The youth of Wasai, a farming community in the Sissala West District of the Upper West Region of Ghana, are being driven away by persistent underdevelopment, unemployment, and inadequate digital access, despite national policies meant to bridge the rural-urban divide.
At a press conference, the Chief of Wasai, through a statement read by Abdul Rahman Dauda Kuntulo, catalogued the challenges crippling development in the area.
Chief among them is the poor road network, which the chief described as a serious impediment to socio-economic advancement.
“As citizens of Ghana, we recognise that good roads play a critical role in accelerating the socio-economic development of any traditional area, Wasai Community inclusive. We are calling on the government, particularly the Regional Feeder Roads Department, to come to our aid to fix the deplorable roads in the area,” the statement read.
The roads in question include the Wasai–Oulokung–Oulo road, the Wasai–Du road, and the Wasai–Papreme road. The community specifically appealed for the construction of a culvert or bridge near the Oulo-Wasai junction, and for the opening of roads connecting Wasai to Du and Papreme to facilitate trade and inter-community movement.
Youth in the area echoed these sentiments, citing poor roads, lack of job opportunities, farming challenges, and digital exclusion as key drivers of out-migration.
“Our parents supported us through school, many of us now have degrees, but we’ve returned home jobless. If you’re not aligned with a political party, you are often overlooked. So we’re back on the farms with our parents. It’s like their investment in our education has been in vain,” lamented Torra Salubuo Samuel, a university graduate from Wasai.
These realities sharply contrast with Ghana’s Medium-Term National Development Policy Framework (2022–2025) and the National Youth Policy (2010), both of which emphasise equitable job creation, infrastructure development, and political neutrality in public sector employment.
According to the Ghana Statistical Service’s 2023 Labour Force Survey, the Upper West Region continues to suffer high youth unemployment rates, compounded by weak economic diversification and limited public investment.
Wasinbensu Abdul Waasiu also expressed concern over poor mobile network connectivity, saying, “This is a digital age, but our network is so bad we can’t even engage in online work or learning.”
This excludes Wasai’s youth from benefiting from Ghana’s Digital Economy Policy (2020), which promises inclusive digital growth and employment through ICT expansion.
With digital jobs out of reach and white-collar opportunities scarce, many youths are left with farming. However, agriculture in Wasai is not without its own set of problems. Inputs such as fertilisers and agrochemicals are expensive, and prices for tractor services rise every season. Despite the launch of government initiatives like Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ), Wasai residents report limited access to subsidies or technical support.
Transportation of farm produce is another challenge. The bad roads not only isolate farmers from markets but also affect movement between communities, limiting economic and social integration.
Research supports the community’s concerns. A 2023 study by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) found that over 4,000 rural communities across Ghana lack access to basic amenities like good roads, potable water, and ICT infrastructure. The Ghana Infrastructure Plan (2018–2047) and the Agenda for Jobs II (2022–2025) also highlight such gaps, but face implementation setbacks in regions like the Upper West.
Moreover, this neglect violates Article 36(2)(d) of the 1992 Constitution, which calls for the even distribution of national resources and development across all regions.
The people of Wasai are appealing for urgent attention from government agencies, particularly the Department of Feeder Roads, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ministry of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations. They believe that with targeted investments, the community can retain its youth, revive its economy, and uphold the dignity of rural life.
Another growing concern is deforestation, driven largely by economic hardship. Babine Sampson, a farmer in Wasai, explained the connection.
“What causes that is I can say, that poverty or lack of resources. We don’t have work here, so sometimes the women they’ll wake up during the dry season, they’ll go and work so that they’ll get something to buy soap and something to prepare soup for their children. So that is why they always cut down the trees.”
He added that rainfall has become increasingly unpredictable, a claim supported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which links deforestation to localised climate change and drought spells in northern Ghana.
The Chief of Wasai echoed this environmental concern in his press address, saying, “When the last tree dies, the last man dies. I urge our community elders to preserve key species like the shea tree and ensure any cut tree is replaced.”
The chief further appealed for support to improve educational infrastructure, calling for the construction of four classroom blocks for the kindergarten, primary, and junior secondary school levels.
He also advocated for youth inclusion in government programmes, stating that, “We call on the government to enrol our youth, particularly the artisans and apprentices who volunteered to build a two-unit classroom block, in entrepreneurship and employment schemes like the YouStart Initiative.”
The call by the Chief is in line with Ghana’s Education Strategic Plan (2018–2030) and Jobs and Skills Project, which promote skills development and school infrastructure expansion in underserved regions.
One dead, Three Police Officers injured in Dominase drug raid
…..
Explore the world of impactful news with CitiNewsroom on WhatsApp!
Click on the link to join the Citi Newsroom channel for curated, meaningful stories tailored just for YOU:
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCYzPRAYlUPudDDe53x
No spam, just the stories that truly matter! #StayInformed #CitiNewsroom #CNRDigital
