Kpanvo (N/R), April 20, GNA - The Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama on Tuesday called on chiefs and other traditional rulers to provide an enlightened and selfless leadership that would promote the well-being of the people.

He said: "Chiefs must endeavour to provide the leadership that would lead their people to prosperity and free them from the shackles of poverty, ignorance and disease."

The Vice President was inaugurating 132 million cedis Community-Based Health Centre for the people of Kpanvo, a village near Tamale.

The Chief of Kpanvo, Kpanvo-Naa Dr Abdulai Alhassan and the community initiated the project with funding from donations organised by Professor W.K.F. Raff, a German friend of the chief, while the people provided labour.

The health centre has facilities including dispensary, septic theatre, laboratory, doctors' and nurses' rooms, intensive care post-operation unit and patient preparation for operation unit. Vice President Mahama, who is on a four-day working visit to the Northern Region, reiterated his call for peace in the Region saying: "Conflict and development cannot work together."

Alhaji Mahama acknowledged the high level of poverty in the Region and urged the people to channel their energies into fighting the problem instead of fighting among themselves.

He, therefore, pleaded with the people of the North to allow peace to reign in the Region, saying: "Let us give peace a chance." On education, the Vice President said it held the key to every development and called on the people to send their children to school to become useful citizens in the future.

Alhaji Mahama pledged to get electricity extended to the Health Centre.

In a speech, Kpanvo-Naa Alhassan expressed gratitude to Prof Raff and a number of nongovernmental organisation including New Energy and Action Aid Ghana; the German Volunteer Association and the Opportunities Industrialisation Centre (OIC) for their support in making the health facility a reality.

He also commended the Cuban Medical Team for spending a lot of its free hours to provide medical services to the people and offering to continue to assist the Health Centre.

Dr Kwaku Afriyie, Minister of Health, who is on the Vice President's entourage, said the Ministry would send a team to assess the additional needs of the Centre and provide them.

Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, Minister of Works and Housing, described the inauguration of the facility as a 'bright spot' in the Tamale Metropolis.

He said with unity of purpose, a lot of good things could happen in the Metropolis independent of the government. Alhaji Idris, who is also Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, directed the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly to use 10 million cedis of his MPs' Share of District Assembly Common Fund to support the Health Centre.

Vice President Mahama presented Prof. Raff with a smock in appreciation of his service to the Kpanvo Community. 20 April 04