Support us to develop – C/R Minister urges residents

Newly appointed Central Regional Minister, Kwamina Duncan, has called on indigenes of the region to come on board and help him advance the development of the region.

He posited that many Ghanaians have benefited from the region, and that it was time to give back to the region.

In an interview with Citi News, Kwamina Duncan called on all and sundry to help him change the status of the region which is known as the citadel of education.

“As the coordinator for development in the region, I would wish to have everybody to come on board whether in terms of strength, resources or anything that can be of help to develop our region. Especially those who are outside the country and have been able to make something from wherever they are, it's important that they come back to support the region to move on,” he stated.

He also entreated policy makers who have benefited from the region to put the development of the region first when making policies and laws for the country.

“Go to the ministries; even the minister that the president has appointed and the chief directors, would one way or the other have something to do with the central region. They may have come to school here or are natives of this region so I am also saying that policies which are formulated must be the one that can also assist the central region to grow and come up. It is not just that central is a place where you find the good schools and bring your kids for education and then that's the end of the matter” he explained.

Kwamina Duncan, who until his appointment was a senior house master at Mfantsepim School, said he would ensure that basic school pupils in the Central Region get the opportunity to attend the big schools in the region by encouraging the pupils to learn hard in order to attain the required grades.

“It is unfortunate to know that central region is having all the big schools in the nation; but our children find it difficult to enter these schools. I would establish award schemes in all the twenty districts to motivate the children to get the best grades for the big schools. I want to see the kids in this region learning hard and pass, while we also work to give them the thirty percent quota of enrollment in the big schools,” he emphasized.

The Minister who took office over a week ago, promised to reduce child marriage and teenage pregnancy in the region, through advocacy and by assisting the girl child to be educated.

He assured the region of his commitment to remove the tag of been called the fourth poorest region in Ghana.

This he said can be removed by creating industrial jobs in the farming communities to improve the lot of the people.

“The central region has many natural resources that if it's well managed it can change the poverty that has been ascribed to the region for a very long time. We are going attract investors to build factories to buy the produce from the farmers and encourage the fishermen with fishing processing factories and cold stores that add value to the fish in bumper seasons. When these are achieved, we would get the jobs for the young people and we would not be called a poor region again,” he noted.

He also appealed to the chiefs in the region to release lands for the one district one factory project, which would soon commence in the Central Region.

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By: Akwesi Koranteng/citifmonline.com/Ghana