The Reverend Eastwood Anaba, President of the Eastwood Anaba Ministries (EAM), has emphasized the need for residents in the Upper East Region to consciously work to eradicate tribal conflicts.
He noted that tribal conflicts and ethnic divisions hindered the development of the Region, and admonished residents to work hard to eradicate such divisions to propel development in the Region.
“We will need to work hard to minimize or eradicate tribal conflicts and ethnic divisions among us,” Reverend Anaba said when he chaired the 2024 annual performance review meeting of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in Bolgatanga.
He said divisions and statements such as “This one comes from here, and that one comes from there,” retarded the Region’s progress, and urged residents to co-exist peacefully.
Citing an example from the Bible, Reverend Anaba said, “When some people wanted to develop a tower called the Tower of Babel, and God wanted to stop them from developing, He divided their tongues and gave them different languages, and they couldn’t develop; they scattered.
“So, a Region with so many dialects and languages, should know that development will not come to us easily because we have so many tribes, dialects and languages,” he said.
The Cleric, who is a Senior Pastor at Desert Pastures, a branch church of Fountain Gate Chapel in Bolgatanga, noted that even among the Frafra tribe in the Region, there were divisions not healthy for development.
Mr Donatus Akamugri Atanga, the Regional Minister, in a speech delivered on his behalf at the meeting, recognized the support of development partners and other stakeholders for their invaluable contributions to the improvement of healthcare delivery in the Region.
The Minister singled out and acknowledged the contributions of Reverend Anaba in various sectors in the Region, including the health sector.
“It would be remiss if I do not single out Reverend Eastwood Anaba for his unwavering support to maternal health and the general wellbeing of the people of this Region,” Mr Atanga said.
He highlighted maternal healthcare challenges in the Region, as it recorded 40 maternal deaths in 2024, and said, “Together, let us harness the power of shared knowledge, collective action, and innovation to drive universal access to quality maternal health and make a lasting difference in the lives of countless women, children and families.”
The review meeting was attended by various Directors of the GHS within and out the Region, Administrators, Heads of Health Training institutions, nurse managers, traditional rulers, development partners, and the media, among other stakeholders.
GNA