Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has commended Fulani Chiefs in the country for coming together to successfully host the first-ever National Conference of Chiefs.

Dr Bawumia who was the special guest at the maiden conference in Kintampo over the weekend, said the gathering is historic, as it has united Fulanis in the country to provide leadership and a powerful voice to contribute to national development.

"This is a very important conference of Fulani community leaders coming together from across the country to discuss development, particularly as it relates to Fulani communities in Ghana," Dr. Bawumia said.

"I am particularly happy for the formation of this Council, which happened in 2018 because the National Council of Fulani Chiefs is an umbrella body that encompasses all Fulani chiefs and represents all Fulani Chiefs in Ghana. So it provides a very powerful voice to Fulanis in Ghana. It is providing a voice on key issues that affect Fulanis in Ghana," he said.

The theme for the maiden conference, was "our unity, our strength", and the Vice President said the Fulani Chiefs could not have chosen a better theme, as it also serves as a reminder to all Ghanaians to eschew acts that divide people, especially as the nation gets ready for another general election.

"Apart from serving the purpose of this conference, it also serves as a reminder for all Ghanaians to stay united and to avoid any act that divides us as one nation, especially as we go though our electioneering campaign."

Vice President Bawumia urged Fulanis to continue to unite among themselves within the larger Ghanaian community, stressing further that, unity among the diverse people of Ghana is even more important, because it is the only way to ensure peace and development.

"As a community among the larger Ghanaian community, we can only be strong and contribute our quota to national development if we too have unity of purpose.

"We must also remember that we are one people; we may be Fulanis, Mamprusis, Dagombas, Sefwhis, Asantes, Akyems, Fantes, Nzemas, Gas, or Ewes; we may be different tribes but we are one people and the only way you get development is through unity," he added.

"I therefore wish to thank the national council of Fulani Chiefs for choosing this important theme."

The Vice President told the Conference that President Nana Akufo-Addo is committed to building a prosperous and an inclusive country, which leaves no one behind, especially the marginalised.

Dr. Bawumia noted that even before the Akufo-Addo government assumed power, it realised that some of the indicators of exclusion were identity, lack of development and education, hence the government's focus on providing a national identity card for all, free education for all and development to marginalised parts of the country, especially the zongos.

He urged the Chiefs to cease opportunity of government's all-inclusive education policy for both Free SHS and the guarantor-free loan for tertiary education to get their children to school to ensure more development for Fulanis and the country.

The President of the Council of Fulani Chiefs, Iddrisu Mohammed Bingle, on behalf of his people, thanked Dr Bawumia for honouring their invitation.

He assured the Vice President that they were ready to embrace government's development agenda, especially education, because "God did not create Fulanis to rear cattle."