Poverty in northern Ghana can only be reduced if parents resolve to invest more in the education of their children, Alhaji Awudu Yiremea, Deputy Upper East Regional Minister has observed.

He said "as Ghana celebrates 50 years of independence, people in this part of the country should depart from the aged-old traditional culture of keeping large herds of cattle as signs of influence."

Alhaji Yiremea was addressing this year’s Adakoya festival of the chiefs and people of Zuarungu traditional area in the Upper East Region.

It was also an occasion to launch a ¢5 billion Education Endowment for the establishment of a Teacher Training College Fund under the auspices of the Zuarungu Traditional Council.

The theme for the celebration was, "the role of traditional authorities in fostering good governance and development efforts of district assemblies."

The celebration of the Ndakoya festival like many others, afforded the people the opportunity, to thank their ancestors for a bountiful harvest, take stock of their activities and to fashion out future development programmes.

Alhaji Yiremea who stood in for the regional minister pointed out that the government in recognition of the developmental needs of the people is vigorously persuing a three pronged policy.

This included human resource base, private sector development as the engine of growth and the promotion of good governance.

However he said government alone could not shoulder these responsibilities without the active involvement and support of every citizen.

He used the occasion to appeal to traditional rulers to avoid practices such as denying girl child education, widowhood inheritance and female genital mutilation that militate against the development of the people.

He urged the youth to take advantage of poverty alleviation interventions such as the Youth Employment Programme, the numerous macro and micro-credit schemes for both medium and small scale enterprises.

Mr. David Apasera, MP for Bolgatanga Central appealed to the people to eschew tendencies which tend to divide rather than unite them for development.

He disclosed that he has spent about ¢60 million out of his share of their common fund to sponsor brilliant but needy students in the area to further their education.

He said he also provided eight boreholes within the Zuarungu community, provided 30 bags of cement for the cladding of Zuarunga primary School, pipe water for Ayeltige primary school.

The MP said he was in the process of sourcing for funding of over ¢100 million towards the Teacher Training College and a three classroom block for dubile community.

The Zuarungu-Naba Charles Agyamga appealed to government to complete the rehabilitation of roads in the area, the establishment of a teacher training college in the area, which he described as a citadel of education in the region.

Times