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UPPER WEST REGIONAL MINISTER DONATES 13,800 EXERCISE BOOKS TO DEPRIVED SCHOOLS ACROSS THE REGION

Puozuing hands over books to GES, urges equitable distribution and teacher rationalisation*
The Upper West Regional Minister, Hon. Charles Lwanga Puozuing, Esq., has presented 13,800 exercise books to the Ghana Education Service (GES) Regional Director for onward distribution to deprived and underserved schools across all 11 Municipal and District Assemblies in the region.
The gesture, channelled through the Regional Coordinating Council, will see each district and municipality receive 1,150 exercise books, with education directors tasked to identify the communities and schools most in need.
Speaking at the handover ceremony ahead of the school reopening, the Regional Minister charged district education directors to distribute the materials strictly on the basis of need, with priority given to underserved communities. He called for stronger collaboration between education authorities and the MMDAs to drive improved learning outcomes across the region.
While acknowledging steady progress in the region’s education sector, Hon. Puozuing flagged the uneven distribution of teachers as a persistent challenge, with some districts oversubscribed while hinterland communities remain understaffed. He announced plans for staff rationalisation and appealed to newly posted teachers to embrace service in deprived communities before seeking transfers to municipal centres.
The donation forms part of a nationwide initiative themed *”Educating Every Child, Strengthening Every Community,”* aimed at supporting basic education and community development. Speaking on behalf of the initiative, the Upper West Regional Representative of the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG), Hon. Ninfaazuma Benedict, commended the intervention as a timely boost for learners in deprived areas
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A RESET FOR UPPER WEST: PRESIDENT WITNESSES REGION’S DEVELOPMENT STORY AT UBIDS

*Wa* — The Upper West Region rolled out its scorecard of transformation this week, as His Excellency the President of the Republic paid a landmark visit to the University for Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS), Wa.
Presenting the Region’s development story before the President, Members of Parliament, MMDCEs, traditional and religious leaders, and the people of Upper West, the Regional Minister, Hon. Charles Lwanga Puozuing Esq., painted a picture of a Region on the move.
Since 2025, decentralised transfers to the Region’s 11 Municipal and District Assemblies have jumped by over 400%, funding new CHPS compounds, classroom blocks, boreholes and markets across every district. The GETFund is delivering nearly 110 projects — including a brand-new Senior High School at Issa and new facilities at UBIDS itself. Under the Big Push Programme, an unprecedented GH¢4.79 billion is being invested in over 300 kilometres of roads, the largest road investment in the Region’s history. Add to this eleven new markets under the 24-Hour Economy Programme, new Farmer Service Centres, and the Sheapark Resource Hub — poised to empower over 7,000 women — and the scale of change becomes clear.
Challenges remain, particularly the pace of some road contracts. But the Regional Minister was unequivocal: Upper West’s needs are being addressed, its opportunities for investment are real, and its people are grateful for a President and government walking this journey with them.
As Hon. Puozuing put it to the President and the nation: Upper West is being reset
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BACK TO SCHOOL, BACK TO HOPE: REGIONAL MINISTER LEADS “MY FIRST DAY” TOUR IN WA MUNICIPALITY

Wa — The Upper West Regional Minister, Hon. Charles Lwanga Puozuing Esq., joined the Regional Director of Education and the Municipal Chief Executive for Wa on a heart-warming tour of schools across the Wa Municipality, marking this year’s “My First Day in School” celebration.
The team visited three basic schools — Naa Pelpuo Islamic School, Tendamba Primary School, and Danku Islamic Primary School — to welcome pupils back to the classroom and inspire a new generation of learners.
At each stop, Hon. Puozuing interacted warmly with the students, reminding them that they are the future leaders of Ghana and urging them to take their studies seriously. His message was one of hope and encouragement, aimed at instilling confidence and ambition in the young minds of the Municipality.
The Regional Minister rounded off the visit by commending the management and staff of the various schools for their dedication and hard work, and wished them a successful academic year ahead.
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REGIONAL MINISTER APPLAUDS WA CENTRAL PRISON FOR TALENT SHOW, BACKS INMATE REINTEGRATION DRIVE

