Traditional authorities have been called upon to adopt alternative resource generation to promote development-oriented initiatives that will complement government's efforts in reducing poverty in their areas. Mr. Boniface Gambilla, Upper East Regional Minister, made the call when he addressed a durbar of chiefs and peoples of Kusaug traditional area at Bawku to climax their 19th annual Samanpiid Festival. On the theme: "Incorporating Development Initiatives into Samanpiid Festival," was aimed at launching a development fund to address some socio-economic challenges in the area. The festival was to express the gratitude of the people to God and their ancestral spirits for a bountiful farming season and to solicit for his guidance and protection in the next farming season. "The sanctity of the chieftaincy institution can not be guaranteed if our traditional authorities continue to depend solely on hand-outs and charity," he noted. Mr. Gambilla said current development needs were complex and demanding but traditional authorities could use their influence and advocacy roles towards the achievement of the development needs of the people. He, therefore, urged traditional authorities to be ingenious in looking for resources to support initiatives that would enable them and their people to live in a dignified manner. The Regional Minister called on the people to maintain the peace currently prevailing in the area to enable the government to carry on with development-oriented policies to lessen their problems. He commended the traditional authority's collaboration with the security agencies in bringing lasting peace and order to Bawku and expressed the hope that they would continue to do so. Mr. Gambilla said it was a shared responsibility of traditional authorities to ensure that citizens register with the health insurance schemes for a healthy society to create wealth that was needed to move the country forward. He expressed concerns over the attitude of registered members of the scheme who were abusing the scheme by calling at the hospital with the slightest excuse of receiving medical attention. He said their unrestrained abuse was a threat to the scheme's survival and constitutes a great disservice to the nation and appealed to them to stop the practice. The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr. Abdul-Rahman Gumah, called on people not to take the current peaceful atmosphere in the area for granted. "We still need to foster unity of purpose and close collaboration amongst ourselves and neighbours and build more bridges of peace," he stressed. Mr. Gumah said peace was a pre-condition for any meaningful development, adding that various development projects taking place could not have come about in an atmosphere of chaos and disorder. "The hitherto volatile and conflict-prone Bawku is now an island of peace and hope for progression and as a people we have learnt our lessons," he added. The MCE said since the assumption of office of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) over 240 projects have been carried out in the municipality and these projects have had positive impact on the living standard of the people. He said development was a shared responsibility between government and the beneficiary communities and called on citizens in the area to collaborate with the assembly for the people to benefit from their ideas. The Paramount Chief of the Kusaug Traditional Area, Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, commended the NPP government for introducing measures that have impacted positively on the lives of the people. He said farming activities have been enhanced with the Poverty Alleviation Fund to a large number of farmers and called for its early release to enable farmers to prepare adequately for the next farming season.