SAVANNAH REGION EXPERIENCES INFRASTRUCTURAL GROWTH ACROSS ALL SECTORS

Savannah Region of Ghana is one of the new regions which was carved out of the Northern Region with Damongo named as it’s regional capital.

The purpose of the creation of the six new regions in 2018 was to facilitate the rapid growth of affected areas and also assist in the easy administration of the people.

The newly added regions have been a witness to some great infrastructural growth in various sectors within the spate of about four years.

The Savannah Region having a landmass of 34, 790 sq. km, constitutes of about one-fifth of the total land area of Ghana. According to the 2021 Population And Housing Census (PHC), the region has an estimated population of about 653,266 accompanied by an annual growth rate of 3.1 per cent.

It shares border to the west with the Upper West Region, on the east with North-East Region and the Northern Region, on the south by Bono, Bono East and Oti Regions and on the west by the Ghana-Cote d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso international borders.

The region has two municipalities and five district assemblies administratively. There are the East Gonja and West Gonja constituting the two municipalities, also the Central Gonja, North-East Gonja, Bole, North Gonja and Sawla-Tuna-Kalba make up the district assemblies.

However, there are some challenges it’s large land mass has brought with it, but the region has also got crucial resources including water bodies and fertile lands.

The Savannah Region is currently experiencing some infrastructural development which includes Health, road project with bitumen surfacing and educational infrastructures.

Most of the projects have been completed, with some also in the stage of completion and also some of the project which started in 2017 are in the areas of education, health, agricultural and transport.

There’s been a total of 75 road projects ongoing across the region, covering about 2,108 kilometres stretch. Significant among these constructions are setting up the roads of Fulfulso-Bunjai, Daboya-Mankarigu, asphalting and the reconstruction of the town roads.

Also, streetlights been fixed across the major towns improving visibility at night and had encouraged the work of commercial businesses along the major streets of the region.

The Savannah Regional Minister, Saeed Muhazu Jibril, explained that “to enhance traffic flow, reduce the cost of doing business in the regional capital as well as give it a major facelift to befit the status of a capital, the government is rehabilitating the entire Damongo town roads and there has also been the construction of new link roads and drains in the town.”

There has been an inauguration of an Integrated Recycling and Compost Plant (IRECoP) in Damongo following the government’s one district, one factory (1D1F) initiative.

The 400-tonne facility is part of one of the first 16 recycling and compost plants constructed across the regions in the country expected to employ technology to recycle organic, plastic and other waste products into raw materials to be utilized in the agricultural industries and other industries as well.

Moreover, it can serve as a center for research and training center for educational institutions, also the facility will serve a place for students to do their internship, project works and attachment.

Regarding agriculture, Mr Jibril said his region had had much improvement, mainly the establishment of the Planting for Exports and Rural Development (PERD) and Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ).

He said there has been increase in agricultural production under the PERD in his region as the government has invested more since 2019.

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“In order to promote rural economic growth and improve household incomes of rural farmers, the government introduced the PERD”, said Jibril.

Again, on health, he said there have been the establishment of about 28 Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds in the region’s various district assemblies.

There’s been construction of one health center at North East Gonja and Bole which is benefited on by the people of Sawla-Tuna-Kalba.

The Regional Minister Stated.