In September 2019, I had the privilege of joining the KUSAUG-SONGHAI INITIATIVE project which is a collaboration between the Kusaug Traditional Council, under the auspices of Zug-Raan Bawku Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II (the Overlord of Kusaug and the president of the Kusaug Traditional Area) and the Ausar Auset Society Foundation of the USA and Canada.
This initiative has been possible due to the efforts and strong visionary leadership of Naba Ndagu Azumah Edward, the Kusaas community Chief of the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Naba Nadu Azumah Edward was the Principal Research Assistant at the Centre for Settlements Studies, College of Architecture and Planning, KNUST, and also a part-time lecturer (for 20 years) in Public Relations at the University College of Management Studies (UCOMS) Kumasi, Ayeduase.
The project is designed as a catalyst for a broader, multi-partnership program of support to the government of the Republic of Ghana in promoting access to youth, men, and women to appropriate agribusiness entrepreneurial, leadership, and management skills for the effective participation in the creation of wealth and investments in commercially viable agribusiness enterprise.
The Kusaa Kingdom and for that matter, the Kusaug Traditional Council will not only benefit from increased economic activities but from improved social stability, self-empowerment for the youth, men and women, optimization of natural resource management, food and security.
This project will produce about three hundred (300) farm managers and socio-economic entrepreneurs called ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT LEADERS (EDL) and then after three years, these young men and women will constitute the core socio-economic leadership group responsible for training thousands of farm managers in the Kusaug Region. This will become the backbone of a dynamic private sector in the Kusaug state.
A project costing about 20 million US Dollars which will produce 5 factories and create over 10,000 direct and indirect jobs for the youth, men, and women over 3 years in the Kusaug state will help reduce the rural-Urban migration in Kusaug and for that matter the Upper East and North East Regions of Ghana.
As members of the Kusaug Traditional Council, the Tilli, Kusa Naba, and Zangbeyiri chiefs have donated 1000 acres of land to support their leader and overlord
Zug-Raan Bawku Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II in fulfillment of his first end of the Agreement.
Zug-Raan has set up a 7 member committee headed by Prof Amadu Ayeebo to work on this project. The Committees among other things is to help in raising the initial capital of ¢100,000.00 to do the following;
1. Shall oversee all the activities of the Kusaug Songhai Initiative and report same to him
2. Sensitize and create awareness of the project and its benefits to the chiefs and people of the Kusaug Traditional Council using both traditional and modern media.
3. Raise funds to cater for the three days of traveling and accommodation expenses of 5 persons including a media official from Kusaug to the Songhai Regional Centre for Excellence in Benin to study and understand what the Kusaug-Songhai initiative will be like.
4. Raise funds to sponsor 4 persons from Kusaug to go study one of the Agribusiness leadership courses at the Songhai Regional Centre for Excellence for six months.
The 4 will undergo training in 4 different areas of specialization and when they return, they will help in training the first EDL/farm managers.
Very soon the committee will come out with graphic, audio, and video content to educate all and sundry in the Kusaug Traditional Area about the project, its benefits to Kusaug, how to support the project financially, and any other important information in connection with the Kusaug-Songhai Project.
Stay tuned!!!
Mashwal A. Ndego (#TieŋNaab)
Committee Member
Kusaug-Songhai Initiative
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