He noted that efforts were being made to galvanise the needed resources to pursue other initiatives.

President Akufo-Addo was addressing a durbar of the chiefs and people of the Bongo traditional area as part of his two-day tour of the Upper East Region.

On the implementation of the free SHS policy, the President said enrolment would increase next academic year and more than 8,000 teachers would be engaged to manage the situation.
Accompanied by ministers of state and high profile personalities, the President seized the opportunity to inspect some ongoing projects that were currently being undertaken by government.

Key among them was the eight-kilometre Bongo-Balungu-Namong-Zorkor road network.

The stretch which had been awarded on contract and expected to take 12 months to complete poses a death trap due to its deplorable nature.

According to the President, road infrastructure was one of his priority list and adequate resources would be made to ensure its completion by close of next year.

President Akufo-Addo expressed his government’s readiness to see to the rehabilitation of all minor roads in the area.

In response to numerous requests made by the Paramount Chief of the Bongo traditional area, Naba Salifu Alemyaruum, the President resolved to ensure the speedy construction of a dam project at Ayopia, which is one of the few dams being constructed in the district to actualise government’s One-Village-One-Dam policy.

On the free SHS policy, President Akuffo-Addo pledged to recruit more teachers in the next academic year to offer decent tuition and help bridge the yawning deficit in terms of student-teacher ratio.

Touching on aviation, he announced that the ministry in charge was working around the clock to construct an airport at the proposed site in Sirigu, a suburb of Bolgatanga.

Another area that the President touched on was on improving the agriculture sector which he was emphatic on the outcome of the Planting for Food and Jobs programme and hinted that more farmers were going to enjoy improved seedlings and subsidised fertilisers among other farm inputs during the planting season.