Mahama Links Urban Congestion To Neglect Of Northern Ghana

John Dramani Mahama warned that persistent underdevelopment and poverty in Northern Ghana are fueling rural-urban migration and placing increasing pressure on infrastructure and social services in the more economically-endowed parts of the country during his "Resetting Ghana" tour in the Savannah Region. According to President Mahama, national poverty surveys continue to show that the five northern regions remain among the poorest areas in the country, despite constitutional provisions requiring equitable national development. He stated, "If we have a situation where a certain part of the country is richer and has more opportunities, then what happens is you have migration from the poorer parts of the country to the other parts where there are opportunities."

President Mahama identified the Savannah Region as one of the areas requiring urgent state attention and outlined a series of infrastructure and social investment projects his administration is undertaking to improve living conditions and reduce outward migration. He announced the establishment of a Science and Technology University in the Savannah Region, for which the Chinese government had already provided a $30 million grant. Ghana has applied to the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) for an additional $100 million to support the construction of the campus. Plans for a 300-bed Savannah Regional Hospital were also revealed.

The government is finalising processes to commence the Damongo Water Project, which will draw water from Yapei and supply several communities including Busunu, Damongo, Larabanga and the Mole enclave. Savannah Region would benefit from ongoing road projects under Phase Two of the government's "Big Push" infrastructure programme. Additional investments in electrification were expected to increase the region's electricity coverage from the current 68% closer to the national average of nearly 90%. 172 communities in the region had already been earmarked for electrification under Phase One of the programme.