President Akufo-Addo has called on members of the Oti Regional House of Chiefs to help discard negative practices that are not promoting development in traditional areas.

He urged the authorities to abandon practices, especially those that work against women and children in their traditional areas.

"We should not be afraid of discarding those rules and practices that do not fit in with modern current reality and norms.

"I refer especially to the norms that seek to discriminate against women and children," he said.

The President also requested the chiefs to help end conflicts; often resulting from land disputes, using their good offices which he says are the back-bone to development.

"I urge you to speak out and join government's fight against the ills in our society; corruption, social and economic injustice, crime and the illegal mining menace.

"As Chiefs, you have a responsibility to help preserve our land, the purity of our water bodies and the health of our environment," he noted.

Addressing the Chiefs, the president mentioned that a number of projects in the Health sector would come to bare in months to come.

He said government will provide several district hospitals to some districts in the Oti Region who have no access to healthcare.

"As part of government's agenda 111, we seek to build district hospitals in the course of the next 12 months.

"Government will construct district hospitals in the following districts without hospitals in the Oti Region. They are Kejebi, Krache East, Krache Nchumuru and Nkwanta North," he mentioned.

The President appealed to all Chiefs to hold their institution in high esteem and use their offices to foster development.

This, he stated, "Your involvement in the public life of our country derives naturally from your positions as national rulers."