Navrongo (U/E), Nov. 25, GNA - The chiefs and people of the Navrongo Traditional Area in the Kassena-Nankana East District have launched their annual Fao Festival aimed at bringing together the people to initiate development projects and activities for the ensuing years. Arthur Wekem Balinia Addah, Acting on behalf of the Paramount Chief of the Navrongo Traditional Area, Pe Dr Augustine Atudiku Asagipaare I, noted that peace was one of the things that could lead the area to better development.

He said if the people saw themselves as one and did away with negative vices such as selfishness and divisions among themselves, Navrongo would see more developments either in the human resource base or physical infrastructure development.

Mr Addah said the youth was a good tool that could be used in achieving this goal and that it would be pragmatic if they could see themselves as leaders and live exemplary lives.

He appealed to parents to avoid excessive alcohol and called on them to see education as important tool that could bring change and educate their children especially the girl-child to ensure that the area achieved the needed development. Mr David Na-Ire, Deputy Coordinating Director, who read a speech on behalf of the District Chief Executive, noted that the celebration of the festival was one of the ways to showcase and explore the rich cultural heritage of the people for the up-coming generation to embrace. Mr Na-Ire called on the people to unite and unearth the hidden cultural practices and imbibe them in the lives of the current generation especially the youth who were losing grip on their culture identity. He reminded the people of government's interventions and mentioned the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) the block farming programme, the plantation programme and youth in agriculture, among others, meant to improve the three northern regions to close the gap between the northern Ghana and Southern Ghana. Mr Na-Ire expressed regret about the poor performance of school children in the area and called on parents, teachers and other stakeholders to work out modalities to improve on the performance of the children in school. He called on the people to build a formidable human resource base for enhanced socio-economic development for a better and brighter future. The Coordinator gave the assurance that government would expand its intervention programmes such as the school feeding programme, the capitation grant, the provision of free school uniform, text and exercise books as well as the construction of classroom blocks to make teaching and learning more conducive and attractive.