He has, therefore, urged Ghanaians to disabuse their minds of the idea that only communities that voted for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the last general election would benefit from the government’s laudable programmes of rebuilding the Zongos to make them very attractive.

Alhaji Saddique made the call when he addressed the Zongo communities in the Birim Central Municipality, Birim-South and Akyemmansa districts at Akyem Oda last Thursday as part of the ministry’s sensitisation workshops for Zongo communities nationwide.

Low rate of development

The minister had earlier addressed similar workshops at Nkawkaw, Kyebi, Suhum, Nsawam, and Asamankese in the Eastern Region.

Alhaji Saddique attributed the low rate of development in Zongo communities to poverty and ignorance and stressed that the government was taking realistic measures to address the problem to bring lasting relief to the residents.

He said the creation of his ministry was in fulfilment of the NPP’s campaign promise of developing the Zongos to make them attractive permanent places of abode for the people.

According to Alhaji Saddique, his ministry has long, medium and short-term plans for the implementation of development agenda for the Zongo communities.

Structures

He stated that the ministry was on course in developing structures from the national to the regional and district levels by using the assemblies to list the priorities to each district, municipality and metropolis.

The Chief of Akyem Oda Zongo, Chief Sulemana Adamu, called for peace, unity and understanding among the Zongo communities to speed up the progress of the areas.

He warned the youth of Zongo not to allow themselves to be used as macho men to cause violence in the country.

 The Presiding Member of the Birim Central Municipal Assembly, Mr Andrews Abrokwah, who chaired the function, thanked the President for appointing an experienced person like Alhaji Boniface Saddique to head such an important ministry to spearhead the progress of the Zongos.