Government would by the end of next year inaugurate a new pontoon to ferry goods and passengers across Volta Lake from Kete-Krachi in the Volta Region to Kojokrom in the Brong Ahafo Region. The acquisition of a new pontoon has become necessary because the cost of building a new pontoon is only slightly higher than that of repairing the damaged pontoon which has been grounded for seven years now. The Minister for Transport, Mr. Mike Hammah, announced this at the durbar to climax activities marking the Denteh Akwambo Festival of chiefs and people of Kete-Krachi in the Volta Region. Mr. Mike Hammah reminded the chiefs and people of Krachi that government was aware of their predicaments and was taking steps to address them. He said government had earlier in the year released funds for the refurbishment old Krachi ferry which had been grounded for seven years. “However, when we later realised the cost of building a new ferry we found it to be more economical to build a new pontoon than repair the old one,” Mr. Hammer explained. “The cost of repairing the old pontoon is 3.5 million dollars while the cost of building a brand new one is 4.2, so the president has directed that instead of repairing the old one, a new one should be built,” he added. The Arab contractors who are building the pontoon, he disclosed, had begun work in earnest and would complete by the end of 2011. He said government would acquire two more pontoons under the Millennium Challenge Account and also buy eight new engines to refurbish the existing ferries in the country. He explained that the pontoon could not be imported because it could not be transported across the Akosombo Dam. He recounted a number of projects being undertaken nationwide as part of the government’s “Better Ghana” agenda and called on Ghanaians to do their part of the bidden since government alone could not do all. The Denteh Akwambo festival, also known as Nanaba, is celebrated to mark the end of the traditional calendar of the people of Kete-Krachi. It was instituted in honour of the Denteh god of the Krachi people. Like many traditional festivals, however, Nanaba now serves as a period for stock taking and the planning of development projects. It is also the time to strengthen the bond of unity among the people.