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The Upper West Regional Minister , Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih, expressed his disappointment at his Municipal/District Chief Executives, Municipal/District Coordinating Directors and Heads of decentralized departments for attending the Regional Coordinating Council meeting late.

The RCC meeting that was supposed to start at exactly 9:00am, saw the MDCEs and some DCDs arriving after 10:00am. The Minister, Dr. Bin Salih who doesn’t joke with time management was seated with his Deputy exactly 9:00am with only two DCEs present without any coordinating director.

The Upper West Regional Minister, Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih has called for suggestions and ideas from the UDS lecturers and stakeholders towards reviewing the Regional Development Strategy (RDS). According to him, the Regional Coordinating Council was working hard towards reviewing the RDS document and that having being an alumnus of the University and knowing the good lecturers the university have, he would tap their ideas to be incorporated into the strategy so that they can together develop the region and move the region forward.

The Minister made the call when the Governing Council led by the Council Chairman called on him in his office on 13th May, 2019 to congratulate him, on his appointment and introduce the Governing Council to him. The courtesy call was also to discuss some relevant issues confronting the University.

On his part, the Council Chairman indicated how excited they were when they heard that Dr. Bin Salih who is an alumnus, was appointed as the Upper West Regional Minister. He said they were proud of him and promised the minister their support in moving the region forward.

The Council Chair also noted that, the university was in a transition period and that a team has been set up by the Council to do all the grounds work in ensuring a smooth transition. He said the Governing Council would do everything possible to ensure that government intentions for making the university autonomous are achieved.

He added that the school currently lack some basic infrastructure such us, library complex and hostel facilities for students that needed serious attention.

Dr. Bin Salih appreciated their visit and indicated to them that UDS has shaped his life in so many ways which he believes contributed to his appointment as the Regional Minister and that he would not disappoint them. He said he would do everything possible to make UDS and the good people of Upper West proud.

The Minister commended the University Council for opening a health facility in the region that has now become a referral point, due to their quality health professional and good service delivery. He assured that, whatever the RCC would do to make the clinic function well to achieve its core mandate would be done. As such, the Council should not hesitate calling on the RCC when they need any form of support that would help the clinic enhance its service delivery.

Touching on the transition of the University, Dr. Bin Salih indicated that the people of Upper West Region are anxiously waiting for the transition and that he prays that it come to fruition. He noted that at the last Cabinet Meeting, the President indicated to them that he wanted all the new universities to become operational this year, 2019.

Responding to the infrastructural needs of the school, the Minister said he has taken note of all the projects the RCC started in the school, and that he would work hard towards the completion of such projects. He asked the University to submit the list of all uncompleted projects so that he can make follow ups from the Ministry to ensure their completion.

The University is expected to furnish the office of the Upper West RCC with the list of all uncompleted projects by next week for further action.

A delegation from the Naa S.D Dombo Foundation called on Upper West Regional Minister, Dr Hafiz Bin Salih in his office on 7th May 2017. The call was to update the Minister on preparations done so far towards the launching of the Dombo Foundation on Friday 10th 2019 in Jirapa.

The Minister appreciated their visit and indicated that the program was very dear to his heart. He noted that at the launch of the program on Friday, he would be giving a narration of certain things that happened in the past in his presence regarding to Naa S. D Dombo.

Upper West Regional Minister, Hon Dr Hafiz Bin Salih salutes gallant workers in the region and the various roles they played in bringing the Upper West Region this far since it’s creation. He asked for an unflinching support from workers as he leads the region as Regional Minister.

Addressing the Unemployment situation in the country, Dr Bin Salih revealed that’ll plans were underway to recruit staff for the newly created Districts and regions after successfully exiting the International Monetory Fund(IMF) bailout program. This he said was a clear demonstration of government’s determination to create jobs and improve public service delivery.

Barely a week ago when the Upper West Regional Minister in his bid to fighting fertilizer smuggling in the region meant for the Planting for Food and Jobs Program, urged the people of Upper West to all be vigilant and report any suspected fertilizer smuggling to the police for necessary actions; two trucks loaded with 50kg of fertilizer believed to be smuggled fertilizer in the Upper West Region was impounded on by the National Security Laision Officer on 26th April 2019 in Wa.

Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, Hon. Amidu Chinnia has called on health professionals in the region to discharge their duties in a professional manner in the midst of challenges they face at their facilities.

This he said was necessary to enable the country to meet the Universal Health Coverage we are currently committed to achieve as a nation.

The Deputy Minister said this during the 90th anniversary celebrations of the Lawra Municipal Hospital in Lawra on the 22nd March 2019.

He called for the need to improve upon treatments given to patients when they visit health facilities. “We also need to improve our client services skills as healthy professionals so that we can handle the sick well and give them the best of services when they visit our facilities” he added.

Hon Chinnia disclosed that the collaboration of the Lawra Hospital and the Municipal Assembly in the past has resulted in the construction of a morgue, children’s ward, surgical ward and doctor’s bungalow. He added that the Assembly also continuous to give some supports to motivate doctors to stay and work in the facility.
He noted that, efforts were underway to get a fence wall and a modern Accident and Emergency Centre constructed and as well establish a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

He assured Health facilities that the NHIA has received clearance from the Central Government to defray all arrears owed in the region.
“Let me state that Government is committed to ensuring that the NHIS works for the benefit of the poor and the vulnerable across the country. Government has cleared some of the arrears owed the NHIA and we are hoping that the Authority will settle the arrears they owe to health facilities in the region to help them operate well,” he added.

The Regional Director of the Health service Dr. Osei Kuffour Afreh, addressing the gathering said the theme for the celebration “90 Years of Quality Health Service Delivery to the People of Lawra and Beyond: Success, Challenge and way Forward” was most suitable as critically examining the past, present and future aspirations of Health Service at the facility needed to be looked at.
Dr. Afreh indicated that as an old health facility, the Lawra Hospital deserved better and more infrastructure to measure up to current health demands. He called on government to provide some critical infrastructure such as, fence wall to protect the facility, construction of a modern Accident and Emergency Ward, provision of a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit among others.

The Member of Parliament for the constituency Hon. Anthony Karbo presented a first batch of 50 beds to the facility awaiting 100 more beds in the coming months.
He assured that, procurement process has been completed for the construction of a fence wall around the hospital and that by the end of April, the sod would be cut for work to begin.

The Paramount Chief of the Tumu Traditional Area, Kuoro Richard Babini Kanton VI at the occasion of the annual Paari Gbielle festival of the chiefs and people of the Tumu traditional area on 23rd March, 2019, indicated in his address that, the only message his people would listen to in 2020 is when they can travel on tarred road from Bolga to Wa.
Kuoro Kanton VI noted that, the Sissala Area is a food basket in the Upper West Region and the country as a whole but the road networks linking the communities to the Municipal Capital are among the poorest in the region. He said, many of the communities do not have access roads and those with access roads are very deplorable with broken-down bridges and culverts which makes traveling very difficult and risky. He therefore called on government to work on most of the roads especially, the major road linking the Upper East Region and the Upper West Region
Whiles expressing his heartfelt appreciation to the President for elevating Tumu to a Municipal status, he again appealed to government to consider creating a second constituency for the Municipality before 2020 general election, since the total land area for the Municipality is so wide and would not make one Member of Parliament very effective.
He indicated that, Tumu Senior High Technical School, one of the two Senior High Schools in Tumu Municipality, is located in the heart of the town without a fence wall. He made a passionate appeal to the President to consider constructing a fence wall around the school to prevent encroachment and also make the environment conducive for teaching and learning
On his part, the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, reiterated the commitment and determination of his government to bringing development to all parts of this country, without discrimination.
In his remarks, after receiving the title of “Nandong Tenge”, meaning “Reliable Friend”, President Akufo-Addo thanked the Tumu Kuoro, Richard Babini Kanton VI, Paramount Chief of the Tumu Traditional Area, for acknowledging the work of his government in several aspects of life in Sissala East, and, indeed, in Tumu.
In education, President Akufo-Addo noted that, in addition to guaranteeing access to a minimum of senior high school education for school-going children in Sissala East and Tumu, government is constructing a two storey 12-unit classroom block at Tumu Technical Senior High School.
“We have constructed a 6-unit classroom block at Kanton Senior High School, work is ongoing to complete a 1-storey 320 capacity girl’s dormitory block at Tumu Technical Senior High School, and we have opened a tender for the construction of another 320 capacity boy’s dormitory block at Tumu Technical Senior High School,” he added. The President indicated further that modern kindergarten blocks and basic classroom infrastructure, including 3-unit classroom blocks, have been constructed at Kowie, Challu and Kassana.

