President John Dramani on Saturday announced that the implementation of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) would construct irrigation projects along the Oti River to provide jobs for the people of Zabzugu and Tatale-Sangule districts.

He said apart from providing jobs for farmers to increase their production levels, it would also stem the perennial movement of the youth from the northern to the southern sector for non-existent jobs.

President Mahama announced this when he addressed a rally at Tatale in the northern region as part of his three-day campaign tour of the north-eastern parts of the region.

Tatale-Sangule district, one of the newly created districts in the country, was previously part of the Zabzugu Tatale district, which is a predominantly farming area with the Bassares, Konkombas and Dagombas as the dominant ethnic groups.

President Mahama said the Zabzugu and Tatale areas contributed massively to food and cash crop production in the country and government would do everything possible to harness their potentials and provide them with the necessary support to enhance food production.

He commended the Bassare people for peacefully co-existing with other ethnic groups in the area and urged them to continue with that unity of purpose that could propel the development needs of the people in the coming years.

President Mahama stated: “It does not really matter, which ethnic group, location, social status or religious background, what matters now is the ability to work in unity towards achieving the development goals of your area, and I want to commend you all for making the best out of your environment.”

He said government would expand existing facilities at the health and Senior High schools in Tatale and Zabzugu, and appealed to the people to send their children to school to justify the huge investment government was making in the helm of education.

He promised that government would also provide motorable roads between zabzugu and Tatale, adding that the Tatale area electricity expansion programme would commence soon to extend power to many more communities.

President Mahama advised them against ethnic conflicts as that was retrogressive and could impede the orderly development of the area.

“I will rather advise all of you to fight poverty, illiteracy and diseases, which have over the years stifled our initiatives,” he added.