The Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment, Mr. Stephen Asamoah-Boateng, has called on the people of the north to manage their resources and use them judiciously to help break the barriers of poverty in the area.
He noted that the three Northern regions particularly Northern region were blessed with a vast land rich in crop production and energetic people that if they manage the resources very well, the entire country could depend on them for food supply.
Mr. Asamoah-Boateng made the observation in Tamale on Monday when he paid a courtesy call on the Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris to deliberate on how to forge ahead and develop the region together to justify the confidence the people had reposed in the government.
The meeting was also to pave way for him to commence his five-day official visit to the region to inspect projects and progress of work under his ministry and to see and observe how the District Assemblies are performing.
Mr. Asamoah-Boateng said: "If you manage resources in the region well, the fruits of your labour can feed the whole nation. What we need to do is to focus on the development that the people need so that they would get food to eat and would forget of conflicts."
He therefore advised metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives as well as Assembly Members to be proactive and work in unity to bring the needed development for their people and communities.
He said plans were being advanced to upgrade sub- metropolitan areas into municipalities so that separate funding could be channeled there to enhance and facilitate their development.
Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, Northern Regional Minister appealed to Mr. Asamoah-Boateng to help raise Yendi into a municipality due to the rapid development there and its strategic location to attract investors.
He said it was also necessary for the government to consider upgrading all roads from district capitals in the region to link Tamale to facilitate businesses.
Alhaji Idris said the Northern region, apart from its mass land is rich for crop cultivation; the region was also a hub of tourism and stressed the need for an aggressive development agenda to befit its status.
He also appealed for funding to build an Assembly Hall complex for the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly for Assembly Members to use instead of using hotel spaces for their Assembly sessions.
