The Paramount Chief of Chiana, Pe Ditundini Adiali Ayagitam III, has promised to help revamp all state factories that have been in disrepair for decades in the Upper East region, following his election as the region’s Council of State member on Tuesday.
The collapsed establishments include the Zuarungu Meat Processing Factory, the Northern Star Tomato Processing Factory and the Ghana Rice Production Company among others.
The paramount chief, who appeared on the ballot paper as Thomas More Ditundini Adiali, polled 18 of the 30 valid votes cast in the region’s capital, Bolgatanga. Another Thomas More, a nurse, followed with 5 votes.
The other five candidates— Peter Baba Aluze-Ele, Justice Aduko, Balinia Adda Dennis, Bismark Adongo Ayorogo and Elias Ayinbila Apasiya— obtained 3, 2, 1, 1 and 0 respectively from the votes cast.
“These [factories] that have been abandoned were really doing well in the region and engaged a lot of youth. As they are now in a very bad state and not working, they are getting wasted. We really want to engage our youth.
“The most important thing to do is to liaise with investors to speak to government so that if government cannot revive them, then we’ll see if we can get the private sector to take ownership of those facilities and make sure that these factories are back and running,” the Chiana paramount chief told journalists after the declaration of the election results.
The delegates were assembly members selected from each of the region’s 15 municipalities and districts.
Earlier, there were 9 candidates on the notice of poll ahead of the election in the region. Two contestants pulled out of the race before Tuesday.
Desmond Ayambire Abire, a community development officer, withdrew and backed the Chiana paramount chief in his campaign while Arabogo Ben Azumah, a social worker, stepped down for undisclosed “personal reasons”.
“Burkina Faso next door has been able to set up a new tomato factory. We have big dams in the region. The farmers are making good use of these farms but, unfortunately, they don’t have buyers at the peak time and preservation becomes a problem.
“They end up throwing the tomatoes and pepper away. Even the Fumbisi valleys where rice production has now become very prominent, unfortunately getting people to buy the rice becomes a problem after a bumper harvest. Generally, we need to engage both government and private sector to revive these factories,” he added.
Residents’ expectations
Residents of the region say they expect the new Council of State member to collaborate with all relevant stakeholders in the region to meet the region’s needs.
Some of the needs, according to them, are good roads, conducive education facilities, an airport, electrification of communities that are still in the dark and additional districts.
“We want schoolchildren who are still learning under trees to be given befitting classrooms. We need a new district created out of the existing Kassena-Nankana West District. Some bridges that collapsed years ago, like the one linking Manyoro and Paga and the one between Sirigu and Kodorogo, need to be fixed.
“We also want him to push for the construction of an airport for the region. He should see to our welfare as assembly members. He should also reach out to those who lost the election and adopt their ideas to develop the region,” said John Akumsigiya Nsoh, one of the delegates and current Assemblyman for Nabango.
Source: Edward Adeti/Media Without Borders/mwbonline.org/Ghana
Comment: Wait a second, have we really reached this point? Since when does becoming a Council of State member suddenly grant someone the power to bring development to their area?
What have we done wrong as a people? This man has been the Paramount Chief of Chiana for years and even now serves as the President of the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs. Yet, he couldn’t use his status to lobby or influence development, except now that he’s a Council of State member?
If this is the reality we’re facing, then God help our future.
