Vice President John Dramani Mahama at the weekend announced that government with development partners would embark on a 24.5 million dollar water project to provide water for the people of Kwahu in the Eastern Region. Under the project, government would construct a floating pontoon at the intake of the Volta Lake at Kotosu, rehabilitate and expand water treatment plants and construct booster pump stations at Kwahu Tafo, Mpraeso and Nkwatia all in Kwahu. Vice President Mahama, who said this during a durbar of chiefs to herald the annual Easter celebrations of Kwahuman at Kwahu Pepease, added that the water project, which would be completed at the end of 2012, would serve about 330,000 inhabitants of Kwahuman. The durbar also afforded the people of Kwahu the opportunity to showcase their culture, agricultural and tourism potentials, and to contribute their quota to the socio-economic development of the area. It was also a platform for various Town Development Associations of Kwahuman to take stock of their past performance and re-strategise towards the attainment of their development goals in subsequent years. Vice President Mahama commended the people for their ingenuity in business, industry and trade and urged them to expend adequate resources in the educational development of their children. “I recognise the ingenuity of the Kwahu people in business, industry and commerce, but I want to advise here that business and education are not exclusive to each other … you must allow your children to stay in school to realise their full potentials,” he said. On peace and stability, the Vice President said Kwahuman was among the most peaceful areas in the country and urged the people to take advantage of the stability to initiate and harness the tourist potentials of the area to attract more patrons. He said government through the Ministry of Tourism and the Ghana Tourists Board would recommend and provide technical assistance to them to develop such sites and attractions for future patronage. Daasebere Akuamoah Boateng, Adontenhene of Kwahuman, appealed for the creation of jobs in the Kwahu area to engage the youth and restrain them from drifting to Accra and major urban areas for non existent jobs. He attributed the perennial drift of Kwahu youth mostly to the Greater Accra Region to lack of jobs that would financially empower them to lead meaningful lives adding “the youth will stay back if they have jobs to live on”. Daasebere Boateng called for the strengthening of the Kwahu Development Association through various town developments to support government in creating those jobs for the teeming youth. The Kwahu Annual Easter celebrations also attracted holiday makers from all walks of life thereby creating both human and vehicular congestion. It also created price hikes in food, alcoholic beverages and transport services.Source: GNA