By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bolgatanga, June 12, GNA – The Upper East Region has initiated the development of a comprehensive 10-year strategic development framework to strategically reposition the region for investment and growth.
The framework, dubbed: “Prosperity through Enterprise, Agriculture, Resilience and Livelihoods (PEARL) (2026-2035),” is aimed at accelerating economic transformation, attracting investment, and creating sustainable livelihoods across the region.
It is expected to serve as the region’s long-term development and investment blueprint, providing a roadmap for mobilising an estimated GH¢8.6 billion in public and private sector investments.
Speaking at a media briefing in Bolgatanga ahead of the Upper East Regional Development and Business Forum and Exhibition, scheduled for June 29 to July 1, Mr Akamugri Donatus Atanga, the Upper East Regional Minister, said the initiative was designed to unlock the region’s vast but underutilised economic potential.
He explained that a Technical Working Committee made up of senior technocrats and professionals from various sectors had been constituted to review previous development plans and initiatives and consolidate them into a robust strategic framework.
“The Committee was tasked with consolidating these inputs into a robust Ten-Year Strategic Development Framework for the Upper East Region,” he said.
According to the Minister, the framework would undergo extensive stakeholder consultations and validation processes to ensure inclusivity, relevance, broad ownership, and technical rigour before its formal adoption as the region’s comprehensive development and investment blueprint.
He said beyond guiding development planning, the framework would serve as a strategic investment prospectus highlighting the region’s comparative advantages, untapped opportunities and economic potential to investors, development partners, and the international business community.
Mr Atanga stressed that the initiative was non-partisan and aimed solely at advancing the development agenda of the Upper East Region.
“The development of the Upper East Region transcends political affiliations and partisan interests. It is a shared responsibility and a collective aspiration,” he noted.
The framework would be anchored on 10 strategic priority areas, including agriculture and agribusiness development, manufacturing and value addition, mining and mineral resource development, trade and commerce, SME development and entrepreneurship, renewable energy and green growth, logistics and transport infrastructure, tourism, culture and creative industries, financial inclusion and investment promotion, as well as skills development, innovation and youth employment.
The Minister said the priorities had been carefully selected to stimulate economic diversification, create jobs, and promote inclusive growth across all 15 municipalities and districts in the region.
He noted that the vision was to position the Upper East Region as one of Ghana’s most attractive destinations for investment, enterprise development and innovation while establishing it as a major frontier for economic growth and cross-border trade in Northern Ghana and the wider West African sub-region.
The forthcoming Upper East Regional Development and Business Forum and Exhibition, themed “PEARL – Prosperity through Enterprise, Agriculture, Resilience and Livelihoods,” is expected to bring together policymakers, investors, business leaders, development partners, financial institutions and traditional authorities to discuss investment opportunities and development strategies for the region.
Mr Atanga called on investors, development partners, financial institutions, and businesses to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the PEARL initiative and partner the region in its quest for sustainable economic transformation.
“The time to invest in the Upper East Region is now. The opportunities are real, the potential is immense, and the commitment to success is unwavering,” he said.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Linda Asante Agyei
Reporter: Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Email: [email protected]