Spokesperson of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Dr. Gideon Boako has recounted the government's progress with its ''One Village, One Dam'' policy.
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Often, we all get into the frenzy of overly criticizing and trivializing some government policies and even begin to think they are of no proper benefits to anyone. I have observed this in many spheres and the One Village One Dam policy of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration is no exception.
There are those who were expecting to see the government construct dams like the Akosombo Dam, Tono irrigation dam, and so on. To them anything short of such huge dams is nothing. What we often forget is that such policies have their own intended beneficiaries who would normally appreciate them in their scope and design different from what you and I may think.
Now I entreat you to have a critical look at the images attached to this article. Here Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, then running mate to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Tuesday, 24th February, 2016 kicked off a two-day tour of the Lawra Constituency in the Upper West region by visiting communities such as Dowine, Boo, Lyssah, Eremon, Nanyaari, Nowoyelle and Zambo.
At Dowine Dr. Bawumia, the then Parliamentary candidate for Lawra, Anthony Abayifa Karbo and his campaign team came upon a group of women and a few men trying to dig for water using their hands and basic tools. They stopped and talked to them (the community folks) and they lamented their problems of accessing water during the dry season. This was a problem faced in almost all villages across the North. Then Dr. Bawumia and his team realized that having dams across many villages would really help the people in the dry season. The One Village One Dam was thus conceptualized.
What we all see in the images is nothing but a helpless desperate attempt by good citizens of this country in a ‘fruitless hunt’ for non-available water for farming, livestock and human use. This, in many occasions, has been the routine life of our cherished family and friends in some parts of the northern regions. Yes, you might not have seen huge and wide dams equivalent to twice the size of a football pitch under the One Village One Dam policy, but I sincerely believe that what government has provided and is providing, called the small earth dams, even if they are of the equivalent size of half or one-third the size of a football pitch, will be very useful to the people.
In the picture also are three images of newly constructed dams under the policy just for you to see how the affected communities have been transformed. These are just a sample of the many dams constructed across the northern parts of Ghana.
The policy was a practical solution to pressing needs of the people. I can imagine how emotional Dr. Bawumia could be during the conceptual stage of the policy. This is how in my view politicians should behave. Get closer to the people and offer policies that address their basic needs. It is not always about looking at the bigger picture of huge and flamboyant policies that do not really touch lives practically.
President Akufo-Addo and his administration have shown in the last three and half years through their many pro-poor policies that indeed they are very much concerned about liberating the sufferings of the Ghanaian people at the community, family and individual levels, while keeping pace with issues at the national level through policies such as the Free SHS, One Constituency One Ambulance, One District One Factory, One Constituency One Million Dollars, and so on.
President Akufo-Addo and Dr. Bawumia have further shown their commitment to addressing the irrigation deficit in the country by working so hard to commence work on the Pwalugu multi-purpose dam and irrigation project which has the capacity to increase the size of Ghana’s irrigable land by about 24,000 hectares from the current 12,980 hectares from independence. Upon completion the Pwalugu project will be the single largest public investment in irrigation since independence.
We are in yet another election year and campaign season, and I can’t wait to see what innovative pro-poor policies the competing political Parties roll-out. Of course, the promises will be measured against the Parties’ track record in handling similar pledges in the past. Until then it is kudos to President Akufo-Addo and his administration for the very important One Village One Dam Policy.
I am pretty sure that the over 307 dams either in active function or almost functional have in no doubt lessened the burdens of the affected communities in the North. May they forever find the dams useful and keep President Akufo-Addo and his administration in mind always.
Akpe!
Dr. Gideon Boako/Office Of The Vice President
Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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A good account of how governance can be brought down to brac tac to the benefit of the people. Community dug-outs might not sound impressive to people who do not appreciate the need to harvest low hanging fruits as a way of galvanizing and motivating people. Yes, it is good to broadcast such little achievements but bottomline it is the appreciation of people whose lives are so impacted that matter. They know where and in whom they should place their trust. The appreciative value of the 1V1D initiative is about the same as the Double Track and FSHS initiatives that have opened access to Grade A & B schools to children from non-elitist homes. Kudos to a Government that has exercised prudence to the benefit of the poor, vulnerable and downtrodden people
@Kwabena, you would find it disappointing because you have closed your mind and see anything good from NPP because of power. You cannot convince me that all the 307 small dams are not working.Some people in the are actually beneffing from this project and the bigger one which is Pwualugu multi purpose dam will solved almost 70 percent of the irrigation problem when completed.So please leave politics aside and give credit where credit is due.The money meant the Pwualugu project was diverted to do something else the NDC cannot count for the country. Long live Ghana
I find this very disappointing especially coming from someone like Dr. Brako as an economist and an academician who may has studied the domestic economy of communities around the tropic of cancer and Capricorn. The water problem in Upper Ghana starts right from the northern hemisphere up through northern Africa. The magnitude of this problem cannot be solved with dug out dams and it is evidenced in the dug outs done by the NDC administration. The communities in the region are full time small scale crop producers, therefore would be in a great need for sustainable water for consistent crop production not dug outs. It is about time we scrutinize and vehemently question pro-poor policies and challenge politicians and governments to stop the mental gymnastics. 1 village - 1 dam was a lazy mind policy for political score, it was just a bandage on a wound that needed stitches and antibiotics.
exactly my point. This is the story that should be told by the communication team. Make it known that the dams were not constructed for irrigation purposes, yes the residents need more that is good, but who doesn't need more. Offgrid communities when they were supplied with solar lamps were initially happy then they asked for more and then they were given solar home systems but their appetite for electricity grew and some started asking why can't we use deep freezers like those in cities, why can't we use air conditions like those in cities, why can't we use electric stoves, etc. If you pounce on that
Please tell your communication teams to tell this story over and over again so the average Ghanaian will understand and appreciate the concept. In so doing you take the wind out of the sail of the NDC propadanda boat.