By Anthony Adongo Apubeo, GNA
Bolgatanga, June 30, GNA – The Government has pledged to integrate priority projects under the Upper East Region’s Prosperity through Enterprise, Agriculture, Resilience and Livelihoods (PEARL) Framework into the country’s national development planning and medium-term budgeting process.
The move would ensure that the region’s development priorities received national backing and the financial support needed to succeed and harness its potential.
Mr Augustus Obuadum Tanoh, the Presidential Advisor on the 24-Hour Economy Initiative, announced this on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama at the launch of the development plan during the Upper East Regional Development and Business Forum and Exhibition in Bolgatanga.
The PEARL Framework is a 10-year integrated development strategy covering all 15 Municipal and District Assemblies in the Upper East Region, with an estimated investment portfolio of about US$8.6 billion.
The framework seeks to transform the region through strategic investments in agriculture, enterprise development, infrastructure, innovation, mining, tourism, education and resilient livelihoods.
The framework, which spans from 2026 to 2035, will serve as a strategic roadmap to unlock the region’s economic potential, create jobs, attract investments and build a resilient and inclusive regional economy.
He said once the PEARL Framework was validated through stakeholder consultations, President Mahama would direct the appropriate national planning institutions and sector ministries to engage in the priority projects and programmes identified under the framework.
“His Excellency will direct appropriate national planning institutions and relevant sector ministries to engage in the priority projects and programmes emerging from this forum so that they are integrated into our national development planning and medium-term budgeting process,” Mr Tanoh said.
Mr Tanoh explained that, unlike previous development models driven from Accra, the PEARL Framework was developed by the people of the Upper East Region, reflecting their collective aspirations and priorities.
He noted that the Government’s role was to create the enabling policy environment, align public investments and mobilise national support to realise the region’s vision.
“No region should be left behind in our national development. A national programme that does not reach the Upper East Region with the same urgency, commitment and ambition as every other part of the country is not truly national,” he stressed.
The Presidential Advisor further assured the people that President Mahama would personally champion the region’s investment-ready projects during engagements with development partners, international financial institutions and private investors.
According to him, the transformation of the Upper East Region formed an integral part of Ghana’s broader economic transformation agenda under the Government’s 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme.
Mr Tanoh said the PEARL Framework complemented the objectives of the 24-Hour Economy Initiative by promoting integrated value chains, agro-industrial development, job creation and export-oriented production.
He noted that several strategic projects proposed under the framework, including the transformation of the Fumbisi Rice Valley, completion of the Tamne Irrigation Dam, establishment of an Agricultural Technology University, development of drone and satellite remote sensing capabilities, upgrading of health infrastructure and construction of the Bolgatanga Airport, aligned with the Government’s national development priorities.
He encouraged stakeholders to critically examine and strengthen the framework to ensure it would command credibility when presented to Cabinet, Parliament and development partners for implementation.
“The PEARL Framework gives the Upper East Region a structured pathway to set its own development priorities with visionary leadership, community ownership, strategic investment and national partnership aligned behind a shared national agenda,” Mr Tanoh said.
Mr Akamugri Donatus Atanga, the Upper East Regional Minister, noted that the region was “open for business” and invited investors, development partners and the private sector to take advantage of its vast economic opportunities under the newly launched PEARL development framework.
He said the region was positioning itself as an attractive investment destination through strategic partnerships, enterprise development and the sustainable exploitation of its natural resources.
“Our message is simple and unequivocal: the Upper East Region is open for business. We are ready to partner, ready to innovate, ready to invest, and ready to work collaboratively with all stakeholders to build a dynamic, resilient and competitive regional economy,” he stated.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Email: [email protected]