The Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Bede Zeideng, has given an assurance to strive and remove all obstacles which prevent workers from accepting postings to the region.
As a first step, the regional minister said he would vigorously pursue steps to ensure the region was open to commercial flight as early as possible, as well as put in measures to bridge the development gap between the southern and northern sectors of the country. He promised to work towards the construction of good roads to open up the region.
Mr Zeideng, who disclosed this during a press soirée at Wa last Monday, said the land for the construction of the Wa Airport had been acquired since 1991 but had been heavily encroached upon.
He said the case was before the Wa High Court and the region was awaiting the decision of the court.
The minister touched on the establishment of a model school that would cater for the children of workers, since the lack of good schools had been one of the contributing factors preventing people, especially nursing mothers, from accepting postings to the region.
On health, he said a new 160-bed regional hospital that would serve as a referral facility was being constructed to augment the numerous activities of health centres and CHPS centres scattered all over the region but were grossly understaffed due to the refusal of professionals to accept postings to the region.
To transform the region, which has been described as one of the poorest and most deprived in the country, he mentioned agriculture as another priority. "Due to the vast arable land available and with the Black Volta stretching for over 140 kilometres across five districts in the region, this will provide a source for irrigation facilities that will support an all-year-round agricultural activities intended for the improvement of the standard of living of the people," Mr Zeideng said.
He, therefore, called for the co-operation of all and said he would continue to pursue the Regional Development Strategy initiated by his predecessor, Dr Ephraim Avea Nsoh, to map out comprehensive strategies for the area to eradicate poverty.
He commended the private sector for their efforts in the housing sector so far and expressed the hope that the region would be included in the next housing programme throughout the country as the President had promised. He said he would ensure that the whole region was connected to the national grid during his tenure as a minister.
He, therefore, called on journalists to assist politicians and other development partners to solve the numerous challenges facing the country, adding that they should, through their reports, guide the people to refrain from utterances and attitudes which tend to be confrontational and provocative.
Mr Zeideng said instead of mistrust and suspicion among the journalists, they should feel free to approach him for anything they wished, instead of rushing to misinform the general public and added that journalists were the eyes and ears of the public so they should be very careful with whatever they put in the public domain; otherwise they would be misleading the public.
The Upper West Regional Secretary of the Ghana Journalist Association, Mr Sualah Abdul-Wahab, on behalf of the members, thanked the regional minister and his entourage, including Mr Abu Kansangbata Kabiebata, the Deputy Regional Minister, and Mr J.B. Atogiba, the Chief Director of the Regional Co-ordinating Council, and assured them of their co-operation to ensure the success of the government's programmes and polices in a bid to transform the region.
