SPEECH DELIVERED BY HON. ALHASSAN MUMUNI, DISTRICT CHIEF EXECUTIVE FOR EAST GONJA DURING A PROGRAMME ON IRREGULAR MIGRATION ON 16TH MAY, 2009

The Executive Director of African Development Organization for Migration, representatives of various institutions present here, distinguished guest, ladies and gentlemen. I have the pleasure to be part of this very important programme. Foremost, I wish to thank the organizers for selecting East Gonja District to be part of the film show on illegal migration.

Mr. Executive Director, the Exodus of African Youth to seek greener pastures from other parts of the world has become serious developmental challenge to governments across the African continent and beyond. This phenomenon described as irregular or illegal migration is a practice whereby people, mostly young Africans travel through unapproved routes or improper traveling documents to other countries in Europe. Even though migration is as old as man himself ladies and gentlemen, if one is to do it, it should be done in a proper manner that will promote and protect the dignity of the migrant.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, it is very disheartening to see our young men and women on Television screens walking across the scorching desert and struggling to cross the Mediterranean Sea with boats that can best be described as ’traveling coffins’ just to get to Europe at the peril of their precious lives. The consequences of this journey as we all know include lost of lives, property and humiliating conditions that these people sometimes find themselves. These consequences however have not deter some adventurous young people who still perceived Europe as the heaven of the Earth just because they have limited knowledge about what is happening in Europe.

Mr. Executive Director, let me take this opportunity to inform our young men present here who still have the ambition of travelling outside this country, that things are not rosy especially the current economic melt down with its attendance problems of job losses and soaring unemployment rates in ’Europe. Dear young men and women, I want to assure you that government is aware of your problems that push most of your colleagues into this unfortunate situation.

To avert some of these problems therefore, plans are far advanced by government to roll out policies that seek to improve your lots and make you economic assets rather than liabilities. The future is therefore bright for you here in Ghana, stay back in Ghana and be assured that you can make it.

Invited guest, ladies and gentlemen, as a young man myself, I understand your plight as youth in the district and I am appealing to you to have hope and challenge yourselves that "Yes, we can develop the district". I wish to therefore appeal to your conscience especially those who still have ambition of travelling through unapproved routes to abandoned that idea and prepare yourselves towards making good uses of thousands of job opportunities that will soon be unveiled by government.

In conclusion, Mr. Executive Director, invited guest, ladies and gentlemen, I hope the film you have just watched has spoken to all of us to know that things are really not easy for people who embarked upon this dangerous business. Please, my dear compatriot young men and women, the pictures in the film is the true reflection of the circumstances that these irregular migrants find themselves in.

So, it is not just about watching the pictures and throwing, them over board, but to make a change of your decision to travel outside through these unapproved routes. As there is a popular saying that, a word to the wise is enough. Once again, I thank the organizers for providing this district the opportunity to be part of their educative and emotional driven programme on illegal migration. I wish to assure you that the district is ever ready to collaborate with you to help check some of these social problems in order to promote and improve the human resource base of the district.

Thank you, Ansan Kushiu, Nago Dei.



SPEECH PRESENTED BY HON. ALHASSAN MUMUNI ON THE OCCASION OF HIS CONFIRMATION AS THE DISTRICT CHIEF EXECUTIVE (D.C.E) FOR THE EAST GONJA DISTRICT ON 27TH APRIL, 2009.

HON. PRESIDING MEMBER
HON. REGIONAL MINISTER
THE DISTRICT CO-ORDINATING DIRECTOR
HON. ASSEMBLY MEMBERS
THE REPRESENTATIVE OF KPEMBE WURA & ELDERS
THE PRESS
INVITED GUEST
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN

May I first of all use this occasion to express my sincerest and deepest gratitude to God almighty for making this occasion such a huge success. I must also commend our Regional Minister for making time out of this busy scheduled to be with us this day.

I am highly honoured for the honour done me by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Ghana Prof J.E.A Mills for nominating me to serve as the District Chief Executive (D.C.E) for this historic District,
I am equally honoured by the confidence reposed in me by members of this august assembly for such an overwhelming support and subsequent endorsement.

Hon. Presiding Member, today is a special day for me in particular and the entire East Gonja in general, for giving a descendent of the Kpariba area this privileged opportunity to serve as the DCE for our beloved District, at this time in her political history.


I am fully aware that this house is the highest decision making body of the District I will therefore give it the recognition if deserves. Not only am I very conversant with the laws of the assembly but, more importantly, I have gained valuable experience from sub-committees of the assembly in which I served since 1994. In me, therefore, Hon. Members have a colleague in whom they should be well pleased.

I see my self as a unifier, who will work to make East Gonja a better place to invest in order to bring about -the needed development that our people so cherished. This is the time everybody must come on board irrespective of your social, political, economic and ethnic background East Gonja needs every hand on deck and I extend a hand friendship to every one.

I have the privilege of traveling wide and near of the district and I will do all it takes to get the support of all stakeholders to solve the pertinent problems of our people: education, health, water and sanitation, electricity, poor roads among others. 1 there pledge to pursue vigorously, innovative and enterprising ways to generate more Internally Generated Fund (I.G.F) to augment what we receive from the Common Fund Secretariat.

Hon. Presiding Member, all these laudable and noble objectives cannot be achieved in the absence of peace. As the chairman of District Security Committee (DISEC), I wish to state that the security personnel will always be on alert to deal with any emerging threat. Our people have voted for a change. A change to better their lives.

A chance for a better Ghana.

1 wish each and every one of you safe journey back.

Long Live Ghana
Long; Live East Gonja Long Live Salaga
Allah bless us all.


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