Build dam for the community - Doninga chief to government

The chief of Doninga in the Builsa South District of the Upper East Region, Nab Atabnueong Adiila Akanbeanab Akanbong I, has appealed to the government to provide a dam in the community to help tackle the rural-urban migration among the youth therein.

The chief who made the call during the annual durbar of chiefs and people of the town stated that Doninga is predominantly a farming community but only had the opportunity of farming only one crop season.

He stated that after farming for only one season, the community members, especially the youth were left idle, compelling many of them to migrate to the southern parts of the country to do menial jobs and become victims of circumstances, such as teenage pregnancies and diseases.

He indicated that if the government was able to provide the area with a dam and other facilities under the “One Village One Dam project”, it would empower the residents to do dry season farming.

Nab Akanbong also mentioned that poor telecommunication networks, security, poor roads among others, as challenges in the area and entreated the National Communication Authority and the telcos to come to the aid of the community.

The chief indicated that he had put in place a watchdog committee to complement the security agencies to deal with crime.

That notwithstanding, he underscored the need for the government to provide the area with a police station and accommodation for the staff.

Nab Akanbong said the Doninga Traditional Council would collaborate with the district assembly, the Member of Parliament(MP) for the Builsa South Constituency, Dr Clement Apaak and other development partners to deliver on projects in the area including the revamping of the Doninga market.

That, he said, would empower the people in the area to be economically viable and also generate income for the assembly.

The District Chief Executive for the area, Mr Kwame Gariba, gave the assurance that he would facilitate the construction of the dam to ensure that the community benefits from the “One Village One Dam” programme.

The MP, Mr Apaak, pledged to provide 100 bags of cement to help put up a police station in the area and also provide 10 motorbikes to the police to help arrest crime.

The annual durbar which is the foremost cultural event of the people of Doninga and had been held continuously for nearly 50 years afforded the platform to showcase their rich cultural heritage and values as well as unveil new development projects.