Sankore (B/A), Aug 28, GNA - Mr Eric Opoku, Deputy Regional Minister of Brong-Ahafo, on Friday appealed to the people of Sankore and its environs to bury their political differences and forge ahead in unity for the holistic development of the area. He said disunity and divisions because of political party affiliation only retarded progress, and that the situation contrasted the fact that political parties attained power to form government not only to promote sectional interests but the general good of the electorate.

Mr Opoku, a citizen of Sankore in the Asunafo District of Brong-Ahafo, emphasized that it was time the people put aside political party fanaticism and bias to pave way for a speedy social and economic development. Mr Opoku made the appeal at a durbar of chiefs and people of the area to precede a sod-cutting ceremony for works on a 10-kilometre link feeder road between Nyamebekyere-Sankore and Buako in the Sefwi-Wiawso District of the Western Region. The about GH¢4.2 million project is being financed under the GH¢10,674,350.32 COCOBOD Funded Roads Improvement Projects (CFRIP) in some selected cocoa growing areas in the Brong-Ahafo and Western Regions.

The CFRIP package is meant to facilitate the evacuation of cocoa from the selected producing districts to depots for onward transportation to the ports for export. Other beneficiary cocoa growing areas in Brong-Ahafo are Nkoranza South and Asutifi Districts. The 10-kilometre road, including a 3.7 kilometre links at Sankore, is being executed by two road construction firms; Dynamic Star Company Limited of Sunyani and Ba-Iseng Limited in Accra.

Mr Opoku explained that by their mandate politicians were primarily obliged to initiate and execute developmental projects to improve the welfare of present and future generations and not to seek their selfish interests.

He, however, expressed regret that some of the people had allowed disunity, divisions and un-co-operative attitudes, a major factor that mostly militated against the attainment of that primary obligation, to take the better part of them.

The occasion coincided with the presentation of sewing machines to 33 young ladies who had completed six months apprenticeship in dressmaking under the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP). Mr Opoku advised the beneficiaries to use the facility to set up their businesses for others to also benefit warning that anyone who would be caught as having sold the machine 93will be prosecuted". Mr Opoku later broke the ground for the construction of GH¢695,000.00 one-storey boys' dormitory block for Sankore Senior High School.

Mr Atta Bosompem, District Chief Executive (DCE) for Asunafo South, earlier in a welcoming address, advised the youth to avoid reckless lifestyles so that their innate qualities, God-given talents and potentials would not go to waste.

He said Sankore Senior High School had been established to provide avenues for the acquisition of knowledge to enhance their lives and urged parents and guardians to sponsor their children and wards to take advantage to become useful citizens in future. Nana Opoku Worae, Brong-Ahafo Regional Coordinator for NYEP, explained that the rationale for the NYEP was government's realization that 93white-collar" jobs provided insufficient avenues of employment. He said that was why government had expanded the programme with additional modules to create more job opportunities. Nana Worae assured that the next module to be introduced in the area would be hair-dressing and advised the youth, especially young girls, to embrace it to create jobs for themselves. Nana Antwi-Boasiako, Akwamuhene of Sankore, who presided, urged the people to co-operate with the contractors for the smooth and successful completion of the project.