President Mahama Unveils Comprehensive Development Agenda During Bono Region 'Resetting Ghana' Tour

President John Dramani Mahama has concluded an extensive 'Resetting Ghana' tour of the Bono Region, unveiling a multi-sectoral development strategy focused on infrastructure, economic modernization, and enhanced local governance. A central highlight of the tour was the sod-cutting ceremony for a new airport at Nsoatre. This project aims to establish the Bono Region as a strategic aviation and investment hub, featuring a 2.4-kilometer runway designed to accommodate larger aircraft that the current Sunyani Airport cannot support. Throughout the engagement, the President emphasized a commitment to transparency and inclusive growth, asserting that the administration's 'Big Push' infrastructure projects are being funded entirely by state resources to avoid increasing the national debt burden.

Infrastructure development remains a cornerstone of the regional agenda, with President Mahama inspecting several critical projects. This includes the 80km Jinijini-Sampa road, which is slated for full asphalting by 2027 to facilitate the export of cashews and improve connectivity with Ivory Coast. Minister of Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, noted that the 'Big Push' agenda has already generated nearly half a million jobs through various contractor supply chains. Additionally, the President inaugurated the construction of a 24-hour model market in Dormaa Ahenkro. This facility, part of a wider plan to establish similar hubs across all 261 districts, will include a clinic, daycare center, police station, and cold storage to support a modernized, around-the-clock economy.

On the policy front, President Mahama addressed several systemic challenges, most notably the digital transformation of telecommunications and regional trade security. He criticized previous SIM card registration efforts as a failure due to a lack of coordination between the Ministry of Communications and the National Identification Authority, proposing a new, streamlined strategy that prioritizes the Ghana Card for all mobile subscriptions. During a visit to Dormaa, the President also responded to an urgent appeal from Dormaahene Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II regarding the seizure and destruction of GH₵10 million worth of eggs by Burkinabe authorities. Mahama pledged to dispatch a high-level delegation to engage with Burkinabe President Ibrahim Traore to resolve the trade dispute and protect the livelihoods of Ghanaian poultry farmers.

To ensure the sustainability of these initiatives, the President held consultative meetings with Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), urging them to ignore 'enemies of progress' and focus on performance and job creation. This call to action coincided with reports of a massive surge in District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) allocations for the Bono Region, rising from GHS 11 million to over GHS 122 million. In the agricultural sector, the President announced the launch of 50 Farmer Service Centres to provide mechanization and extension support, starting with a pilot at Afram Plains. These efforts, combined with ongoing health facility assessments and a focus on doctor retention in the Bono East and Ahafo regions, signal a broad effort to decentralize development and improve living standards across the nation.