Upper East to mobilise GH¢8.6bn investment through PEARL initiative
The Upper East Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), in collaboration with the Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana, has unveiled a 10-year development and investment agenda to mobilise about GH¢8.6 billion in public and private sector investments to transform the region's economy.
The initiative, known as "Prosperity through Enterprise, Agriculture, Resilience and Livelihoods (PEARL)", is expected to position the region as a competitive hub for enterprise development, agro-industrialisation, trade expansion, investment attraction and sustainable livelihoods.
At a media briefing in Bolgatanga last Thursday, the Upper East Regional Minister, Donatus Akamugri Atanga, said although the region possessed enormous agricultural potential, a strategic geographical location, vibrant cross-border trade opportunities and rich cultural heritage, much of its economic potential remained untapped.
Blueprint
At the heart of the initiative is the PEARL Framework (2026-2035), a comprehensive ten-year strategic development and investment blueprint intended to guide the region's growth trajectory.
The event
"The time has come to move beyond merely identifying challenges and deliberately mobilise investment, partnerships, innovation and resources to unlock the region's enormous potential," Mr Atanga stated, saying the PEARL was designed to transform the region into a leading destination for investment, innovation and economic opportunity while creating jobs and improving livelihoods.
He said a technical working committee made up of senior technocrats and professionals from diverse sectors had been constituted to undertake a comprehensive review of previous development plans and initiatives.
The committee, Mr Atanga said, had been tasked with consolidating the various inputs into a robust development framework that would provide a clear roadmap for sustainable economic transformation and investment attraction.
He said beyond serving as a planning document, the framework would function as an investment prospectus showcasing the region's comparative advantages and opportunities to investors, development partners, as well as the international business community.
Priority sectors
Mr Atanga explained that the PEARL framework would focus on ten strategic sectors identified as critical to unlocking the region's development potential.
These included agriculture and agribusiness development, manufacturing and value addition, mining and mineral resource development, trade and commerce, small and medium-scale enterprise development and entrepreneurship.
He said the strategic pillars had been carefully selected to stimulate economic diversification, create employment opportunities and accelerate inclusive growth across all municipalities and districts in the region.
Mr Atanga said the initiative was strictly non-partisan and apolitical, stressing that the development of the Upper East Region transcended political affiliations and partisan interests.
Forum
On the forthcoming three-day regional forum, which is expected to bring together policymakers, business leaders, development practitioners, financial institutions, local and international investors, traditional authorities, academics, entrepreneurs and civil society organisations from across the country and beyond, the Regional Minister said it would be an initiative of national importance designed to contribute to Ghana's broader economic transformation and investment agenda.
He was hopeful that the forum would help position the Upper East Region as a major frontier for investment, enterprise development and economic growth in Ghana and the West African sub-region.
