Gov’t hasn't abandoned Sissalas – Minister

The Sissala area which is considered to be one of Ghana’s food baskets, has been plagued with bad roads for years now.

Plea by the people to succeeding governments to tar the roads, especially the Wa-Tumu-Bolgatanga road, fell on death ears, leaving the people to battle with the poor roads year in year out.

As the mandate of the present government draws to an end without any concrete signs of addressing the worsening road network, the people are ones again feeling abandoned by chief scribes of the current administration.

Alhaji Amidu Sulemana, Upper West Regional Minister, noted however, that government was fully concerned about the plight of the Sissalas, and had therefore not abandoned them.

The government was aware of bad roads in the region in general and specifically the Sissala area, and was putting in measures to address the challenge, he assured.

“I had a discussion with the President concerning the poor road network in the region when he passed through the region to go and cast his vote in Bole during the recent District Level Elections (DLEs), and he was particular about the Sissala area,” the former Roads and Highways Minister told the people.

Alhaji Sulemana who is also the Member of Parliament for Sissala West, gave the assurance in a statement after filing his nomination at the party office at Gwollu, seeking re-election in the upcoming parliamentary primary of the NDC.

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Narrating some of the good things he did to solicit the support of the electorate, Alhaji Sulemana said in the area of Education, he had established an education fund to support needy students, and that so far 87,000 Ghana cedis had been disbursed.

He said out of the amount, 47,000 Ghana Cedis came from his share of the common fund, and 4,000 Ghana cedis from his own pocket. Still on Education, the MP said he also bought a pick-up for Hilla Limann Senior High School (SHS), and distributed uniforms, exercise books, and laptops, to basic school pupils and teachers.

The Regional Minister said he had registered 1,200 orphans and widows under the National Health Insurance Scheme.

He said he had also procured equipment for the Gwollu Hospital, as part of his contribution to the health sector in the district.

Apart from providing boreholes to five communities to improve residents' access to potable water, the MP said he had also opened an account at the Sissala Rural Bank to support Women
Economic Empowerment.

Alhaji Sulemana said Paana, Kunni and Sangbaka were the only three communities in the district without electricity, because of their location, else government had extended electricity to every part of the district.

He urged the people to keep faith with the government as it worked hard to overcome the difficulties facing the nation and help address the development needs of the people.