The President of the Bissa Development Association (BDA), Alhaji Shaibu Musah Gutare, has made a heartfelt appeal to the people of Bawku to embrace peace and unity, stressing that continued conflict will only stall development in the area.
Speaking at the 2025 Bissa Sukuma Festival, organized by the BDA in collaboration with the Greater Accra Council of Bissa Chiefs, Alhaji Gutare urged all factions to lay down their arms and prioritize progress over division.
He noted that the long-standing conflict between the Mamprusis and Kusasis has caused immense suffering and must end for the sake of future generations.
“We continue to appeal to our people to exercise patience and give peace a chance. We can keep fighting for the next hundred years, it will not produce a winner, nor will it produce a loser,” he said.
“We are the same people, brothers and sisters who went to school together, trade together, and share communities. The differences among us are minimal, and we should not allow them to divide us,” he added.
Turning his attention to the growing menace of illegal mining (galamsey), Alhaji Gutare expressed deep concern over its destructive impact on the environment, water bodies, and public health. He called on Ghanaians, especially the youth in mining areas, to desist from the practice in pursuit of quick wealth.
“Our water bodies are polluted, our food and fruits are contaminated with cyanide and heavy metals. Health experts have warned that in a few years, these chemicals will take a serious toll on us as a nation. The money you seek may build a house that collapses in 30 years, but the lives destroyed can never be rebuilt, not even in 500 years,” he warned.
The Bissa leader reaffirmed the association’s commitment to fostering unity, sustainable development, and environmental responsibility among its members and the wider Ghanaian society.
By Bawa Musah
Leave a Comment