The rising communal tensions regarding the siting of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) infrastructure in the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa (DBI) district have finally been defused following a high-powered joint stakeholder intervention.
The Member of Parliament for the DBI constituency, Dr Sebastian Ngmenenso Sandaare, alongside the Upper West Regional Director of TVET, Mr Adams Saaka, former District Chief Executive, Hon. Fedelis Zumakpeh, Mr Michael Kombor, and other stakeholders, embarked on an intensive peace and site-inspection mission across the sister towns yesterday.
The high-stakes visit was aimed at restoring calm and providing definitive clarity after a major misunderstanding threatened local solidarity earlier in the week. Disagreements had broken out on Monday during a visit by the MP to the Bussie Naa’s Palace, fuelled by widespread rumours that a TVET school originally meant for Bussie was being diverted to Daffiama.
However, yesterday’s joint mission successfully established that the two educational projects are entirely separate and complementary. The delegation clarified that the Daffiama TVET project is a distinct, community-initiated project, while Bussie is receiving its own designated state-backed facility.
To prove this commitment on the ground, the technical team and political leadership jointly visited Bussie-Baazu, where the project would be sited along the Bussie Touri road, where they officially cited the permanent location for the upcoming Bussie TVET project. Following this, the team moved to Daffiama to finalise plans for the conversion of the old Daffiama Secondary School buildings into a functional TVET campus.
Speaking directly to the traditional authorities, youth groups, and the media, Dr Sebastian Sandaare firmly dismissed narratives that the selection of one location over another means one town has “defeated” the other. He urged residents to stop treating crucial development as a political football or a tool for community division.
“Whether the Technical Institute goes to Daffiama, Bussie, or Issa, it belongs to the entire district,” Dr Sandaare stated, emphasising that the institution is intended to serve all youths across the constituency, regardless of their hometown.
The lawmaker expressed deep concern over how the infrastructure debate had threatened local solidarity and urged opinion leaders to look at the bigger picture. Instead of engaging in infighting, Dr Sandaare noted that the focus should be on celebrating the arrival of the schools and working together to support their established footprints.
Reinforcing the MP’s calls for unity, the Upper West Regional Director of TVET, Mr Adams Saaka, explicitly clarified the government’s stance on the technical educational blueprints for the two rival neighbouring communities. Addressing the chiefs and elders at the palaces of the Paramount Chief of Daffiama and Daffiama, Mr Saaka provided a definitive breakdown of how the state’s educational resources are being split.
Regarding the Daffiama Technical Institute, Mr Saaka confirmed that it is officially slated for Daffiama. To prove immediate government commitment, he revealed that a consignment of computers has already been procured specifically for its incoming students.
“The real name of the school on our documents is ‘Daffiama Technical Institute,'” Mr Saaka told the chiefs and elders. “The computer systems are already waiting for the students here. We want the world to know that this school is firmly rooted right here in Daffiama.”
Addressing the rumours of conflict, the Regional Director re-emphasised that Bussie is absolutely not being left behind. He clarified that the state’s broader infrastructure strategy will see Bussie receive its separate educational facility next year, or as a distinct campus development in subsequent phases of the project.
While assuring the communities of the government’s commitment, Mr Saaka threw a challenge back to the traditional leadership. He warned against allowing local social media arguments and radio friction to distract from the golden opportunity, noting that the successful take-off of these institutions now depends heavily on the communities’ willingness to embrace them, secure the land, and drive enrolment.
He cited major well-established schools like Wa Technical Institute, St. Basilide’s, and St. John’s, reminding the gathering that those institutions only grew large because local leadership fiercely supported student enrolment and protected the school environment.
The entire inspection team, including Michael Kombor, stood in solidarity with the Director’s call for peace, reiterating that infrastructural progress can only thrive in an atmosphere of mutual respect between Daffiama and Bussie.
In response, the spokesperson to the Paramount Chief of the Daffiama Traditional Area, Naa Nagua Anmwierengeng I and his traditional council expressed profound gratitude to the TVET directorate and the political leadership for providing the much-needed clarity, pledging their absolute cooperation to make the new TVET projects premier centres of excellence in the Upper West Region.
