The Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District Assembly held its First Ordinary General Assembly Meeting, showcasing significant progress and achievements in its development projects.
The meeting, held at the Assembly’s Conference Hall on 6th November, 2025, highlighted efforts by the Assembly to enhance growth and service delivery across various departments and sectors through support from the District Assemblies Common Fund, the central government, and development partners.
In his welcome address, the Presiding Member, Hon. Alhaji Abdulai Mohammed, expressed gratitude to all Assembly Members for their attendance and commitment.
He urged continuous unity and collaboration among members, noting that peace and cooperation remain key to the Assembly’s success.
He also appealed to chiefs and traditional leaders within the district to promote peace and harmony, particularly in the aftermath of the Gbiniyiri land dispute between the Gonjas and the Brifors.
The Presiding Member of the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District Assembly said;
“Conflict only undermines development and drains the scarce resources of the Assembly. Peace remains the cornerstone of progress, and I urge all stakeholders to work together in preserving it for the benefit of our people.”
Hon. Alhaji Mohammed also expressed appreciation to members for their support, which led to his election as Dean of Presiding Members in the Savannah Region, following his earlier election as the District’s Presiding Member.
Addressing the meeting, the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Saaka Sinkina, commended the vision of President John Dramani Mahama, describing his “Resetting Agenda” as a comprehensive framework aimed at consolidating national gains, addressing key developmental gaps, and promoting inclusive, resilient, and sustainable growth.
He noted that the agenda aligns with the district’s priorities, particularly in the areas of job creation, infrastructure improvement, service delivery, and peacebuilding.
However, the DCE lamented that the Gbiniyiri inter-ethnic conflict which started on August 22, 2025 and disrupted development efforts in the district.
He explained that the conflict plunged the community into chaos, resulting in loss of lives and diverting funds meant for development into maintaining security operations, feeding, and logistics to restore peace.
The Sawla-Tuna-Kalba DCE said;
“The conflict has drained our limited resources and slowed down our development progress”.
Despite the challenges, Mr Sinkina Saaka highlighted several achievements by the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District Assembly where he mentioned that before the conflict, the district organized football competitions supported by SOCO, which helped promote peace and unity among participating communities.
In education, the DCE revealed that the District Education Directorate had rolled out several initiatives, including the Build Back Better Programme, a partnership between the Ghana Education Service and UNICEF focused on promoting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education at the junior high school level, especially among girls.
At the kindergarten level, he said, the Lively Minds Programme has been introduced to train teachers and volunteer parents to enhance early childhood learning both at home and in school.
Mr Saaka Sinkina further disclosed that the number of schools benefiting from the National School Feeding Programme had increased from 23 to 47, with plans to expand coverage further.
He added that;
“This expansion will help improve school enrollment and retention in the district”.
On health the DCE for the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District stated that the District Health Directorate, with support from its partners, implemented several key interventions, including Children’s Health Promotion Week, African Vaccination Week, and World Hypertension Day activities, all aimed at improving immunization, child nutrition, and disease prevention.
He noted that the directorate also conducted its annual stock-taking exercise and benefited from technical supervision from the Medical Superintendent to strengthen lower-level facilities.
Touching on sanitation, the DCE reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to addressing sanitation challenges, adding that the National Sanitation Day Initiative, observed on the first Saturday of every month, has been instrumental in mobilizing communities to maintain cleanliness.
In the agricultural sector, the Mr Saaka Sinkina reported that the Department of Agriculture has intensified farmer training on modern and climate-smart practices, conducted routine home and farm visits, and supported the establishment of community farms.
He added that the department has mobilized and registered Farmer-Based Organizations (FBOs) under the Feed Ghana Project, and promoted climate adaptation through tree planting along dugouts and farmlands.
Mr Sinkina Saaka also highlighted the financial inflows that have supported development initiatives in the district.
According to him, the Assembly received GHc 5,929,939.57 as the District Assembly’s Common Fund (DACF); GHc810,723.58 as the MP’s Common Fund; GHc 529,031.18 as the Persons with Disabilities Fund and GHc 3,236,939.78 under the SOCO Project
The DCE for the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District concluded by acknowledging the contribution of various partners, including SOCO, GPSNP, and DACF-RFG, for supporting ongoing projects in road infrastructure, school development, health facility expansion, telecommunication improvement, and electricity extension.
Source: nkilgifm.com
