Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, the Upper West Regional Minister, has charged the media to present a positive image of the Region to attract investors.   

He said the region was blessed with numerous tourist centres such as the Gbele Reserve, the Wa Naa’s Palace and cultural festivals that needed to be extensively publicised to attract tourists to contribute to development.     

Dr Salih said this at a meeting with the media to seek their cooperation and support as he assumed office on Monday, March 15, to start his four-year term to propel the growth of the area.    

“The Region is relatively peaceful, and the people are going about their daily businesses without any impediments. It is through reporting on some of these that we can attract investors,” he said.    

In an earlier meeting with the Heads of Department, he lamented that there were some media persons who projected the area negatively, thereby soiling its good image.      

“There are quacks in the system who don’t check facts and are in haste to publish. The media should do self-introspection. I believe the media play an important role in the development of the region,” he said.      

He commended the media for the fruitful cooperation during his first two years in office, saying; “My reappointment means that President Akufo-Addo was satisfied with my work in my first two years because of the support of the media”.      

Dr Salih called for their continuous support to enable him to achieve the President’s vision of developing the region.    

Commenting on the success of the Planting for Food and Jobs, he said more than 300,000 smallholder farmers benefited from the programme last year, which led the region to be the highest maize producer in the country in the last planting season.   

He said the Minister of Agriculture had assured to enhance the programme in subsequent years, and that farmers would be the most beneficiaries.  

Mr Suala Abdul Wahab, the Upper West Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association, appealed to the Minister to provide the media with a vehicle to facilitate their work.    

He said journalists were unable to go the extra-mile to report on development issues due to transport constraints.    

He appealed to the Regional Minister to adopt an open-door policy and make information readily available to the media to enhance their work. 

He cited the shielding of the report of a committee that investigated the mysterious death of a two-year-old baby at the Wa Municipal Hospital, after he was bitten by a snake and was rushed there, saying it was inimical to the work of the media.