Legacies of Prez Mill- A perspective from the Upper East

Article and Pix: Benjamin Xornam Glover The Upper East Region under the reign of the late President, Professor J. E.A. Mills benefited from a number of development projects for which reason the people of the region will forever be grateful to him. Under his three and half year reign, the region witnessed massive development in all sectors of the economy, from Education, Agriculture, Sports, Health, among several other sectors. Late President Mills was popularly known as Asomdwe Hene(King of Peace) and true to that accolade, Prof. Mills immediately upon assuming the reins of power dispatched his Vice-President, now President of the country, His Excellency John Mahama to the Bawku, which deeply engulfed in ethnic conflict between Kusasis and Mamprusis, to mediate and help find solution to the situation. Not long after, In May 2009, the late President himself followed up with a visit to the region and held a meeting with the protagonists at the residency in Bolgatanga. Prior to that meeting, which had in attendance the Paramount Chief of the Bawku Traditional Area, leading the Kusasi delegation and Alhaji Akalifah Bugri Seidu leading the Mamprusis side, the late President Mills in line with his characteristic Christian beliefs, offered to say the opening prayer to facilitate an atmosphere in which the rival factions would be filled with the spirit of love, fellow feeling and human kindness for a successful outcome. After that historic meeting, and for the first time since December 31, 2007 when conflict broke out between the two ethnic groups, residents of the area felt the brightest prospect for peace in the area when leaders of the Mamprusis and Kusasis under the watch of the late President hugged each other in public, a gesture that doused the raging conflict Bawku. In the area of education, the late President left no stone unturned in ensuring that the region benefitted from its fair share of infrastructure. A number of a educational infrastructural projects to enhance and improve quality education delivery in the region were pursued. The late President immediately after assuming power fulfilled a major campaign promise of getting a large auditorium for the Navrongo Campus of the University for Development Studies. In March of 2011, he visited the Navrongo campus where he cut the sod for the commencement of work on the GH c 3 million auditorium,which is currently at an advance stage of completion. The Late President’s commitment to the development of the Upper East Region was remarkable. Under his rein and through the Ghana Education Trust Fund, (GETfund) , a number of vehicles were presented to senior high schools to augment their transportation challenges. For instance under the rein of late President Mills, eight 30 seater buses and six pick up vehicles to 14 senior high schools in the region to support their academic work. The beneficiary schools or the buses are, Zuarungu Senior High School, Kongo Senior High School, Awe Secondary Technical School, Sirigu Senior High School, Kusanaba Senior High School, Notre Dame Senior High School, Zorko Senior High School and Fumbisi Senior High School. Those who benefitted from the Mahindra Pick-up vehicle were, Bongo Senior High School, Gowrie Senior High School, Sandema Senior High School, Bawku Senior High School, Tempane Senior High School and Zebilla Senior High School. A number of schools under trees where eradicated during the rein of the late President. As disclosed by the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr. Mark Woyongo, in October 2011 during a visit by Members of the Council of State, a total of 185 schools holding classes under trees in the Upper East Region were provided with classroom infrastructure by the government since it assumed the reins of power. The Minster, briefing the delegation then indicated that the achievement became possible due to a crash programme being embarked upon by the NDC government under President Mills to provide educational infrastructure for schools. He said in addition to tackling the schools under trees, second cycle institutions in the region have benefitted from over 99 big projects comprising dormitories, classrooms books, assembly halls, laboratories, as well as teachers’ accommodation facilities. According to the Regional Minister, the increase in the capitation grant, expansion of the school feeding programme, distribution of free exercise books and uniforms to deprive pupils have undoubtedly increased school enrolment drastically. He said additionally, a number of district education directorates and second cycles have also received pick up and buses to enhance supervision and administration of the schools. During the Upper East @ 50 celebrations the President commissioned a I.C.T centre as a gift from the Government of Ghana to the people of the region to commemorate the occasion. The ultra modern facility is presently serving the I.C.T. needs of the people of the region, especially students who use it for research and academic purposes. During that same periods a massive street lighting project was also carried out in the regional capital to give the area a facelift. In the area Sports, President one of his numerous visits to the region cut sod for the construction of a number of sporting infrastructures meant to harness the various talents of the youth. The $ 100,000 facility including Volley ball and Basket ball courts located within the Bolgatanga Sports Stadium is now in use by the people of the youth of the region to boost sports and recreation in the region. In Agriculture, I recall that it was during one of his tour to Garu that the late the President launched a special campaigned targeted at revamping the Cotton industry in the northern parts of the country. His vision as he launched what was known as the “White Gold” Campaign was to creating jobs, rekindle farmers activities and ultimately reduce poverty in the northern belt through cotton which use to be the a vibrant cash crop for the area. Under the initiative, the Cotton belt has been zone into three and assigned to three companies for the production of cotton. The zones are the North-Eastern Zone which has been allocated to WIENCO Ghana Ltd in partnership with Geo-Cotton, a French company and covers, Kassena-Nankana, Talensi Nabdam, Bawku West, Bawku Municipality, Garu-Tempane, Bongo, Builsa, West and East Mamprusi, Bunkpurugu, Gushegu, Saboba, Chereponi and Zabzugu districts. The second zone and Third Zones, the North-western and North Central, have being allocated Olam Ghana Ltd and Plexus in Partnership with Amajaro Ghana Ltd and covers about 23 municipalities and Districts in the Upper West and Northern Regions . These companies are to carry out cotton production through the pre-financing of small-holder farmers by the provision of inputs to the farmers in their zones and also have exclusive rights to pre-finances production and purchase seed cotton in their zones. Still in Garu, President Mills worried at the wanton pollution of the environment by polythene bags directed all municipal and district assemblies to initiate a programme to curtail the menace. Perhaps the greatest tribute Municipal and District Assemblies in the region in particular and the country as a whole could pay to the late president is for them to implement programmers torid the environment of filth, something the former president has desired. Between Friday March 25 to Saturday March 26, 2011, the Late President toured the Upper East Region and among his itinerary he carried out a number of activities including a sod cutting ceremony of a number of development projects and also inspected ongoing projects. He also interacted with chiefs from all the paramount area in the region. He was in Navrongo where he inspected ongoing projects at the Our Lady of Lourdes Girls Senior High School and also commission an electrification project at Nakolo. Another project that the region benefitted from was the sod cutting ceremony by the late President of an 8.5 kilometre Navrongo-Nayagenia-Mirigu road project. The late President was also in Zebilla to inspect ongoing projects at the Zebilla Senior High School as well as cut the sod for a borehole projects in the Zabugu-Natinga areas. His last vist to the region also saw him in the Garu-Tempane District where the late president again cut the sod for a 10 kilometre road project from Tempane through Yabrago to Woriyanga. As noted by Mr. Roland Ayoo of the NDC, the late president’s commitment to the development of the region was remarkable and unprecedented in the history of Ghana. “No doubt he will always be remembered for his three visits to the region in less than four years”, he said