The Fountain Gate Church, has issued a communiqué on peace and development to the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council (RCC).
The statement which was received by the Deputy Regional Minister, Mrs Lucy Awuni at
Bolgatanga at the weekend, called on government to strictly and without fear or favour ensure the rule of law in Bawku to curtail the reoccurrence of conflicts in the area.
It said that politics should not be read into the Bawku conflict since that would constantly
"spark flames" and appealed to the authorities to remain neutral and politicians to desist from
ethnocentrism.
The Communiqué said if the conflict was not resolved it could spill over to other parts of
the country.
It called on Government to provide adequate security in the area and urged religious bodies to preach peace messages in Bawku.
The communiqué appealed to government revamp defunct factories in the region including
the Zuarungu meat factory, Pwalugu tomato factory, Zaurungu rice mill, oil factories to create
employment for the people.
It expressed dissatisfaction about the removal of the Cattle Development Board from Bolgatanga adding that it affected the development of the region.
The Communiqué appealed to all citizens of the region to contribute to the development of the area.
It expressed worry that some workers were transferred as punishment to the region.
The Communiqué appealed to government to ensure that schools in the region received
their feeding grants on time to facilitate academic work.
Mrs Awuni thanked the church for the bold initiative to help bring peace and development
to the region and gave the assurance that the communiqué would be presented to the appropriate quarters for action.
She said the development of the region should be a challenge for everyone and not the government alone.
Mrs Awuni said government was concerned about issues in the communiqué and would soon implement the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority that had pro-poor intervention programmes to help address the developmental gap between the North and theSouth.
On the Bawku conflict, the Deputy Minister said the Regional Security Council had submitted comprehensive measures the President of Ghana on the way forward.
The Communiqué was read by Pastor Solomon Daboo and presented by Reverend Eastwood Anaba both pastors of the Church.