The Nkwanta North District Chief Executive (DCE), William NawugmaKidignang, has outlined his vision to transform the district to attract investors.
According to him, provision of a water system at Sibi, financial institutions at the district capital, Kpassa, as well as developing the Kpassa market into a model trading hub would help improve the socio-economic lives of the people.
Mr. Kidignang in an interview with the Ghanaian Times in Accra on Wednesday, said Sibi, a farming community, had been without water for months, forcing a population of about 8,000 people to walk several miles to Kpassa in search of water whilst others went to Damanko to fetch water from Oti River.
He said that the situation at Sibi had been a persistent one demanding stakeholders’ action to solve the problem.
Mr. Kidignangsaid "the underground water system sometimes go dry, making it difficult to drill boreholes to mechanise, and the only option is to draw water from River Oti to the Sibi community."
He said "the challenges they go through in terms of water are very serious and the community cries every day for help. The people are left behind so I feel bad for them as a DCE."
Mr Kidignangindicated that the Assembly was seeking sponsorships from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other stakeholders to address the situation.
He noted that the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), which was established in 2019, could not serve the people, including those who came to the area to trade.
"Market women and men are prone to be robbed because there are no banks. They travel with huge sums of money which is not safe,"Mr. Kidignang said.
He said, "Kpassahas developed that was why Ghana Commercial Bank, the NationalInvestment Bank (NIB) and other financial institutions should,as a matter of urgency, establish branches in the area to facilitate trade."
Mr. Kidignangunderscored the need to re-develop the Kpassa market to help make it more attractive.He said that "Kpassa market is one of the biggest and most attractive in the Oti Region. We have started some investments to give it a facelift because it has the potential to generate enough revenue to serve the needs of people."
