President John Dramani Mahama has announced a mega deal for the local printing industry as government is set to print all textbooks for basic schools across the country locally.

This, he said, would keep the GH¢564.6 million earmarked for the printing of the textbooks in the Ghanaian economy.

Addressing the chiefs and people of Tama­le on his ‘Thank You’ visit to the Northern Region on Saturday, President Mahama said the “no textbook phenomenon” has become a thing of the past.

“If you recall, the previous administration changed the curriculum and yet, refused to provide textbooks for our basic school students.

“This no textbook phenomenon will end this year (because the education minister) has assured that these text books are going to be printed by Ghanaian printers so that the money stays here in Ghana,” he said to cheers and applause.

The government, President Mahama said would invest heavily in education to prepare the future generation of the country for the leadership task that awaits them.

He said by uncapping the Ghana Educa­tion Trust Fund, resources would be available to complete all uncompleted E-blocks in the region and initiate new ones.

With regards to development of the Northern Region in particular, President Ma­hama said the region was set to be a signifi­cant beneficiary of government’s ‘big push’ initiative which is intended to undertake critical infrastructure projects over a five-year period across the country.

Projects earmarked under the big push in the region, he itemised, included the White Volta bridges at Nawuni, Pusiga, Oti River bridge at Saboba, and the Bimbilla-Nakpali bridge amongst others.

Earlier in the day, President Mahama had outlined government’s irrigation plan to the Overlord of Dagbon, Ndan Yaa-Naa, Naa Abukari II, when he called on him at his palace at Yendi.

The government, President Mahama said envisions to turn the Northern Region into the country’s food basket as it used to be in the past; stressing that it held great potentials for Ghana’s economic revival.

“We want to recapture those days when the Northern Region was actually the granary of Ghana, providing the country with the food security it needs,” President Mahama stated.

He noted that climate change was affecting rainfall patterns in the region and making agriculture unpredictable, prompting the need for government to target irrigation de­velopments because “without water control, farming becomes like gambling”.

“Our intention is to focus on irrigated agri­culture and the Northern Region is going to get its fair share of the initial 10,000 hectares of land that is going to be put under irriga­tion. There is a lot of work to do but I know that with your support and prayers, we shall achieve all that we have set for ourselves.”