Existing peaceful atmosphere must be preserved - Mahama.

Shama (W/R) Nov.9, GNA - Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama on Saturday reminded Ghanaians that, the prevailing peace, unity and the reconciliation process must be sustained and preserved at all cost to create the enabling environment for effective implementation of the sound economic policies of the government.

He noted that even though there had been significant achievement in many sectors of the economy within the past three years, a lot more has to be done to reduce to the minimum, poverty, ignorance and disease among the people.

These were contained in an address read for him by Madam Sophia Horner-Sam, Deputy Western Regional Minister at a grand durbar at Shama to round off the weeklong cerebration of the Nyenyi Pra festival of the chiefs and people of the Shama traditional area in the Western Region. The annual Nyenyi Pra festival is designed to among other things foster family re-union, reconciliation, purification, of the land and thanksgiving to the gods of the River Pra and the sea for protection and bumper harvest in the coming years.

The River Pra enters the sea at Shama, a predominantly fishing community near Sekondi.

Alhaji Aliu Mahama advised the people not to allow petty differences and chieftaincy issues to divide them and instead forge ahead in unity to bring development to the area.

"The government is seriously embarking on infrastructure development to open up the country to lay the foundation for sound economic development", the Vice President emphasised, and hoped the chiefs and people of the area would continue to give the government the needed cooperation to implement its policies.

Alhaji Mahama also spoke about the threat that the HIV/AIDS pandemic poses to the socio-economic life of the country and urged chiefs to join the campaign to check its spread.

Mrs Angelina Baiden-Amissah, Member of Parliament for the area said, chieftaincy disputes militate against steady development, the chiefs of Shama should therefore settle all their differences and coordinate their activities to ensure accelerated development of the area.

"It is my humble appeal to our traditional authorities to discontinue spending incredible amount of resources on disputes and protracted litigation and rather tow the line of progress".

She said so far she had spend 150 million cedis from her share of the MPs common fund to provide cement and other building materials to rehabilitate a number of educational, health and other public institutions in some communities.

The government has commenced the rehabilitation of a number of roads and streets including the Shama-Abuesi, Shama Junction-Konfueku, Yabiew-Nyakrom and the Assorku-Essaman-Abotare Yie roads.

Contract on the proposed sea defence wall at Shama has been awarded, Mrs Baiden-Amissah disclosed and said work on the project would begin before the end of the year.

She said under the government's poverty reduction programme, more than 200 unemployed youths had been trained to acquire skills in vocations such as batik, tie and dye and soap making.

Mr Philip Kwesi Nkrumah, Shama Ahanta East Metropolitan Chief Executive said the Assembly had identified poor educational facilities as the major cause of low performance of students in the basic education certificate examinations.

He said the assembly had embarked on a crash programme to reverse the situation by providing many schools with modern facilities. For instance he said 20 billion cedis was being spend to provide new classroom blocks, boarding and other facilities for the Shama Senior Secondary School.

Mr Nkrumah advised parents to encourage their children to patronise the school, and reminded them that education is the best legacy they could bequeath to their children, adding that parent's poor attitude towards their children's education must stop.

He announced that an artificial limb-fitting centre would be established at Supomu-Dunkwa within the next year to cater or the need of accident victims.

The multi-million dollar centre, which would also serve as training centre for similar projects at Gabon and Benin would be established under the Sekondi-Takoradi-Plain Mart Link sister city relation and sponsored by the Rotary Club.

Nana Kweku Binnah III, Omanhene and president of the Shama traditional council commended the government for nurturing and sustaining the democratic process in the country.

He called for more infrastructure facilities to open up the area for more jobs for the unemployed youth.

Mrs Baiden-Amissah later presented a cow to the Omanhene for the purification rites.