Conflicts, The Bane Of Northern Development � President

President John Dramani Mahama has decried the senseless and needless pockets of conflicts in the north, which he said continue to reverse the clock of development in the area. He appealed to the people to commit themselves to peace, saying that, no one had ever won a war or conflict and stressed that peace was a prerequisite for development, which everyone in the country especially those involved in the conflict to come together as one people with a common destiny to push the development agenda of their areas forward. President Mahama said these in Nakpali, a community in the Zabzugu District, when he inaugurated the Kworli Area Farmers and Fishermen Association (KAFAFA), at the weekend. He indicated that the conflicts would continue to be the bane of development in the area if the people do not put an end to fighting each other. He said, �Our enemies in this part of the country are poverty, malnutrition, disease and illiteracy and we must come together as one people with a common destiny to seek the interests of our younger generation than fighting ourselves.� President Mahama lauded the formation of the Association and pledged government�s support to farmers to embark on mass production of food to feed the nation and export saying, �This means we need to develop the habit and appetite for the consumption of our locally produced foods to put an end to other foods imports�. He said the Nakpali area had the potential of producing yam and other food stuff in large quantities for local consumption and for export and directed the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to intensify efforts at improving irrigation in the country to ensure all-year-round farming. He pledged to build a steel bridge on the Oti River to link Kworli and Nanumba North District to facilitate the carting of food products to the urban centres and assured the people that the NDC administration would always ensure equitable distribution of the national cake. The Gburigu-Lana, Mohammed Jawara, Paramount Chief of the Kworli Traditional Area, who is a life patron of the Association, commended President Mahama for accepting to travel to the area for the inauguration saying, �This means that you have everyone at heart.� He appealed to the President to help bring the needed development to the area, to help give employment to the youth, and that, it was important for government to consider constructing roads to link the district capital as well as the provision of electricity to the villages.