Damongo – 23/09/2024
Jira Yagbonwura BiiKunuto Jewu Soale I, the Overlord of the Gonja Kingdom has successfully launched the BiiKunuto Educational Fund to support brilliant needy students in the area.
The Educational Fund was launched during the 2024 Damba grand durbar celebration at Damongo on Monday, September 23, 2024.
Jira Yagbonwura BiiKunuto Jewu Soale I together with the Special Guest of Honour Navro Pio Pe Asagepari II (the Paramount Chief of the Navrongo Traditional Area)
launched the BiiKunuto Educational Fund.
The Fund received immediate support from the Vice President of Ghana Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia with an amount of two hundred thousand Ghana cedis (GHC200,000). Navro Pio Pe Asagepari II supported the Fund with ten thousand Ghana cedis (GHC10,000), Finance minister Dr. Amin Mohammed (Anta) One hundred thousand Ghana cedis (GHC100,000) and on behalf of John Mahama, MP for Bole/Bamboi announced an initial fifty thousand Ghana cedis support (GHC50,000).
The 2024 Damba was graced by the Paramount and sub- Chiefs of Gonja, Queen mothers, religious leaders, women and youth groups, security , government agencies, among others.
The Savannah Regional Minister Saeed Muhazu Jibril represented the Vice President Dr. Bawumia and NPP delegation.
The National Chairman of the NDC Johnson Aseidu Nketiah represented former President Mahama together with high profile NDC leadership.
Former President John Dramani Mahama, Vice- President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Sons and Daughters of the Gonja Kingdom received citations of appreciation for their support to the Gonja kingdom.
Benkrowura S.S Bakari, on behalf of the Overlord of Gonja, expressed gratitude to all and sundry for the support and love since his installment in March 2023 as the leader of the Gonja Kingdom.
The theme for the celebration was
“fostering peace, progress and prosperity”.
Jira Yagbonwura noted that 2024 general elections is a crucial one for Ghana and admonished the two leading presidential candidates John Mahama of the NDC and Dr. Bawumia of the NPP to run their campaigns devoid of hate speech because the two are sons of the area. The Gonja and Mamprugu Kingdoms have lived peacefully over the years and 2024 elections should not wipe off the peace Ghana enjoys.
He said Gonjas and Mamprusis share a common history, a bond that transcends political affiliations.
Jira Yagbonwura BiiKunuto appealed to all Gonjalanders to remain disciplined and peaceful because “Gonjas are known for their wisdom, patience, peace and unity, and I have no doubt that we will continue to uphold these values at this crucial time”.
Jira Yagbonwura BiiKunuto said the historic launch of the BiiKunuto Educational Fund “is a transformative initiative aimed at enhancing educational
opportunities not just within our Kingdom but across the Savannah region and
beyond.
Education is the bedrock of progress, the key that unlocks the future for our youth and the cornerstone of any prosperous society. We hope to uplift our young people by providing them with the tools and
opportunities they need to excel in a rapidly changing world. I therefore, call upon
everyone especially those in positions of influence and affluence, to contribute generously to this noble course”
Navro Pio Pe Asagepari II, Paramount Chief of the Navrongo Traditional Area was the Special Guest of Honour. He noted that, the theme for the 2024 Damba – Fostering Peace, Progress and Prosperity greatly reflects not only the aspirations of the good people of the Gonja Kingdom but resonates well with the large population of northern Ghana and the country at large.
And said peace and development are continuous processes that require constant cultivation and may necessitate decades of effort before the benefits are realized.
As we approach the 2024 December Presidential and Parliamentary elections, it is important that as a people we jealously guide the peace we enjoy and strive to keep Ghana’s enviable record as a beacon of hope for democracy, good governance, peace, stability, progress and prosperity in Africa, he stressed.
The National Chairman of the NDC Johnson Aseidu Nketiah represented former President Mahama at the 2024 Damba.
In his speech he appealed to the three (3) eminent chiefs of the North – the Yagbonwura of Gonja Kingdom, Ya-Naa of Dagbon Kingdom, Nayiri of Mamprugu Kingdom to talk to both Mahamudu Bawumia and John Mahama about the need for peace ahead of the 2024 December polls since anything that happens will surely be on the heads of northerners because they all hail from the north.
He also appealed to the Kings to call on the Electoral Commission of Ghana to allow forensic audit of the voters register for peaceful electoral processes.
Abdulai Zulkaninu / zulqanoah16@gorden
