The District Chief Executive for North Gonja Hon. Adam Eliasu on Saturday [25/11/2023] brought the curtains down on a three [3] day SOCO FOOTBALL GALA COMPETITION in Daboya with a call on the YOUTH not to lose focus on the things that matter most in making them better citizens in the future while acknowledging the challenges they grapple with as young people.
The Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) is a $150 million Credit Facility Project secured by the Government of Ghana from the World Bank to undertake 582 infrastructural projects in 48 beneficiary Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies in Ghana.
The North Gonja is one of four [4] Districts in the Savannah Region to benefit from this project. The SOCO Project seeks to proactively prevent the spread of conflict from the Sahel, reduce vulnerability to climate change, and strengthen local institutions, economic opportunities, and public trust.
Sub-component 1.3 of the three [3] components deals with Youth engagement and social cohesion activities. It seeks to promote mainstream active youth participation and representation in community-level developmental efforts and investments for building strong and sustained community resilience and cohesion. Organising cluster-level inter-community sports for development events such as football
galas, athletics, and indoor games forms a key activity in this regard.
The colorful three-day [23rd – 25th November, 2023] Football Gala Competition provided a platform for young and talented footballers from four zones of the District [Bawena, Daboya, Lingbinsi and Mankarogu Zones] to express their passion and skills on the field of play. It brought about an atmosphere of excitement and youthful exuberance on what has become a national hobby, football. The following are awardees of the Football Gala Competition:
- Overall Winners – Daboya Zone,
- Fair Play /Well behaved – Bawena Zone,
- Goal King – Manga Samuel [Lingbinsi Zone],
- Best Goalkeeper – Shaibu Abdul-Rasheed [Daboya Zone],
- Best Player – Natogmah Farouk [Bawena Zone].
Hon Red Bawa in his closing remarks entreated the Youth in the District not to lose sight of the cohesion and peaceful co-existence the football gala reignited as a means of socializing and uniting for a common North Gonja. The DCE called for support from the Youth in his effort of bridging the ethnic homogeneity gap which turns to constrain socio-cultural organization and development in the District. The 3-day competition started in Mankarigu, Continued at Lingbinsi and concluded in Daboya.
RIDWAN AFESO ABUBAKARI
[Aide/PRO To Hon. Adam Eliasu – DCE NGDA].
