PRESIDENT MAHAMA PREACHES PEACE, OUTLINE DEVELOPMENT PLANS IN OTI REGION
President John Dramani Mahama last Friday July 25, 2025 appealed to the citizenry in the Oti Region to channel their energies in fighting poverty as a common enemy and lay down weapons to give peace the chance to prevail for development in the region.
The President’s call for calm comes at the back of recent conflict in the Nkwanta South Municipality between three feuding factions such as Akyode, Challa and Adele tribes which is alleged to have claimed about 17 lives leaving several others injured.Read More
Lack of peace, the President said derails development and economic growth hence the need for the factions to resort to appropriate procedures through dialogue in resolving their differences.
He called on the feuding factions in Nkwanta South to lay down their weapons and resort to dialogue in addressing their differences for the sake of peace and development in the Municipality.
“Our common enemy is poverty and not against each other let’s strive with unity of purpose for our generation unborn by embrace peace as the only tool for development,” he said.
President John Dramani Mahama said his presence in the region was to thank the people of the Oti Region for overwhelmingly voting for him in the 2024 election.
He said is outfit was committed to sharing the National Cake for the Oti region to benefit in terms of development.
Addressing the gathering, the President the economy is back on track and has shown positive signs of recovery whilst inflation is expected to hit a single digit by end of the 2025, and the Ghanaian Cedi has appreciated significantly against the major currencies across the globe.
According to him, Oti region will grab a public university in Oti Region as part of his campaign promise of establishing a public university in every newly created region.
Other development projects he mentioned include; the construction of Kpassa – Oti Damanko – Nkwanta road through government Big Push programmed, whilst the Dambai bridge is expected to commence by end of 2025.
President Mahama explained that as part of his government’s commitment to improve road infrastructure, government is constructing about ten-kilometre road in some 166 districts across the country of which all the Municipal and District Assemblies in the region will benefit
Engaging with the stakeholders to construct a regional hospital in Dambai and will provide a fully fledge health care service to the people.
He said his office has directed the Ghana water company to extend their visibility in Dambai to address the water treatment challenge in the region.
President also announced the revamping of the Damanko-Kpassa water system to ensure effective follow of water to benefit about 70,000 people in Nkwanta north. Project, he said will cost over Ghs40 million and is expected to be complete in 18 months.
For sports, the President said modern multipurpose sports stadium will be constructed in all new regions and Oti Region is included.
To the President of the Oti Regional House of Chiefs, Nana Soglo Alloh IV, Mr Mahama’s administration started on the good note, adding that the Oti Region gave the president a total nine Members of parliament.
He said Article 242 deals with the MDCEs and the clause D talks about the appointment of MDCEs in collaboration with the traditional leadership and called for the amendment of article 242 clause ‘D’ to allow the chiefs involve in local assemblies’ activities.
He added that chiefs engage in settlement of disputes and a link between the local areas and the government and they have paid their dues and must be given a dividends of infrastructure development.
He lamented that although the economy had picked up but the citizens are still hoping to fill the impact of the economic growth and urged the President to scale the measures aimed at improving the living standard of the citizenry with Oti region as a focus.
The chief continued that the previous government had built a High Court to serve the people in the region but there is no judge to adjudicate of issues, no hospital for the region to provide quality health services to the people.
He requested the government to provide effective or temporal means of transport for the residents pending the construction of bridge over the Oti river in Dambai.
He pleaded with set up a military base in either Nkwanta South or Dambai to enable the timely intervention in addressing pockets of violence in the region.
