Builsa North District raised to municipality

• Posted on December 24, 2018
• by Ellsamwise King
• Comment

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced the elevation of the Builsa North District to a municipality following the signing of an Executive Order on Wednesday, December 19, 2018, at the Jubilee House.

The President made the announcement at this year’s Feok Festival at Sandema in the Builsa North District of the Upper East Region.

He also announced that work on a contract document for the construction of the Doninga Bridge over the Sissili River in the Builsa Traditional Area had been concluded and that the contractor has 24 months to complete the project.

He said the Navrongo-Sandema-Wiaga-Fumbisi road is part of some national road networks to be constructed. It was originally awarded to two contractors but the work came to a halt and government has renegotiated the contract. One of the contractors, My Turn Company Limited, awarded 10 km of the road, has returned to site to continue work.

The Sandema-Santijan-Fian road – which is an alternative route from Sandema to Upper West – has been rearranged and soon the contractor will get to site to start work.

Responding to a request by the paramount chief of Sandema for a tractor service for farmers in the traditional area, President Akufo-Addo gave an assurance that government would establish 200 agricultural mechanisation centres across the country and Sandema, the Builsa North capital, would be a beneficiary.

He called on the people of the traditional area to be patient with the government as it works to respond to some other requests it had made in the past, saying that he had put before the Education Minister, the paramount chief’s request to have a tertiary institution in the traditional area, and he is yet to receive a response from the Minister.

The Paramount Chief of Builsa Traditional Area, Nab Azagsuk Azantilow, said President Akufo-Addo is the only President of Ghana who had joined the people of the Builsa Traditional Area to celebrate the Feok Festival over the past 20 years. He urged him to continue to keep the area at heart.

This year’s Feok Festival was themed: “Leveraging our Culture and Human Resource for Development.” Touching on the theme, the paramount chief disclosed that alcoholism and bush-burning were destroying the youth, lands and properties in the area.

The suggestions he has been giving the district assembly have not been implemented to help deter the youth from excessively consuming ‘Akpeteshie’.

President Akufo-Addo made a donation of 30 crates of assorted drinks and an amount of GH¢10,000 in support of the celebration.

Dignitaries present were the Upper East Regional Minister, Paulina Abayage; the Aviation Minister and MP for Navrongo Central, Joseph Kofi Adda; Minister for Local Government, Hajia Alima Mahama and Minister of State at the Office of the President, Rockson Ayine Bukari.

Others included district chief executives of Builsa North and South and a former Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Asangalisa Agnes Chigabatia.