Wa, September 13, 2026** — The Upper West Regional Minister, Hon. Charles Lwanga Puozuing, Esq., has commended the Ghana Prisons Service for organising an inspiring Inmates’ Talent Show at the Wa Central Prison, describing it as a bold step towards the rehabilitation and successful reintegration of inmates into society.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Chief Director of the Upper West Regional Co-ordinating Council, Mr. Damma Shaiku Mumuni, at the event held on Sunday, 13th September 2026, the Minister praised the organisers for looking beyond entertainment to affirm a simple but powerful truth: every person carries talent worth nurturing.
“We are here not only to watch performances,” the Minister’s speech noted, “but to recognise talent, encourage creativity, and reaffirm our collective commitment to the rehabilitation, reformation and reintegration of inmates.”
The Wa Central Prison Commander, DDP Alhaji Ousmane Tasembedo, Esq., who hosted the show, said he was pleasantly surprised by the depth of talent on display and has since appealed to the public to support inmates in developing skills in music, dance and composition — talents that could open doors to honest livelihoods after their release.
The Commander further disclosed that the show, which drew warm reactions on social media, was jointly organised by inmates and prison officers, and called on well-wishers to reach out through the appropriate prison authorities to support deserving talents.
The Inmates Talent Show is an initiative of the Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, Mrs. Patience Baffoe-Bonnie, Esq., aimed at identifying and nurturing talent among inmates as part of a broader reformation and reintegration agenda.
The Upper West Regional Co-ordinating Council commends the Ghana Prisons Service for this initiative and joins the call on the public and corporate bodies to support the reformation journey of inmates across the Region.
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UPPER WEST REGION ASCENDS TO 6TH POSITION ON GHANA’S 2026 ENTREPRENEURSHIP FREEDOM INDEX

A News Commentary by the Upper West Regional Co-ordinating Council.
WA — Some statistics carry a significance that far exceeds their numerical value. The release of the 2026 Regional Entrepreneurship Freedom Index (REF Index) by the Africa Centre for Entrepreneurship and Youth Empowerment (ACEYE), in partnership with the Atlas Network, represents one such moment for the Upper West Region, which has risen to 6th position out of Ghana’s sixteen regions, a marked improvement from its 13th-place standing in the 2024 edition.
For a Region previously classified among the country’s most “Repressed” business environments, this advancement is a notable achievement. It reflects a sustained programme of deliberate reform that is now manifesting in the lived experience of traders, artisans, agro-processors, and young entrepreneurs building enterprises across Wa, Nadowli, Lawra, Jirapa, Lambussie, and the wider Region.
THE DATA UNDERPINNING THE PROGRESS
The Region’s index score rose from 4.20 in 2024 to 5.55 in 2026, moving it out of the “Repressed” category and into the “Mostly Unfree” classification. While this remains a technical designation, it signifies substantive and measurable progress. The REF Index stands as Ghana’s first regional-level entrepreneurship freedom study, drawing on data gathered from 3,200 entrepreneurs across the country’s regional capitals and corroborated through 200 in-depth interviews conducted by 32 trained enumerators, assessed against fourteen distinct indicators spanning Trade Freedom, Fiscal Freedom, Property Rights, Regulation, Financial Freedom, and Technological Freedom.
The Region recorded its strongest performance in Trade Freedom, with a score of 5.83, followed closely by Freedom from Government (5.66) and Labour Freedom (5.64), indicating that entrepreneurs are increasingly able to trade, operate, and employ with reduced friction. Technological Freedom (5.24) and Financial Freedom (5.38) registered the lowest scores, underscoring that the cost of technology, limited internet connectivity, and constrained access to credit remain the Region’s most pressing challenges.
BEYOND A RANKING
This achievement should not be interpreted merely as a favourable position on a scoreboard. ACEYE has consistently emphasised that the REF Index is intended as a policy instrument, designed to inform evidence-based reform, highlight both opportunities and obstacles, and provide regional and district institutions with a roadmap for action rather than a static report card. The Upper West Regional Co-ordinating Council receives these findings in that spirit: not as a conclusion to be celebrated, but as validation of a direction that merits continued investment.
THE PATH FORWARD
ACEYE’s recommendations offer a clear and actionable framework for the Regional Co-ordinating Council, District Assemblies, and partner institutions to pursue:
1. Widening the tax base, to ease the burden currently borne by a relatively small pool of formal businesses;
2. Deepening AfCFTA readiness, by ensuring the Customs and Excise Preventive Service receives periodic training on the African Continental Free Trade Area;
3. Involving entrepreneurs in fiscal decision-making, so that levies and taxes are set with input from local businesses rather than imposed without consultation;
4. Ensuring fairness in support schemes, including Cash Transfer Programmes, so that grants reach genuine beneficiaries through transparent and equitable processes; and
5. Strengthening local anti-corruption safeguards, by supporting District Assemblies to enact and enforce bye-laws that check extortion and bribery within the business environment.
A REGION COMMITTED TO THE WORK
The Region’s climb from 13th to 6th position is the product of sustained collaboration between regional and district institutions, and it reflects growing confidence among Upper West’s entrepreneurs in the systems established to support them. The Upper West Regional Co-ordinating Council reaffirms its commitment to working closely with ACEYE, the Atlas Network, District Assemblies, and the Region’s business community to translate these recommendations into concrete, measurable action.
The movement from “Repressed” to “Mostly Unfree” is progress worth acknowledging. Yet the Council’s focus remains fixed on the next milestone: an Upper West Region in which every entrepreneur — from the shea butter processor in Lambussie to the technology-minded youth of Wa — can access markets, capital, and opportunity on fair and equal terms. This is the standard by which future progress will be measured, and it is the standard to which the Council remains firmly committed.
Issued by the Public Relations Unit of the Upper West Regional Co-ordinating Council
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UWR HONOURS ITS OWN: FOUR GALLANT OFFICERS REWARDED FOR CRACKING ROBBERY SYNDICATE

