Open Appeal to President John Dramani Mahama: Give the North East Region Its Fair Share of Development

Dear Mr. President,

The North East Region is not merely a geographical entity on the map of Ghana. It is a region of diverse people, cultures, languages, traditions, and enormous potential.

The region is home to the Mamprusi, Bimoba, Konkomba, Chakosi, Kusasi, Kassena, Frafra, and several other ethnic communities. Despite this diversity, these communities have, over the years, demonstrated that peaceful coexistence, cooperation, and unity are possible.
The North East Region has enormous human and natural resources. It has vast agricultural land, a hardworking population, a youthful population, and significant potential in agriculture, education, sports, tourism, and industry.

Yet, Mr. President, there is a painful contradiction.

A region with so much potential continues to lack some of the most basic infrastructure required to unlock that potential.
The North East Region still does not have a regional hospital, a university, or a standard stadium.
These are not luxuries. They are not political ornaments. They are critical investments in the future of our people.

A university would give thousands of young people greater access to higher education and skills development.
A regional hospital would improve access to quality healthcare and reduce the burden on families who have to travel long distances for specialist medical services.

A stadium would provide opportunities for young people with sporting talents while contributing to the development of sports and entertainment.

Mr. President, what happened to the promise?

During the 2024 general election campaign, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) made commitments to the Ghanaian people, particularly regarding development in the newly created regions.

The people of the North East Region listened. They believed. They supported the NDC. They did so because they expected that a government led by you, Mr. President, would recognize the development needs of the region and treat them as matters of national importance.

In the 2024 elections, the NDC won three parliamentary seats in the North East Region and secured approximately 45% of the presidential vote.

The people therefore have every legitimate reason to ask:
Where is our share of the development promised to us?
This is not a demand for political favour.
It is a demand for fairness, equity, and the fulfilment of legitimate expectations.

The Chiefs have spoken. The people have spoken.
Mr. President, during your last visit to the region, the King of Mamprugu, together with the Regional House of Chiefs and other stakeholders, presented a document to you publicly.

They did not hide the concerns of the people.
They reminded you of the commitments made during the 2024 campaign and specifically drew attention to the need for a university, a regional hospital, and a stadium.
These are not demands coming from one political party or one individual.
They are concerns being expressed by traditional leaders, community stakeholders, parents, students, young people, professionals, and ordinary citizens who want to see their region develop.

When the traditional leadership of an entire region speaks with one voice about development, it deserves serious consideration.
Our young people deserve a future. Mr. President, consider the educational needs of the region.

The North East Region has more than twenty second-cycle institutions and several tertiary institutions, including nursing and teacher-training colleges.

Every year, thousands of young people complete secondary education and seek opportunities for higher education.
Many families struggle to support their children to study far away from home. Some young people are forced to abandon or postpone their educational ambitions because of financial difficulties.

The establishment of a university in the region would therefore not simply create another institution.
It would create hope.
It would create opportunities.
It would create jobs.
It would develop human capital.
It would support research and innovation.
And, most importantly, it would tell the young people of the North East that their dreams matter too.

What about the regional hospital?
The absence of a regional hospital is equally concerning.
The people of the North East Region deserve access to quality healthcare within their region. Mr. President, a multi-purpose hospital project that was initiated under the previous administration has reportedly been abandoned. If substantial public resources have already been invested in that project, should the priority not be to find a way to complete it rather than allow the investment to deteriorate?
Every abandoned public project represents more than concrete, steel, and money.
It represents an opportunity denied to the people.
It represents a health worker who could have had a place to work.
It represents a patient who could have received treatment closer to home.
It represents a mother who should not have to travel unnecessarily far for healthcare.
And it represents public money that must be protected.

Our young people also have dreams beyond the classroom
Mr. President, the North East Region is blessed with young people with enormous potential in football and other sporting disciplines.
How many young talents are we losing because they lack proper facilities to develop?
How many future national players could be growing up in the villages and towns of the North East today?
A standard stadium would not merely be a building.
It would be a platform for dreams.
It could support football, athletics, cultural events, entertainment, youth development, and economic activity.

Ghana cannot continue to search for talent while leaving potential talents without the facilities they need to develop.

A region that feeds the nation must also be developed. The North East Region is also an important agricultural hub. Its vast lands provide opportunities for agriculture, agro-processing, livestock production, manufacturing, and other industries.
What the region needs is not sympathy.
It needs strategic investment.
Investment in infrastructure can transform agricultural potential into economic opportunity.
Investment in education can transform young people into skilled professionals.
Investment in healthcare can transform communities.
Investment in sports can transform talent into careers.
And investment in industry can transform raw resources into jobs and wealth.

So, Mr. President, why the North East?
This is the question increasingly being asked by the people.
Why does the North East Region appear to be missing from some of the major development announcements concerning the newly created regions?

When universities are being discussed, where is the North East?
When regional hospitals are being discussed, where is the North East?
When stadiums are being discussed, where is the North East?

Are we less deserving?
Are our children less entitled to opportunities?
Are our communities less important to the development of Ghana?

These are difficult questions, but they are questions that deserve answers.
The people of the North East Region are Ghanaians.
They pay taxes.
They vote.
They contribute to Ghana's food production.
They serve this country in the public and private sectors.
They send their children to school.
They contribute to the economy.
They have supported successive governments.
They deserve development.

Mr. President, history will judge every government by what it leaves behind. You have been given the opportunity to make a historic difference in the newly created regions.

The North East Region should not be remembered as the region that was promised development but was left waiting. It should be remembered as the region where strategic government investment unlocked the potential of an entire generation.

Mr. President, this is therefore my humble but firm appeal:
Give the North East Region its fair share of national development.
Prioritize the establishment of a university.
Prioritize the completion or construction of a functional regional hospital.
Prioritize the construction of a standard stadium.

And where projects have already been initiated, let us find practical ways to complete them and put them to use.
The people are not asking for special treatment.
They are asking for equal treatment.
They are not asking for political favours.
They are asking for development.
They are not asking for promises.
They are asking to see commitments translated into projects.

Mr. President, please do not allow the people of the North East to reach the painful conclusion that their region has been forgotten.
Because when citizens repeatedly see other regions receiving major development projects while their own region remains behind, disappointment can gradually turn into distrust.
I sincerely believe that is not the legacy you want to leave.
The North East Region is ready for development.
Its young people are ready for opportunity.
Its farmers are ready for investment.
Its communities are ready for transformation.
All they need is the opportunity.

Mr. President, let history record that your government heard the voice of the North East and answered it.
Give us the university.
Give us the regional hospital.
Give us the stadium.
Give the people of the North East the opportunity to build the future they deserve.

We are Ghanaians. We deserve better.

Thank you.

Yours citizen,
Northeast Region
Surazu M. Muta