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The Vice President of the Republic, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, on Sunday 25th November, 2018 joined the Chiefs and people of Nandom Traditional Area to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Kakube Festival at Nandom in the Upper West Region.

The Kakube festival is celebrated to mark the end of the farming season each year and to show appreciation to the Almighty for His guidance and protection during the farming season.

It is also an occasion for the people of Nandom traditional area to renew relationships, put on display their rich culture and traditions and preserve them for future generations.

Speaking on the theme for the festival, “Quality Education and Cultural Integration: Pre-Requisite For National Development”, Vice President Bawumia indicated that Government was committed to providing holistic national development, as well as enhanced access to, and quality education for, the people of Ghana, through the implementation of far-reaching policies and programmes.

“Quality education and good cultural upbringing require leadership commitment. Our President, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is walking the talk. Through the government’s Agenda for jobs programme, the government is implementing quality economic and social development policies.”

According to Vice President Bawumia, implementation of these programmes started, among others, with Free Senior High School (FSHS) in 2017.

“With the implementation of Free SHS, 90,000 of our brothers and sisters who would otherwise have been at home gained access to Senior High School education. This year, 180,000 more have gained admission to SHS. That is a total of 270,000 teenagers who would otherwise not have gained access to education in just two years. These are teenagers who want to go to school rather than be selling on the road side and getting into trouble. You can imagine the numbers in 10 or 15 years. Free SHS is clearly an agenda to create a future with prosperity and equal opportunities.”

Other programmes, such as Planting for Food and Jobs, which has led to self-sufficiency in maize for Ghana as well as the provision of subsidized fertilizer and improved seeds for farming; and the provision of essential infrastructure to address sanitation and water supply needs through the Infrastructure for Poverty Reduction Programme (IPEP) are also ongoing.

The Vice President, who was Special Guest of Honour, commended the sons and daughters of Nandom for the peace the traditional area continues to enjoy, and urged them to use it as a platform for the accelerated development of the area.