Yendi, Ghana – His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana, paid a courtesy call on Ndan Yaa Naa Abukari II at the Gbewaa Palace in Yendi on Friday, March 22, 2025.
The visit was to express his gratitude to the Yaa Naa for his blessings and prayers ahead of the 2024 elections, which he successfully won.
As part of his Thank You Tour in the Northern Region, President Mahama emphasized that it was only fitting to first visit the Overlord of Dagbon at his palace before proceeding to other parts of the region.
Below is the full statement delivered by President Mahama during his visit to the Gbewaa Palace:
“Your Royal Majesty, I greet you this afternoon. As you said, this is the first time we are meeting since the historic victory at the December 7th election.
I wish to acknowledge our Regional Minister, our Minister of Education, Honourable Lawyer Fatawu Jofa, MP for Yendi, our Minister of Transport, Minister of Environment, Science, and Technology, members of the Council of Elders of the NDC, all the traditional paramount chiefs present here, and all the citizens of Yendi. I am very grateful to be here on a thank you tour of the Northern Region.
This is the fifth region that I am visiting to say thank you. In all the places we have been, there has been a single ceremony in the capital of the region. But the Northern Region is different.
I cannot come to Tamale and say thank you without first coming to my father, the Overlord of Dagbon, before returning to Tamale to express my gratitude to the rest of the region. Before the election, I came to you publicly and, again, privately one evening alone. I asked you to pray for me and to give me your support to win the forthcoming election on December 7th.
My father, Yaa Naa, I am happy to say your prayer was answered, and we won a victory that went beyond our expectations—96.55% of the vote, with a difference of about 1.7 million votes between us and our nearest opponent.
But God was good to us not only in the presidential election but also in the parliamentary race. We won 183 seats, including the famous Yendi seat, which had eluded us for many years.
And so, on behalf of Lawyer Jofa, I wish to thank the people of Yendi for the opportunity you have given us. We will not forget you, and you will get your fair share of the national cake. As we all know, campaigning and elections are the easiest part.
The more difficult part is addressing the challenges facing us—especially now that our country is in a deep economic crisis. How we work to meet the expectations of the Ghanaian people and eliminate the hardship they are facing is the task before us.
I believe the task is a difficult one, but we have assembled a team of young, talented members of my administration who are capable of helping me steer the affairs of this country toward enormous success. Yaa Naa, as you said, several of your children and grandchildren are part of this team charged with resetting the fortunes of Ghana.
And so, despite the reduction in the number of ministers to 60, I believe that the Northern Region has received a fair share, possibly higher than many of the 16 regions. My younger brother, the Honorable Haruna Iddrisu, is responsible for our educational reform program in Ghana and has already set to work.
I assigned him the responsibility of the National Education Review Conference, and he is already shepherding it to a successful conclusion. Additionally, our younger brother, Joseph Bukari Nipke, the MP for Saboba, has been given responsibility for the entire transport sector in Ghana. So, Yaa Naa, everything you said about the airport is right under your own son’s purview.
It is my hope that he has been listening. Apart from that, in today’s world, climate change and environmental sustainability are critical. The Ministry of Environment oversees afforestation, clean drinking water, and air quality. It also includes science and technology, which drives global progress. One of your own sons, the Honorable Murtala, is leading this sector.
In Hausa, we call something Jara. Apart from these three major ministerial portfolios, another of your children has been put in a sector that is very important to you—roads and highways. Everywhere we have gone, every chief and king has complained about the poor condition of roads. Yaa Naa, one of your sons, the Honorable Suhuyini, MP for Tamale North, now oversees the Ministry of Roads and Highways.
Your concerns about roads and highways now have a direct point of contact. Besides this, several of our brothers and sisters from the Northern Region have been appointed as CEOs and given responsibilities in various areas of governance. Yaa Naa, the Northern Region has great potential for Ghana’s economic revival.
I recall that when I was a young man, the then Head of State, General Kutu Acheampong, visited the Northern Region and was so impressed by its agricultural potential that he named it the Granary of Ghana. We aim to restore those days when the Northern Region will once again be Ghana’s primary source of food security.
You spoke about several issues of importance, including education. One of our first steps has been to uncap the GETFund and remove the Daakye Bond, which had collateralized GETFund revenues, limiting their availability. We have now moved the Daakye Bond onto the public debt to free up all revenues meant for GETFund. This will allow us to continue and complete all abandoned educational projects, including e-block schools, dormitory blocks, dining halls, and administration blocks.
On healthcare, a long-standing concern of yours has been the Yendi Hospital, which has remained abandoned for many years. I assure you, working with Lawyer Jofa, we will complete this project and build a modern healthcare facility here in Yendi. In addition, we plan to upgrade the old Tamale Central Hospital to ease the pressure on the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
In agriculture, we recognize that climate change has disrupted rainfall patterns. To counter this, we are focusing on irrigation development. Without water control, farming becomes a gamble. Last year, after promising early rains, there was a 10-week dry spell that caused many farmers to lose their crops.
To address this, the Northern Region will receive a fair share of the initial 10,000 hectares of irrigated farmland. Additionally, two major water projects are being prioritized—one of which is the Yendi Water Supply Project. Yaa Naa, I assure you that by the end of my administration, Yendi will have a stable water supply.
Tamale, too, faces perennial water shortages due to rapid population growth. To address this, we are planning to draw water from Yapei on the White Volta to supplement the existing supply from Dalun. This will significantly increase Tamale’s water supply.
On electricity, Yendi, Bimbila, and the entire Eastern Corridor suffer from low voltage supply. I have discussed this with the Minister of Energy and Green Transition, and we have agreed to establish a new bulk supply point on the Eastern Corridor to improve electricity supply.
We have also prioritized completing major road projects, including the Eastern Corridor road, bridges over the Oti River, and several key roads linking communities in the region.
We promised the Muslim community a reduction in Hajj fares and an additional holiday for Eid al-Fitr. We have fulfilled these promises. The Public Holidays Act is being amended in Parliament, and when we celebrate this year’s Eid, we will have two days to rest instead of one.
With your support and prayers, we will achieve all that we have set for ourselves. Thank you very much, and may God richly bless you.”
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh (#RomeoWrites
) / Ahotoronline.com | Ghana 
