Cape Coast, Sept. 7, GNA - The Minister of Interior, Papa Owusu Ankomah, on Saturday announced that work has began on the 1.7 million dollar contract for the dredging of the Brimsu dam to curb the annual perennial water shortages, which usually faced the Cape Coast municipality and surrounding districts.

He said the government has the region at heart and would therefore do everything possible to ensure that it also benefited from the national cake and called for peace and unity among the people to ensure the development of the region.

Mr Ankomah made the announcement at a durbar of chief and people of the Oguaa Traditional Area to climax this year's Oguaa Fetu Afahye, which is being celebrated under the theme " Cape Coast Developing an Economic Backbone for a Better Way of Living".

The chiefs and people where joined by other chiefs from the Essikado and Efutu Traditional Areas, who were treated to traditional performance by the seven "Asafo" companies and other masqueraders.

He said the region play's an important role in the nation's history and called on the chiefs and people to use the festival to enhance peace and unity to make it a "leading city" in the country and urged natives of the region resident outside the country to contribute towards the development of the area by visiting home during such festivals and gave the assurance that government will continue to work in partnership with chiefs to enhance the nation's development.

Mr Ankomah also announced that a third stadium would be built in Cape Coast in addition to those that would be built at Tamale and Sekondi towards the CAN 2008 competition and called for the support of the people to ensure the early completion of the project.

The minister urged parents to take advantage of the capitation grant and send their children to school to enable the scheme achieve its aims and objectives and also called on chiefs to put in place a fund that would assist needy but brilliant students in the region.

He told them of the coming into force of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) this month and asked that those, who have not yet registered should do so to enable them benefit from the scheme. Mr Ankomah, reminded them of the effects of HIV/AIDS and called on the youth to be careful of their sexual lives and desist from premarital sex and urged married couples to be faithful to their partners to help stem the spread of the disease.

The minister also expressed concern about the rate of accidents on the nations roads and called on the police to ensure that drivers obey all motor traffic regulations.

Osabarima Kwesi Atta II, Omanhene of the Oguaa Traditional Area, in his welcoming address, reiterated calls on the government to pay royalties on the castles and forts in Elmina and Cape Coast.

He announced that there were deposits of kaolin at Ekon, a suburb of Cape Coast and appealed to the government to establish a factory to mine the mineral in a bid to create jobs for the unemployed in the area. Touching on sanitation, the Omanhene said the traditional council in collaboration with the municipal assembly would revive its monthly communal labour to help keep the city clean.

Present at the festival were, Ms Christine Churcher, Minister of Science and Environment and MP for Cape Coast, Mr Alan Kyeremanteng, Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Isaac Edumadze, Central Regional Minister and Mr Muniru Arafat Nuhu, Municipal Chief Executive and Professor John Evans Atta Mill, the Presidential candidate of National Democratic Congress in the 2000 general elections.