President John Dramani Mahama has pledged to upgrade key roads and extend electricity to underserved communities in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District, following appeals from traditional leaders during his tour of the Savannah Region.

Speaking at Sawla, Mahama said contracts had already been awarded for the electrification of unserved communities, with contractors expected to begin work within the next month.

“Savannah was one of the most underserved regions in terms of electricity supply. We want to bring Savannah up to the level of all the other regions in terms of access to electricity,” he said.

On road infrastructure, the President announced that Phase Two of the government’s “Big Push” infrastructure programme would be unveiled in the November budget. He assured residents that roads linking Sawla, Kong and Kalba in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District had been captured under the initiative.

“I can assure KongWura Kalba Wura, and my fathers, that your roads are contained in the Big Push project for next year. You will hear it announced in the budget in November, and early next year we’ll have the contractors on the ground,” Mahama said.

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu also announced plans to establish a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Centre of Excellence at Kulmasa in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District under a World Bank-supported programme.

The centre will focus on construction, agricultural mechanisation, auto mechanics and ICT, to equip young people with practical, employable skills.

“We believe that technical and vocational education is key to job creation and to reducing youth unemployment in this region,” Mr Iddrisu said.

Mr Mahama further disclosed that the government intends to end the double-track system in senior high schools by 2027 through a $300 million investment in 60 schools nationwide.

Under the plan, 30 Category C schools will be upgraded to Category B, while 30 Category B schools will be elevated to Category A status. The upgrades will include new dormitories, laboratories and lecture halls to increase enrolment capacity.

“We are reverting to the old system. Everybody will go to school at the same time so that we can increase the contact hours with the teachers,” he said.

The President also highlighted ongoing efforts to train between 7,000 and 8,000 basic and junior high school teachers in STEM and play-based pedagogy through ITEG Global. According to him, the initiative is intended to strengthen curiosity and problem-solving skills among pupils from the foundational level.

Earlier, the chief of Sawla, Wura Iddrisu Nungbaso, and the chief of Kong, Wura Adamu Jinkuruga, appealed for additional development projects in a joint statement read by the former.

The chiefs called for the extension of rural electrification to communities still without power, the construction of a dual carriageway on the Sawla township road and the Tuna-Kalba road, and the erection of a fence wall around Saint Anthony Minor Seminary Senior High School to improve security.

The Kongura also appealed for the construction of a road from Tuna to Kong, improved telecommunications network coverage in Kong, and the establishment of a senior high school and health facility in the area.

“The Kongura chiefs respectively appeal for electricity extension to Kong and its surrounding communities to support development and improve living conditions for the people,” the chiefs stated.

They assured the President of the area’s cooperation, describing the people of Sawla and Kong as “peace-loving and supportive of development initiatives”.