Chiana (U/E), April 8, GNA – Pe Dituudini Adiana Ayagitam III, the President of the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs, has urged Mr Stephen Yakubu, the Regional Minister, to attract investors to tap into the rich natural resources of the region for accelerated development.
Pe Ayagitam III, who is also the Paramount Chief of the Chiana Traditional Area, said the region was endowed with natural resources that had the potential to turn the fortunes of the people and improve their livelihoods.
“The potential of the region needs to be exposed and made attractive to investors so that the investments can create jobs and increase the income level of the people to contribute to bridging the poverty cycle,” he said.
The Paramount Chief made the appeal when the Regional Minister paid a courtesy call on him at his palace at Chiana in the Kassena-Nankana West District.
He said stakeholders needed to work together to address the challenges of poverty in the region.
Pe Ayagitam III noted that apart from some of the tree crops such as shea that were economically viable, most parts of the region had gold deposits that investors could sustainably mine to create jobs for the youth.
He said while the potential of the agriculture sector in the region was enormous, farmers were faced with many challenges ranging from production equipment to access to ready markets for the farm produce.
He noted that tomato farming and cattle rearing were widespread in the region and called on the Regional Minister to attract investors to support the government to revive the meat factory at Zuarungu and the tomato factory at Pwalugu to process the raw products.
He said when the factories were revamped, it would not only help prevent perishable produce from going bad but would create jobs for the youth to curb the rural-urban migration.
The President, therefore, expressed the readiness of the Regional House of Chiefs to support the Minister to succeed.
He urged him to desist from partisan politics and work for the total development of the region.
The Regional Minister said it was time the people of the region, irrespective of their political affiliation supported the development agenda of the area and appealed to the traditional authorities to rally their people to embrace policies being implemented to improve upon their livelihoods.
Mr Yakubu, who pledged to work with all stakeholders and desist from partisan politics, stated that politics was all about “development, we do politics to develop ourselves and so if the type of politics we are doing is not helping us but retarding our growth and development we have to desist from it, we have to put it aside.
“My vision is to contribute to the development of the region, change things to enable our people to have a good life, health and find something to eat, have good roads and jobs and you the traditional authorities are key because I cannot achieve this alone but together, I know we are going to succeed.”
GNA