President John Agyekum Kufuor on Tuesday pledged that the government would unleash the wealth of the vast Gonja Traditional Area not only for the people but the entire nation.

He said the Gonjas own the biggest tract of land in the country but this had not been utilised fully for the benefit of the nation.

"This vast tract of land when fully utilised could make the nation self-sufficient in food production for local consumption and for export to earn more foreign exchange," he added.

President Kufuor was addressing the chiefs and people of the Gonja Traditional Area at Damongo on the first day of his three-day official tour of the Northern Region.

He said such development could only be possible in an atmosphere of peace and harmony and appealed to the chiefs to ensure that absolute peace prevailed in the area with the amicable solution to all chieftaincy disputes.

President Kufuor urged the Yagbonwura Doshie Bawa Abudu to hold regular consultations with all the sub-chiefs and people to make them part of the peace process.

He said as the first step of the government's development programme, five districts in the area would participate in the President's Special Initiative (PSI) Agribusiness for the production of industrial starch for export.

He said about 81 hectares has been acquired to be used for foundation farm to produce planting stock for the 730 hectares to be used for the project.

President Kufuor said the project would not only provide employment and income for the people, but also help them improve their standards of living.

He assured the people that all abandoned farming lands acquired by previous governments would be re-activated for the production of cereals, cassava and cashew on commercial scale.

President Kufuor said more cassava processing factories would be established in the area while the Damongo Agricultural College would be supported to help develop the capacity of agricultural extension officers in the use of modern techniques in agricultural production.

President Kufuor, however, cautioned the people about wild bushfires in the advent of the dry season.

He said the government would soon come out with a policy on bushfires, but in the meantime chiefs should take the initiative to curb bushfires and deal with the perpetrators, especially hunters.

President Kufuor said the area abounds in many tourist attractions such as the Mole Game Reserve, the Mystic Stone and the Labranga Mosque.

He said since these attractions encouraged many tourists to visit the area, they should endeavour to keep their surroundings clean for the tourists to enjoy their visits and stay in the area.

President Kufuor said government had begun a review of all the abandoned viable economic projects in the area such as the Bui Dam, the limestone deposits at Buipe, which required the construction of a railway line to link the area to other areas where they could be processed and construction of irrigation facilities.

President Kufuor said three major road networks in the area have been awarded on contract for rehabilitation and tarring.

These are the Busunu-Daboya road, Fulfuso-Bole road to open the area to the Upper West and the road from Wenchi through Bamboi to Bole, which have been earmarked for work to commence next year.

Prince Imoro Andani, Northern Regional Minister, said the major problems facing the people in the region were in the areas of health, education and agriculture.

He appealed to government to upgrade the Tamale Regional Hospital into a teaching hospital for students of the medical school at the University for Development Studies (UDS).

The Regional Minister said the RCC has taken initiative to improve girls' education with the establishment of a senior secondary school for only girls and appealed for more logistics support for the school.

Prince Andani appealed to government for more support for agricultural production in the area.

He announced that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) has released about 1.4 billion cedis for the purchase of maize for the lean season since the poor rain this year had affected food production in the country.

The Yagbon-Wura, Doshie Bawa Abudu in a welcoming address read on his behalf by the Kpembe-Wura, Alhaji Ibrahimah Haruna Kibasibi said the tour by President Kufuor to the various traditional areas to interact with the chiefs and people was a testimony of good leadership.

He appealed to the government to ensure that those displaced from Kpandai during the Northern conflict return home peacefully to continue with their farming activities.

The Yagbon-Wura appealed for the creation of an additional region for the people in the Northern Region and improvement of their road network.