MP Urges Action Against Poverty In The North
Dr Benjamin Kunbour, Member of Parliament for Lawra-Nandom in the Upper West Region, has called for drastic measures to address poverty and food insecurity in the North.
He said poverty is endemic in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions and unless something drastic is done, there can be no meaningful growth and development in the three regions.
Dr Kunbuor who is Minority Spokesman on Finance, regretted that 'the Upper East and Upper West regions are competing not for an enviable position but for the position of the poorest region in the country'.
He said this on Wednesday when he presented a paper at an Investment forum here as part of activities to mark the 25th anniversary of the creation of the Upper West Region.
The celebration is under the theme, 'The Upper West Region at 25 years: prospects, challenges and the way forward.
Speaking on the topic, Investment Opportunities in the Upper West Region, a case for tourism'. Dr Kunbuor said 'unless we want to encourage ‘poverty tourism’ where tourists can have the opportunity to take pictures of children with stunted growth and protruding tummies due to malnutrition, something has to be done about food security in the region.'
He said the challenges of the tourism industry in the Upper West Region are not so much with the availability of sites, as sites can be created as and when necessary.
Dr Kunbuor explained that if investments must be made in the industry, attention must be given to documentation of agreed facts, even if invented in recent times, to give meaning and credible story lies to these sites.
He said 'what pertain currently are as many stories as there are story tellers on each site', adding 'a number of these stories are also as fantastic as they are contested'.
Dr Kunbuor advised that 'we should conceptually not confuse historical sites with tourism sites. Not all historical sites become or are suitable tourist sites. If we are to make them so, let it be but the would-be-tourist has his preference of what type of pleasure he or she wants to spend money on.
He explained that any activity or phenomenon becomes an attraction for tourists if it is accompanied by other facilities such as good roads, hospitality industry, good utility services, good health delivery system, financial and banking facilities and many more.
He suggested that every district assembly in the region should select a minimum of two of their tourism potentials and commit themselves to turning them into a tourism opportunities and taking steps to realise them in the next five years.
Dr Kunbuor said assemblies should begin tailoring their infrastructural development such as roads and electricity among others towards potential tourism sites.
Dr Kunbuor further suggested that every youth association in the region should commit itself to developing one tourist attraction within its community adding 'they should further use both their human, financial and other material resources to develop and invest in the site as a legal entity.
Speaking on the topic: 'Investment Opportunities in the Upper West Region, a case for agro-based industries', Dr. Boye Bandie, a member of the National Development Planning Commission, said the region was endowed with agricultural potentials that should be tapped for development.
He said the promotion of agro-based industries in the region was a key factor to reducing poverty that was endemic in the area.
Dr Bandie called for stringent measures to develop the cotton, shea nut, cashew and mango industries which the region had a comparative advantage to help improve the poverty situation of the people.
Source: Matthew Ayoo, Wa - newtimesonline.com
