READ: Full Speech of Ya Naa Abukari II at the sod-cutting of the Gbewaa Palace Redevelopment Project

The King and Overlord of Dagbon on Saturday cut sod for commencement of work on the Gbewaa Palace Redevelopment Project.

Below is the full text of the speech of the Ya Naa.



Invited guests, today is a special and historic day in Dagbon. It is a day that marks the beginning of the realization of my vision for a new Dagbon that is set on a path for accelerated development, devoid of conflict.
For nearly 70 years, the Dagbon traditional area was beleaguered with conflict and disunity emanating from chieftaincy and inter-ethnic disputes. These conflicts impacted negatively on the development of the area, with funds for public investments being diverted into peace keeping. The provision of basic services, such as health, education, water, and sanitation had stalled and Dagbon fell behind the pace of development in the rest of the country.
In 2020, through the effort of government and allied traditional leaders, a resolution to the Dagbon chieftaincy dispute was reached and I was enskinned as Yaa Naa, Abukari Mahama II. My enskinment inspired hope for a new dawn of peace and development.


I acknowledge the role of government, the eminent chiefs of Ashanti, Gonja and Mamprugu, and development agencies for their significant contribution in bringing peace to the traditional area. I also acknowledge the efforts of central and local governments and development partners to develop Dagbon.
Seeing the deep development deficit in which the protracted conflict left Dagbon, I resolved to broaden the role of chiefs and traditional authority from chieftaincy issues, to include the wider development of Dagbon, hinged on sustained peace.
In support of this vision, the Dagbon Traditional Council has produced a 10-year Dagbon Strategic Development Plan, to complement the development initiatives of government and development partners, in ways that address the priority needs of Dagbon.
One of the key objectives of the development plan is to modernise the traditional governance system, beginning with the modernisation of the Gbewaa Palace, and the offices of the traditional council which together are the spirit of the traditional leadership. Modernising these traditional structures is necessary in the re-orientation of the role of traditional authority, with me as leader, from managing chieftaincy issues, to improving the standard of living and general wellbeing of our people including, children, women, and youth, and safeguarding our environment and, natural and human resources.
We have therefore set up a Dagbon Development Fund to facilitate the implementation of the Dagbon Strategic Development Plan. The overall objective of the Development Fund is to mobilize resources to improve the quality of life of the people of Dagbon by creating opportunities that will harness the full social, economic, cultural, and political potential of the area in an environment of enduring peace.
While the chiefs and people of Dagbon are committed to contributing funds and resources, I recognise that the resource needed will require broader local and international support.
This is why I am extending my hand to invite the Government of Ghana, International Development Agencies, the Business Community at large and Philanthropic Organizations to assist the chiefs and people of Dagbon to mobilize the resources necessary to rebuild and re-energize Dagbon to contribute its quota to the socio-economic development of Ghana.
I am very happy for your presence at the launch of the Dagbon Development Fund and sod cutting for the modernisation of Gbewaa Palace and Traditional Council Offices. I pray that together we can forge a stronger and long-lasting partnership to work towards the realisation of our mission for accelerated development of Dagbon.
On behalf of the chiefs of Dagbon and the Traditional Council, I welcome you all to this historic event.