Salaga (NR), May 13, GNA - The Salaga Cassava Processing Factory at Salaga in the East Gonja District has begun full operation with its produ= cts currently being sold at the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions. The processed products comprise cassava dough, gari, chips, floor and=

starch and are being sold at affordable prices to help reduce poverty in the three northern regions.

Mr Alhassan Mumuni, East Gonja District Chief Executive (DCE) announc= ed this on Tuesday during the first ordinary sitting of the Assembly for 201= 0 in Salaga. The meeting was aimed at deliberating on the district's development agenda. Mr Mumuni said government was determined to reduce poverty to improve=

people's living conditions adding that the establishment of the Salaga Cassava Processing Factory was part of measures to fulfil the "Better Gha= na Agenda".

He gave the assurance that government would continue to implement programmes and projects that would help to develop communities for people= to feel that their taxes were not going waste.

Mr Mumuni said the Assembly was also striving hard to help to improve=

education in the district and had therefore supported the district directorate of education to organize mock exams for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for Junior High School students. He said government under its Free School Uniforms and Exercise Books policy has made available 1,047 school uniforms and 130,000 exercise book= s. He announced that government had also given approval for the construction of a district hospital in Salaga and that the people of Gonjaland would forever be grateful to government.

Mr Mumuni appealed to the people to support the construction of the hospital to improve healthcare delivery in the area. On development projects, the DCE said two projects under the District=

Wide Assistance Projects (DWAP) at Gari-Shani had been completed, while t= he construction of a police headquarters at Abromasi was also on course. He said a number of projects under the Community-Based Rural Developm= ent Projects (CBRDP) were on schedule and added that there was a project on community initiative for food security.

He said the district had given some credit support including the supp= ly of seed, weedicide, tractor services and fertilizer to 337 youths to the tune of GH¢118,781.00 to cultivate some 1,006 acres of rice as means of=

poverty reduction.

Mr Ibrahim Dey, Member of Parliament (MP) for Salaga called for a collaborative effort to help to improve education in the district by bann= ing all night activities that would engage school children. He appealed to government to try and help to improve the Gonjaland ro= ads especially the Salaga-Makango-Tamale road. The assembly members appealed for the provision of motorbikes to help=

facilitate their work in the district.