The District Chief Executive (DCE) of the Bongo District in the Upper East Region, Mr Clement Akugre Atia has assured that he would strengthen and increase the revenue base in the district and also block leakages within the sector. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Bongo after his confirmation as DCE for the district, Mr Atia said there were a lot of areas in the district that could be exploited to generate revenue, citing the district’s sharing of borders with Burkina Faso and the benefits that could be accrued from the export and import business. He said he would also pay serious attention to education to ensure that the human resource development base in the District was strengthened. Mr Atia said one of the problems of concern in the District was the smuggling of fuel across the border to Burkina –Faso, “which is causing a huge financial loss to the state and must be stopped.” Other issues of concern he said, was the environmental degradation in the area and the bad road network, especially the road from the market area to Bongo Senior High School and assured that the Assembly would tackle it soon. Mr Atia said many people in the district were not patronizing the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) because they could not afford the money needed to register and said he would make it a point to assist such people. “I would lobby with many Non-Governmental Organizations to help bring more development to the Bongo District to enhance the livelihood of the people.”, he said. He urged the Assembly members and people in the District to discharge their duties efficiently; stressing that he cannot solve all the problems facing the district alone. Source: GNA