Kaleo (UWR), March 22, GNA - A traditional ruler in the Upper West Region has called on the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) to extensively educate the public on its programmes and opportunities. Naa Yelkuma Dogoli Bagah II, Chief of Sankana in the Kaleo Traditional Area, who made the call, said SADA had a number of modules focusing on various interventions that would reduce poverty but indicated that many people did not know about the modules. He noted that explaining each of the modules and opportunities associated with it would enable the people to fully take advantage of it to better their lot. Naa Bagah II said this during this year's "Zumbenti" festival of the people of Kaleo in the Nadowli District on Saturday. The festival was under the theme: "Zumbenti Festival: A Treasury of new insights in the Socio-economic development of the Nadowli District". Naa Bagah II, who is also the Vice President of the Kaleo Traditional Council, noted that the celebration of the festival was a period of stock taking and re-uniting with their ancestors for spiritual and physical growth among the people.

He appealed to government to develop new interventions that would help reduce poverty and improve the living conditions of the people. The Sankana Naa said the district is endowed with a number of tourist sites but lacked the necessary development infrastructure to fully exploit them and urged government to help develop the sites to attract investors. Mr Mahmud Khalid, Upper West Regional Minister urged the Traditional Council to let the festival impact positively on the lives of the youth by encouraging them to accept the good cultural values and practices. He added that they should use the festival to promote peace in the communities because development took place where there was peace. Mr Khalid said government was committed to providing infrastructural development and the needed utilities to harness the full economic potential of the north.

He noted that government was making significant progress in road construction and the extension of electricity to rural communities and urged the people to co-operate to ensure the success of the projects. Mr Khalid appealed to the youth to take advantage of government's prudent agricultural policies such as the "Block Farming", the "Youth in Agriculture" programme, and the provision of farm machinery and inputs at subsidized cost to go into farming to enhance their livelihoods. The Regional Minister announced that 200 rural communities in the region would benefit from the rural electrification programme with support from the Chinese government. He said government would this year absorb the St. Basilede's Vocational School at Kaleo into the public educational system and urged parents to endeavour to send their children to school. 22 March 10