Touching on agriculture, and with Tumu being a bread basket for our nation, he commended the farmers of the area for their farsightedness and sense of progress in embracing the “Planting for Food and Jobs” programme. He explained that, as part of the programme, a total of 15 motor cycles have been presented to agricultural extension officers in the area to aid them in their work, whilst a contract has been awarded and the site handed over for the construction of a 1,000 metric tonne storage capacity warehouse in Tumu.
On water and sanitation, President Akufo-Addo noted that twenty (20) boreholes in different institutions in Sissala East have been constructed, and the Tumu town water system is in the process of being revamped, with construction and rehabilitation of pumps and expansion of the system ongoing. Similarly, he pointed that “we have constructed five (5) institutional toilet facilities at Kanton Senior High School, Tumu College of Education, Tumu Technical Senior High School, Tumu Community Centre, the Holy Child Senior High School and Walambele community. These were initiatives under the Ministry of Special Initiatives,” he added.
The President further indicated that the government has nearly completed a CHPS compound in Atase, and a 3-bedroom doctor’s residence. Again, the President noted that the construction of a new police station in Balu is almost complete.
President Akufo-Addo assured the Tumu Kuoro that, work will begin soon on the cotton ginnery in Tumu, with 10 dam sites, in Lilixi, Sakai, Jijen, Kulfuo, Challu Bechamboi, Duu, Dolinbizon, Wuru and Nabugubelle, handed over for construction under the 1 Village, 1 Dam programme.
“Two other additional dams are under construction under the Sustainable Land and Water Management Project so it brings to a total of 13 dams under construction here in Sissala East. I want to make the promise I made that, in my time, we are going to have all- year- farming in the Upper West, Upper East and all the northern sectors of our country. That is going to be one of the legacies I want to leave the people of Ghana, and we are on course to do that,” the President said.

On the request to construct fence walls around the two senior high schools in Tumu, President Akufo-Addo revealed that cabinet has issued directives for the Ministry of Education to construct fence walls around all SHS’s which are under threat of encroachment, and urged the schools to put in their request to the Minister for Education.

The Upper West Regional Inter-Coordinating Committee on Sanitation (RICCS) and UNICEF Ghana has held a consultative meeting on Results-Based Financing (RBF) on sanitation; an effort to achieve Open Defecation Free (ODF) in the Region.
The Results-Based Financing concept is an instrument that links financing to pre-determined results, with payment made only upon verification that the agreed-upon results have actually been delivered.
The Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, Hon. Amidu Issahaku Chinnia, on Thursday 28th February 2019 told stakeholders working in the sanitation sector that, the Regional Coordinating Council would continue to support with its oversight role to uphold the dictates of social norms to ensure that people lived in a hygienic environment.
Making Ghana Open Defecation Free, he said, remained topmost priority of President Akufo-Addo’s administration and so it is up to officials at the RCC to making Upper West an ODF region.
UNICEF in partnership with the Government of Ghana rolled out the RBF concept last year with the commencement of expression of interest which was followed with evaluation exercises to assess the capacity of interested Municipal and District Assemblies (MDA) to implement it.
Hon. Chinnia said a report on the RBF evaluation indicates that only seven out of the 11 MDAs that applied, qualified to implement the concept based on past track records and their ability to deliver.
“I have been well briefed on the availability of funds of all the seven Municipal District Assemblies that qualified to undertake the implementation through the support of UNICEF based on its partnership with Government,” he said.

