Wa, May 31, GNA- Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama at the weekend, called for a meeting between the Regional Houses of Chiefs in the three Northern regions to help resolve chieftaincy and other factional conflicts that are undermining peace and security in the area. He stressed that, a joint meeting among chiefs in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions would help to resolve the protracted Bawku chieftaincy dispute and avert clashes in other flashpoints that had created the negative perception that the North is a conflict-prone zone.

Vice President Mahama made the call when he addressed the 25th anniversary celebration of the creation of Upper West as a Region by the erstwhile Provisional National Defence Council. The celebration, which was patronised by a number of chiefs, representatives of the various political parties and a special delegation from neighbouring Burkina Faso and a cross section of people was on the theme:

"Upper West @ 25, Prospects, Challenges and the Way Forward." "We should continue to remind ourselves that the majority of our people are faced with poverty and low standards of living," Vice President Mahama observed.

He announced a 100-million dollar development package dubbed: The Northern Rural Growth Project, being funded by the International Fund (IFAD) for Agricultural Development and the African Development Bank to improve on agricultural production and help to eradicate poverty, which would start this year.

The facility was a follow-up to the Vice President's official visit to Italy last Month where he addressed a meeting of IFAD in Rome. The Vice President listed a number of development packages for the Region, which includes the tarring of the Sawla-Fufulso road and the Nadowli-Lawra-Hamile road. Bids have also been evaluated for the tarring of the Wa-Han, Han-Tumu and Tumu-Sissilli roads, while works are on-going on the Lawra-Douri, Ga-Wechau, Jirapa-Babile and Jeffisi-Gwollu roads. Vice President Mahama said construction works on the Kulung Bridge and the rehabilitation of the Funsi-Wellembelle-Nabulo road was on the drawing board.

Mr. George Hikah Benson, Regional Minister said the anniversary should be a rallying point to promote unity and understanding among the people and not be blinded by partisan politics to create confusion and insecurity.

He said the occasion should also generate a healthy discourse to facilitate the development agenda of the region. Mr Benson appealed to the development partners to bring in more resources to promote the accelerated development of the Region. Forty-one imminent citizens, including Former President Jerry John Rawlings and the late Heads of State, Dr Hilla Limann and General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong were honoured for their contribution towards the creation and development of the Region. The award winners were presented with plaques accompanied with elaborate citations.