Ambassador urged people of Dagbon to maintain peace

Gizaa-Gundaa (N/R), Oct 23, GNA - The Danish Ambassador, Mr Flemming Bjork Pedersen, on Wednesday called on the people of Dagbon to maintain peace at all times to create an enabling atmosphere for the execution of development projects to improve the lives of the people. He noted that it was not only difficult for governments and donor partners to bring development projects to areas where there were conflicts but that development projects that existed before such conflicts no longer benefit the people because people do not want to work in such areas.

Mr Pedersen was addressing the chiefs and people of Gizaa-Gundaa a village in the Tolon/Kumbungu District during a tour of the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) funded projects in the area. The tour was to offer him the opportunity to assess the impact of the projects on the lives of the people and to learn of their difficulties with a view of addressing them.

He said the Danish government was co-operating with the Ghana's government in the areas of the provision of water and sanitation, health and roads developments as well as the development of the private sector, the involvement of women in decision-making and the democratisation and respect for human rights processes.

Mr Pedersen urged the people to take advantage of the school infrastructure that the government and other civil organizations were providing to send their children to school and to ensure that they completed basic education.

At Gumo, a 40 women group, which has been supported by DANIDA to undertake shea butter and groundnut oil extractions appealed to Mr Pedersen to help find market for their produce. The Leader of the group, Madam Fati Imoro, explained that they spent about 140,000 cedis to produce a basin full of shea butter and sell it at only 150,000 cedis.

The Ambassador assured them that he would collaborate with other agencies to find them markets for the produce and urged them to increase their production levels to ensure regular supply of the commodity if he is able to locate a market for them.

Mr Pedersen who also visited Dalung announced that the Danish Parliament was to meet to discuss about a 4.5 million dollar support for the " School for Life" a local NGO involved in literacy education to expand its programme in the area.

The School for Life programme has already turned out about 48,000 children in seven of the 13 districts of the region that never had formal education. Most of the children who have completed the "School for Life" literacy programme have enrolled to pursue formal education. The Dalung-Naa, Mahama Amidu, thanked the Danish government for the support that it has been giving to the people; which he said has enlightened the people in the area and appealed for more support.