Hon. Chinnia said some performing districts that have already submitted communities for verification and the RICCS led by the Environmental Health and Sanitation Department have conducted verification in these communities.
The Nadowli-Kaleo District was praised for achieving ODF in nine out of 10 communities submitted for RICCS verification. This represented 90 percent of the target achieved.
The Minister appealed to non-RBF districts to hasten in working and submitting a list of communities for verification by the independent team.
Mr. Paul Avorkah, a Technical Director at the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, urged Environmental Officers to coordinate with UNICEF and government by working with communities to ensure that the region achieved ODF.
He said waiting on government to supervise the work of Environmental health Officers could create some “bottlenecks” and thereby, making it difficult for the region to achieve its ODF target by 2021.
Mr. Avorkah urged Environmental Health Science Practitioners and stakeholders on sanitation to “face the bull by the horns” by working tirelessly to attain ODF for the healthy living of the people.
Mr. Adamu Dasaana, a former District Chief Executive (DCE) for Wa West, called on traditional authorities to take opportunities of community durbars and social gatherings to sensitize residents on the health benefits of ODF.
He said, pictures, poster and stickers should be made available at vantage points and funeral grounds to inculcate in people the habit of ODF practices.

The Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, Hon. Amidu Issahaku Chinnia, has called out the Minerals Commission (MC) for being lackadaisical in their approach in sensitizing residents to the activities of mining companies in the region; particularly Azumah Resources Limited.

Hon. Chinnia blamed the continuous misunderstanding and mistrust between some chiefs and their communities and Azumah Resources Limited on the Commission’s inability to dutifully execute its mandate.

Speaking at a stakeholder’s forum at Wa on the 1st of March 2018, to discuss the activities of Azumah Resources in the region, the Deputy Minister opined that the neutral intermediary role that the Minerals Commission is supposed to play has been absent over the years saying “the Commission should do more, than what you [Minerals Commission] are doing now because you are a neutral arbiter in this whole matter. There is some amount of mistrust between Azumah Resources and the communities.”

He continued to say that “as a neutral arbiter, you are supposed to bring out the issues clearly so that our people get a better understanding of what is happening on the ground. [This is] because, Azumah Resources as a company that is investing money; when they bring their side of the issues, it may not go down well with the communities. As a neutral arbiter who understands the issues well, you should do more.”
Hon. Chinnia was unhappy that the Minerals Commission would expect communities to make formal complaints on issues of compensation by the mining company before the Commission takes action.

The Deputy Minister explained that in a case where community members are ignorant of the benefits they can get from mining companies, the mining companies would take undue advantage of the people to the detriment of the community and the environment.

Mr. Chinnia expressed disappointment in the approach of the Commission saying the “Commission is not doing the region any good service because there are a lot of things you [Minerals Commission] sit on. There is so much confusion between Azumah Resources and the chiefs and it is not helping the region.”

Azumah Resources Limited is an exploration company focused on the highly prospective areas in the Upper West Region.

The organization currently has three Prospecting Licenses (PL) and one Mining Lease (ML).

The Upper West Regional Minister, Hon Alhaji Sulemana Alhassan lauded UNICEF for being a major development partner in the area of sanitation and hygiene and their support to the Government of Ghana in the development of a cost effective sanitation model based on the Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach. He said, the CLTS approach was adopted in the National Environmental Sanitation Policy (NESP) as the means of ensuring proper sanitation in rural and small towns. The Minister made this remark whiles addressing participants at a workshop on Environmental and Social Management Framework in Wa on the 31st January 2019.
Hon. Sulemana disclosed that the program is being implemented in five most deprived regions in Ghana namely, Upper West, Upper East, Northern, Volta and Central region. He said the program seeks to complement Government’s efforts in enhancing the livelihood and living conditions of the affected regions in Ghana. He added that, the Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) has been developed with the support of Green Advocacy Ghana which is to help better manage the environmental and social issues as far as CLTS implementation is concerned.
The Minister noted that, the Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) Provides the environment and social management arrangement for a sustainable implementation of the Rural Sanitation Model and Strategy (RSMS). He said this was with particular reference to activities with environmental and social implications under the model, and the corresponding environmental and social safeguard to mitigate potential cumulative impacts and risks, while enhancing opportunities and strategies.
He added that for Ghana to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
Goal 3-Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages;
Goal 6-Clean water and sanitation; and
Goal 11-Sustainable cities and communities; we must attach more seriousness to the model.
The Hon. Regional Minister pledged his commitment and that of the Regional Coordinating Council to ensuring that the Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) is implemented to improve upon the lives of the citizenry of the region. He reiterated that, Government cannot do it alone and that it requires concerted efforts of all Ghanaians to enable the president succeed in fulfilling his promise to restore hope to Ghanaians.