President John Dramani Mahama has directed the Minister for Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, to establish a GHC1 billion Bawku Revitalisation Fund aimed at restoring peace, rebuilding infrastructure, and reviving economic activity in Bawku and its surrounding communities.
The directive was announced in a statement issued on Wednesday, December 17, and signed by the Spokesperson to the President and Minister of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu. According to the statement, the government acknowledges that the long-running conflict in Bawku has led to “grave human, social, and economic losses,” weakening livelihoods, social cohesion, and the area’s overall development prospects.
Years of insecurity, the statement noted, have “severely constrained public and private investment and stalled critical infrastructure development.” It is against this backdrop that President Mahama has ordered the creation of the fund, formally described as a “One Billion Ghana Cedi (GHS 1,000,000,000) Bawku Revitalisation Fund.”
The fund will be disbursed over three years, from 2026 to 2028, and will focus on the reconstruction and development of priority infrastructure. These include roads, healthcare and educational facilities, dams and irrigation systems to support all-year-round agriculture, security installations, as well as economic and commercial facilities. The ultimate goal, the government says, is “to restore Bawku to its historic position as a significant economic and trading hub in Northern Ghana.”
Management of the fund will be overseen by a high-level committee chaired by the Minister for Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, who also serves as Acting Minister for Defence. Other members include the Upper East Regional Minister, Hon. Donaltus Akamuguri, and the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business, Hon. Mahama Ayariga, who is also the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central and will represent MPs from the affected area.
Beyond infrastructure and development, the government is also making a strong appeal for national unity and reconciliation. The statement calls on “traditional authorities, political leaders, youth groups, civil society organisations, religious bodies, development partners, and the broader citizenry to support the peace-building and reconciliation process in the spirit of unity, restraint, and patriotism.”
Reiterating the words of Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the government stressed that “there are no winners and no losers in this process.” President Mahama has urged all parties involved to accept and faithfully abide by the conclusions and recommendations of the Mediation Report, describing this as essential to peace and national stability.
In a clear show of commitment, the government fully endorsed the Mediation Report and all its recommendations, describing it as “a comprehensive, fact-based, and forward-looking roadmap aimed exclusively at achieving lasting peace, reconciliation, and stability in Bawku and its surrounding areas.” The statement emphasised that the report is not meant to apportion blame or declare victors, but to chart a sustainable path to peace.
The government also expressed profound gratitude to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II for his leadership in the mediation process, as well as to key traditional leaders, including the Nayiri, Naa Bohagu Abdulai Mahama Sheriga II, the Bawku Naba, Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, and all stakeholders whose cooperation and goodwill made the historic mediation possible.
