Vice President Dr Mahamadu Bawumia has said one of the projects President Nana Akufo-Addo wants to leave as a legacy to the people of Ghana is the railway line from Takoradi to Paga.

The rail line is expected to connect the southern part of the country to the north and create jobs, according to government.

In his first State of the Nation Address, Nana Akufo-Addo said: “Mr Speaker, the Takoradi to Paga railway, connecting the Eastern and Western corridors, will be initiated this year to open up our country and provide access to our landlocked neighbours. It will also provide a lot of jobs.”

The revamping of the rail network in the country is expected to open up the economy and provide access to the country’s landlocked transit trade partners like, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.

Dr Bawumia also noted that the Akufo-Addo-led NPP government is committed to fulfilling its 2016 campaign pledges.

He said this at the Gukpe-Naa Palace in Tamale on Friday 19 May on his second day tour of the Northern Region.

Dr Bawumia said the NPP has started fulfilling many of the promises it made during last year's elections. He mentioned that in September this year, it will implement the Free Senior High School policy as well the restoration of the teacher and nurses’ training allowance.

He said as part of efforts to improve the agricultural sector, government has subsidised the price of fertiliser by 50 per cent.

According to the Vice President, government will initiate the agricultural mechanisation policy to ensure that prices of tractors and other farm equipment are affordable to farmers.

Dr Bawumia also said the Planting for Food and Jobs policy will support farmers across the country and several jobs will be created especially for the youth.

He, however, charged the chief and his elders to ensure peace prevails in Tamale and the rest of the Northern Region, adding that the policies and initiatives of government would not be realised without peace.

For his part, Gukpe-Naa thanked the government and for that matter Nana Akufo-Addo for his efforts to implement his promises.

He said Akufo-Addo’s policies would go a long way to benefit the people of the North. He also seized the opportunity to commend the Northern Regional Minister, Salifu Saeed, for being a proactive minister.

At the Dakpema Palace, Dakpema Naa Alhassan Mahama Dawuni seized the opportunity to appeal to government to pay the feeding grants of the various senior High schools in the Northern Region.

He said it was very worrying that students in other parts of the country were attending school whilst their counterparts in the Northern Region remained at home.