The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr. Mark Woyongo, has challenged Senior Citizens in the region to contribute their quota to ensure that peace and stability is maintained at all times.
The Regional Minister, who made the call during this year's Senior Citizens Day, held in Bolgatanga on Wednesday said with their rich experiences they stood the better chance of counselling especially the youth to desist from conflicts.
He expressed worry about the protracted communal conflict in Bawku and other land and chieftaincy disputes bedevilling the region.
Mr. Woyongo noted that the Government intends to put in place a good number of policies including the establishment of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority and Sheanut Development Board to enhance the rapid socio-economic development of the three Northern Regions, but said that would not happen without peace.
"It is a challenge to you as the fathers of the region to play the fatherly role of maintaining peace and tranquillity. to bring about development to bridge the gap of development between the North and the South."
He emphasized that the region is endowed with natural resources such as irrigable lands, minerals and tourist sites that could only be exploited by investors if there is peace.
Mr. Woyongo commended the Senior Citizens for the enormous role they had played in the socio-economic development of the region and the nation and said the Regional Co-ordinating Council would continue to tap their rich experiences to facilitate development.
He also challenged them to come out with proposals on how to help address poverty, common diseases and indiscipline in the society and the falling standards of education.
Some of the Senior Citizens condemned the conflicts in the region particularly that of Bawku and stressed the need for a lasting solution to the problem.
They appealed to the factions to stop the conflict and use dialogue to address their differences.
They asked the Heads of Department and the District Assemblies to be judicious in their expenditure in order to bring about more and better development.
They appealed to the Government to revamp the Northern Star Tomato Factory and empower farmers with agriculture inputs to enable them to undertake dry season farming, which is the main livelihood of the people.
The Senior Citizens who were about 90 and drawn from the nine districts were presented with pieces of clothes and 30 Ghana cedis each and were treated to food and drinks.