You are the heart of Upper West Region - Minister told heads

By Bajin D. Pobia/Aisha Abdul Aziz, GNA
Wa, March 01, GNA - Mr. Sulemana Alhassan, Upper West Regional Minister, has asked heads of government departments and agencies to consider themselves as the heart of the Region and should function properly for the development of the area.

'You are the heart of Upper West Region and if you decide not to function, the development of the Region would come to a halt.

'Let see the Region in us, especially if the workers in the departments and agencies are considered efficient, functional, hardworking, and patriotic and time conscious, then the Region would remained the best in the country,' he said.

Mr. Alhassan said this at his maiden meeting with heads of departments and agencies in Wa on Tuesday to fashion out his vision and development objectives, and solicit support to achieve the Region's development targets.

He mentioned agriculture and industrial development, education and youth development, health, water and sanitation improvement as well as roads, transport, security and peaceful co-existence and tourism potential development as some of the priority areas to embark on.

Mr. Alhassan said heads of government establishments should consider themselves as unique people and as leaders and not bosses because the people they preside over were also important and needed to be respected.

The Regional Minister urged the heads to remain as professionals as possible and apply their professionals attributions to work and be loyal to the government.

He urged the heads to provide the best practices to push the development of the Region forward and avoid the 'pull him down syndrome'.

'I have made out my mind to be junior colleague of yours', he said, adding: 'This is because you had been in your seats before I came into office, and therefore, I am fully prepared to perform the daily chores that you assigned me to do'.

Mr. Alhassan appealed to the heads to give him the maximum cooperation and also provide best pieces of advice to help him to perform effectively and efficiently.

He said he was aware that the heads were faced with some challenges but encouraged them to be innovative and contribute towards the development of the Region.

The heads pledged their unflinching support to Mr. Alhassan to bring development to the Region, especially on the five thematic areas he identified to be embarked on.

They appealed to the Regional Minister to address all unresolved disputes in the Region as soon as possible while also urging politicians to avoid feeding disputes into politics.

GNA