Deputy ministers designate for UER, UWR before Appointments Committee
The deputy regional ministers designate for the Upper East and Upper West regions appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament yesterday, where they expressed their individual resolve to support the substantive regional ministers in the execution of their duties.
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Mr Frank Fuseini Adongo, the Deputy Upper East Regional Minister designate, and Mr Amidu Chinnia Issahaku, the Deputy Regional Minister designate for the Upper West Region, were categorical in their commitment to partner their regional ministers to carry out the government’s policies to make life better for their people.
Cohesion for development
Mr Adongo, who was the first to appear before the committee, said he would work harmoniously with chief executives and MPs to promote cohesion for the development of the Upper East Region.
He expressed his preparedness to support the regional minister to develop irrigation projects, in line with the government’s one village, one dam policy, noting that the region had many valleys and farmlands which could be used for irrigation purposes to easily implement the policy.
Mr Adongo, who is the MP for Zebilla, said the region had a huge potential in the arts and crafts sector and gave an assurance that he would support the regional minister to find innovative ways to create jobs for the youth in that sector, particularly basket weaving, which the region was noted for.
Rural-urban drift
The deputy minister designate touched on the need to reverse rural-urban migration involving the youth from the northern part of the country to the south in search of non-existent jobs.
Answering a question on what pushed young people to pursue careers such as nursing, Mr Adongo, himself a professional nurse, advised the youth against going into nursing solely to make money.
For his part, Mr Issahaku, in his response to an issue on the incessant armed robberies in the Upper East Region, described the situation as disturbing and said he would work with the regional minister to ensure that the police in the districts worked closely with municipal and district assemblies to find an antidote to the situation.
Mr Amidu Chinnia Issahaku (right), Deputy Minister designate for the Upper West Region, taking the oath when he appeared before the appointments committee.
Cotton production
On the development of the cotton sector to create jobs for the people, he stated that he would support the regional minister to use cotton production as a means of job creation, adding that cotton production in the region had been a big source of employment in the region in the past.
The deputy minister designate indicated that many people who used to be in the industry lost their jobs when the industry collapsed and underscored the need to liaise with the ministries of Trade and Industry and Agriculture to find an investor to revamp the cotton industry to create the needed jobs.
He recommended cashew and mango as additional crops that could thrive in the region because they were long-term investment crops, unlike the traditional crops.
On how to improve on education in the north, he said quality education was a necessity and called for more logistical support for the educational offices in the districts to ensure effective supervision.