from the crop yield.

About 792 farmers had also cultivated 451 hectares of various crops under the Northern Rural Development Growth Project, which was estimated to yield 900 metric tonnes.

Alhaji Salia said 1,000 hectares of land had been put into rice production under the Rice Sector Support Project.

Source: GNA