The sod-cutting ceremony held last week in Pwalugu to pave way for a smooth start of a $993 million multipurpose dam project located in the Upper East region and North East region respectively will be a game changer to residents of these regions when completed.
The match awaited project is about to start as government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) led by President Nana Akufo-Addo has broken the grounds for it to start in the soonest.
The Pwalugu multi-purpose dam when completed, according to the New Patriotic Party Women wing and women in the Upper East Region will be “a sustainable solution of rural-urban migration of women and children in the region”.
In a press statement copied to A1 News, Upper East Regional Women’s Organizer of the NPP, Georgina Ayamba while thanking the president and the current government for such a life changing project said the Pwalugu multi-purpose dam has come at a right time “to save the masses from the neglect by the previous NDC government”.
Mrs. Ayamba on behalf of women in the Upper East Region also thanked the president for cutting sod for construction of the Rock Estates affordable housing project, located also in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region as an indication of “President Nana Addo’s commitment to bridging the development gap between the Northern and Southern Ghana”.
The NPP Regional Women’s Organizer while calling on residents of the beneficiary regions to make good use of the projects when completed entreated voters especially “women to vote massively to retain the Nana Addo led government in 2020 for the prosperity of the Upper East Region and Ghana at large”.
Below is the full statement:
For immediate release
7th December, 2019
THANK YOU NANA ADDO FOR THE MULTIPURPOSE DAM AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING
The New Patriotic Party Women wing and the women of the Upper East Region wish to express our sincerest gratitude to President Nana Addo NPP led government for the kick-off of the construction of the Pwalugu Multi-purpose dam project, which covers irrigation, flood control and hydropower in the Talensi District.
The sod cutting ceremony for the Pwalugu Multi-purpose dam and the Rock Estates affordable housing project both in the Talensi District is a clear indication of President Nana Addo’s commitment to bridging the development gap between the Northern and Southern Ghana.
As we are aware, the $993 million Project area is located on the White Volta River in Ghana, about 16km east of Pwalugu Bridge on the main Tamale-Bolgatanga road in the Talensi District and sharing boundary with the North East Region.
The prospect of this timely social intervention when completed will be a sustainable solution of rural-urban migration of women and children in the region.
Ladies and Gentlemen, We are delighted that the NPP government has come to ameliorate the plight of the people of the region.
The deaths of people and destruction of farms and properties in the region as a result of the spillage of the Bagre Dam from Burkina Faso will become a thing of the past once the project is completed.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the issue of rural-urban migration is rife in the region due to lack of employable opportunities and its dire consequence on the productivity of this region cannot be overlooked, thus, the irrigation facility under the project has the capacity to create thousands of both direct and indirect jobs for our women through the agricultural value chain is certainly a sigh of relief for us.
The migration of our people from this region especially women and the girl-child to Southern Ghana in search for greener pastures end up taking up menial jobs and in some cases get sexually exploited, with others becoming dropouts is a worrying situation that require interventions like this to salvage these vulnerable people.
Therefore, the Pwalugu Multi-purpose project couldn’t have come at an opportune time than now to save the masses from the neglect by the previous NDC government.
I therefore call on my colleague women to prepare in readiness for the opportunities this project comes with to improve the living standards.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the construction of 60MW hydropower and solar 50MW electricity under the project will improve the conversation of our environment as many rural women who resort to firewood for domestic use will have access to electricity.
When this project is finally completed, a lot of rural women who hitherto did not have access to electricity will not only be connected to the national grid but set-up small scale electricity driven economic ventures to improve their livelihood.
It is our fervent hope that, the completion of the Pwalugu Multi-purpose dam project will be a panacea to our concerted efforts of end rural-urban migration and its consequences on Northern women and children.
Benefits of the Project
The socio-economic benefits of the ‘Game changer’ project cover irrigation, fisheries, power generation and flood control which is key for poverty eradication.
Firstly, the key benefit of the 25,000 hectares Irrigation Scheme will be the largest in the country. This will boost economic activity in the Upper East and North East regions, as it will enhance the productivity of farming and attract large-scale commercial farms supported by about 15,000 out grower farmers.
The project also has the potential to increase annual rice production in the country by up 117,000 tons and maize by up to 49,000 tons, reducing imports of these grains by 16% and 32% respectively. This will save foreign exchange as well as stabilize prices of these commodities on the local market.
Other crops such as onions, tomatoes, sweet potato, sweet pepper and watermelon will also benefit from increased production.
The scheme will also form the nucleus of an agro industry to process the output of the farms geared at supporting Government’s Planting for Food and Jobs and the One-District One-Factory initiative programs.
The development of aquaculture and fisheries component of the scheme will also create jobs for the youth and meet the increasing demand for fish in the region.
Secondly, the hydropower component of the project will contribute to increase Ghana’s renewable target of 10% by 2030 while the solar component will complement hydro energy to achieve power supply reliability in Northern Ghana.
Again, the dam will also provide protection for the perennial floods that occur along the White Volta basin through five districts of the Upper East Region during the rainy season and help manage spillage of water from the Bagre dam.
The women of the Upper East Region are convinced that, the execution of this project by the NPP government is a dedication to humanity and an agenda for the holistic development of Northern Ghana.
Let me appeal to our women to vote massively to retain the Nana Addo led government in 2020 for the prosperity of the Upper East Region and Ghana at large.
Signed ……………………..
Georgina Ayamba
Upper East Regional Women’s Organizer – NPP
Source:A1radioonline.com|Joshua Asaah
