IT’S OFFICIAL; HON. TANGOBA READY FOR NAVRONGO CENTRAL PRIMARIES 24th Jan., 2020

The Upper East Regional Minister Hon. Tangoba Abayage, has formally made public her intention and readiness to contest the Navrongo Central constituency primaries on the ticket of the ruling New Patriotic Party [NPP] against Ghana’s 2020 general elections come December this year.

Hon. Tangoba Abayage, RM - UE at the Soiree

Speaking at a press soiree organised by the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council and held at the Residency this Friday evening, Hon. Tangoba stated emphatically, “just this morning, I paid the required fees and duly picked nomination forms to contest our party’s primaries which will be in April 2020 and that is it”. It will be recalled that, Hon. Tangoba was Ghana’s Ambassador to Italy where she served creditably for the interest of Ghana for about two years till she was recalled and appointed as regional minister to her home-region, Upper East.

Hon. Tangoba is the first female to head the Upper East Region as Regional Minister since the region’s creation a little over 60 years ago and a good majority of the region’s people believe she is living up to the billing as her strong lobbying skills has brought in and continues to draw some laudable development projects to communities across the region.

In her address to the journalists and other media practitioners drawn from across the region, she noted that the region in 2019 was lucky to have hosted both the President and his Vice alongside other sector ministers for the sod cutting for the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam Project on 29^th November. She disclosed that the contractor, Power China was mobilising to move to the project site by April 2020. This project has been variously described as the single most-expensive project to ever happen in the North of Ghana, valued at one billion US Dollars. She added that the President at the time, also cut sod for the commencement of some 350 affordable housing units off the Pusu Namong-Pwalugu road known as, the Rock Estates.

The Regional Minister also touched on education and said while the Free Senior High School Programme had been properly resourced to continue running, several forms of educational infrastructure, had either been completed and handed over to schools or were at various stage of completion across districts in the region. She for instance disclosed that over 40 emergency schools’ projects were underway including 3-number 6-unit classroom blocks, 4-number single-storey dormitories, a dining hall and a six-seater toilet facility in the Bawku area alone. Meanwhile, the Bolga Girls’ SHS was also benefiting from a 12-unit classroom block which had reached plastering level and a 1-unit single-storey dormitory building. The Sandema SHS had also gotten a 6-unit classroom block, 2-number single-storey dormitory blocks and a 6-unit toilet facility.

A Cross Section of the Media at the event

 

Hon. Tangoba also touched on roads in her region and reported that the contractor working on the Bolgatanga-Bawku-Pulmakom road had returned to site and that, works at the Zebila section were nearing completion. She added that, five major bridges including some in the Garu-Tempane areas, Kulungugu, Doninga and the Sisilli River areas were all being worked on. Meanwhile, a total of 59 kilometres of roads started last year, were ongoing throughout the region under the auspices of the Ghana Highways Authority. She revealed that a total of 1,281.55 kilometres of feeder roads were also receiving major interventions.

Directing her attention on health, the Regional Minister announced with joy beaming on her face that, the drone project of delivering emergency health supplies such as blood and other critical health consumables to health facilities, was ready and will soon launch to cover the entire Upper East region. She said now that Government had taken delivery of the full complement of 307 ambulances for distribution to all constituencies, all the 15 municipal and district assemblies in the region would equally benefit.

Responding to a question from a journalist later during open forum as to whether she had a media cabal in the region blessing her with beautiful news publications, Hon. Tangoba replied that, she was accessible and very open to the media in the area and interacts regularly with almost all but doesn’t know of any such cabal. She stated however that, the fact there were many good reports about her simply meant that, she was performing well as regional minister and doing all the good things expected of one in her position though she admitted that, there had been times some too very critical of her and she makes room to contain all of them.

Some MMDCEs on the high table with Hon. Tangoba

Upper East Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association [GJA] Mr. Eric Amo in his remarks to his colleagues, admonished the media against offering their platforms for politicians whose motive was to attack personalities and insult others. He charged the media to be particularly cautious with the kinds of content they let out or broadcast as the country was gearing up to experience a hot-serve of political activities leading to the general elections in December.

 

Some dignitaries including Municipal and District Chief Executives, security service commanders and regional heads of department also participated in the press soiree.