"Kobine" Festival

Take decisions in the best interest of the youth - Minister

Lawra, Oct. 9, GNA - Mr. George Hikah Benson, Upper West Regional Minister, has called on the people of the Lawra Traditional Area to let peace, unity and love be their guiding principle to enhance development and progress.

He said the Lawra Traditional Area was well known and acclaimed to have produced resourceful men and women who are serving in various capacities in the country and beyond. He said the youth were looking up to them for guidance. Mr. Benson said this at a durbar of chiefs and people of Lawra Traditional Area to mark the "Kobine" Festival on Monday at Lawra. "Kobine" marks the end of the traditional calendar and it is also a period to offer thanks to God, the gods and ancestors for the good harvest.

Mr. Benson gave the assurance that the government was determined to ensure the speedy development of every area in the country but pointed out that that could only be achieved if peace and unity were sustained throughout the country.

"Peace and unity must be recognized as constituting the greatest asset we can ever have. The absence of these two basic ingredients required for development will only inflict on us losses and regrets," he said.

Mr. Benson said the Lawra Traditional Area had been provided with school buildings, clinics and electricity among others in the past years and government would continue to pursue the development agenda for the area.

He appealed to the chiefs and people to use the festival to project and move the process of the development of the area forward. This, they can do by exploring and developing all tourist potentials of the district, especially the Dr. Kwame Nkrumah detention place and the Brifo natural stone spring.

Mr. Benson called on the people to take advantage of the Capitation Grant, the National Health Insurance Scheme and the National Youth Employment Programme to improve their living conditions.