The Member of Parliament for Lawra, Hon. Bede Anwataazumo Ziedeng, has reaffirmed his development-driven leadership by outlining major gains in education, health, roads, energy, and water as he joined the chiefs and people of Eremon to celebrate the 2025 Senkaa Festival.
The festival, held on December 28, brought together traditional authorities led by Naa Puowelle Karbo III, Paramount Chief of Lawra Traditional Area and President of the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs, alongside the Lawra Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Cecilia Soyelleh, party executives, and community leaders.
Celebrated on the theme “A Blessed Arable Land, Celebrating Our Agricultural Heritage,” Senkaa marks a bumper harvest and highlights the central role of groundnut cultivation in food security and poverty reduction among the people of Eremon.
Addressing the durbar, Hon. Ziedeng linked constituency-level progress to the broader development agenda of the Government of President John Dramani Mahama, noting that agriculture-led growth remains a pillar of the government’s reset agenda. He described Senkaa as “a celebration of productivity and resilience,” adding that “groundnuts are not just a crop for Eremon; they are a pathway to household income, nutrition, and dignity.”
Unprecedented Education Support
In education, the MP announced a significant expansion of his flagship student support programme. He disclosed that the annual fee support has been doubled from GH¢1,000 to GH¢2,000 per student, with over 80 students supported this year at a cost of about GH¢130,000. He noted that during his first term, he spent GH¢400,000 supporting more than 400 students, bringing total education support since assuming office to over GH¢530,000, an unprecedented investment in the constituency.
“This is about equal opportunity,” Hon. Ziedeng said. “No brilliant child in Lawra should drop out because of fees.”
He further announced plans to construct a new JHS block at Eremon Tangzu and rehabilitate existing infrastructure to ease overcrowding.
Health, Roads and Energy Gains
On health, Hon. Ziedeng revealed that he has approved GH¢45,000 this year to equip the Eremon Health Centre with critical equipment, building on earlier interventions to strengthen primary healthcare delivery.
On roads, he announced that communities in Eremon will benefit from upcoming works under the District Roads Improvement Project (DRIP), while confirming that the Lawra-Domwine-Han road has been captured under the government’s Big Push infrastructure programme to address years of neglect.
In electrification, the MP acknowledged outstanding gaps in communities including Buree, Naburnye, Sorguon, Dazuur, Bompari and Toto, but assured residents that stalled projects are expected to resume in 2026. He disclosed that 21 communities across Lawra, including five in Eremon, have been selected for connection to the national grid. “I am engaging the Ministry of Energy to ensure Lawra is not left behind,” he said.
Water, Security and Personal Commitment
Hon. Ziedeng also announced plans to drill additional boreholes in 2026, complementing repaired facilities to ensure year-round access to potable water. In a show of personal commitment, he disclosed that he is personally financing the refurbishment of the old Agric building to serve as a police post, having already spent over GH¢15,000 on the project.
Aligning with Mahama’s Reset Agenda
The MP concluded by outlining key national initiatives under President John Mahama that will benefit Lawra, including Feed Ghana, Akoko Nkitikiti, Adwumawura, the National Apprenticeship Programme, and the forthcoming 24-Hour Economy, which he said will create jobs for the youth and deepen value addition especially in agriculture.
“As we celebrate Senkaa, we are also celebrating a future where agriculture, infrastructure and skills development work together to lift our people out of poverty,” Hon. Ziedeng said.
The 2025 Senkaa Festival thus served not only as a cultural celebration of harvest and heritage, but as a platform to underscore how local development gains in Eremon reflect and are reinforced by the broader achievements and policy direction of the Mahama administration.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