Wa, September 7, 2026 — The Upper West Region today celebrated bravery in uniform, as four Police officers were honoured with the Award of Honour for their role in dismantling a violent armed robbery syndicate that had terrorised communities across Wa West and Wa Municipal.
G/Sgt Mortsi Kwashie Divine, D/Sgt Salifu Ishmael Aketisiwin, G/Cpl Ernest Ameyaw Akumfi, and G/Cpl John Bekaar Vitus were recognised at a ceremony held at the Regional Coordinating Council, Wa, for an intelligence-led operation that led to the arrest of suspects behind a spate of machete attacks and robberies in Nyoli, Kulmasa, Ga, Kpenateng, Kulkpara, Dapoha, Pissi, Gadi and Chogsia.
The gang, which reportedly made away with over GH₵25,000 in cash and mobile money, had sown fear across the affected communities before the officers’ sustained surveillance and swift response led to key arrests in August 2026. The suspects are currently before court, while two other members remain at large.
Presenting the awardees, Regional Police Commander DCOP Francis Yiribaare commended their exceptional courage and professionalism, noting they had already been promoted by the Inspector-General of Police in recognition of their outstanding performance.
In his remarks, the Upper West Regional Minister, Hon. Charles Lwanga Puozuing Esq., described the ceremony as “a solemn recognition” of officers who exemplify courage, discipline and sacrifice in the line of duty. He reaffirmed government’s commitment to strengthening security agencies and assured residents that their safety remains a top priority for the Region.
The event underscored the Upper West Regional Coordinating Council’s continued support for security agencies and its resolve to build a safer, more secure Region for all.
UPPER WEST REGIONAL CO-ORDINATING COUNCIL
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A NEW DAWN FOR THE UPPER WEST RCC: DISCIPLINE, STRUCTURE AND TEAMWORK TAKE CENTRE STAGE

A fresh wind of purpose is blowing through the corridors of the Upper West Regional Coordinating Council. This week, the Region formally welcomed its new Chief Director, Mr. Damma Shaiku Mumuni, in a special entry meeting with Municipal and District Coordinating Directors (MMDCDs), some Heads of Department and Unit Heads— an occasion that set a decisive tone for the administration ahead.
Chaired by the Regional Coordinating Director, the meeting was more than a ceremonial introduction. It was a rallying call for renewed commitment, sharper professionalism and stronger teamwork across the Region’s eleven Assemblies.
A FAMILIAR FACE, A WARM WELCOME
In his maiden address, Mr. Mumuni struck an immediate chord of familiarity and gratitude. Many of the MMDCDs present, he noted, were colleagues he had already worked alongside in the course of his public service career — making the Upper West Region feel less like new terrain and more like a homecoming. He thanked staff for their warm reception and appealed for the kind of cooperation and team spirit that moves a development agenda forward.
SETTING THE TONE: NO ROOM FOR BUSINESS AS USUAL
If there was one message that rang loudest, it was this — the days of business as usual are over. The new Chief Director was unambiguous about his expectations: punctuality, attendance and discipline will be closely monitored and firmly enforced. He did not mince words about the setbacks posed by absenteeism, lateness and idle gossip, describing them as real threats to productivity and effective service delivery.
Equally emphatic was his call for staff to operate strictly within their lines of duty, respecting the boundaries of institutional roles while upholding the professionalism and work ethics demanded by the Local Government Service.
CONFRONTING STAFFING GAPS WITH A PLAN
Mr. Mumuni did not shy away from acknowledging the Region’s human resource challenges. With key offices across the MMDAs facing staffing shortfalls, he pledged to engage the Head of the Local Government Service to secure additional postings. To complement this, he announced a staff rationalization exercise aimed at achieving a fairer distribution of personnel, with particular attention to the Works, Procurement and Human Resource departments.
On performance, his message was equally clear: Performance Evaluation Management and Performance Contract Assessments must be treated with the seriousness they deserve, and submissions on the DEPART Platform must meet their deadlines without excuse. Functional Client Service Units and rigorous Fixed Asset Management, he stressed, are not optional extras but essential pillars of good governance.
A CLEANER, HEALTHIER UPPER WEST
Drawing on lessons from his previous posting, the Chief Director turned attention to environment and sanitation, revealing a specific directive from the Head of the Local Government Service to prioritise Sissala East and similar areas. He encouraged all Assemblies to deepen their partnership with Zoomlion Ghana Limited, reaffirming that a clean workplace is fundamental to effective public service.
DIRECTORS SPEAK, CONCERNS HEARD
The entry meeting was not a one-way address. In an open forum, the MMDCDs candidly raised the issues shaping their daily administration — inadequate office accommodation, thin staffing in critical departments, the departure of some Procurement Officers, and the need for greater goodwill from Honourable Assembly Members. They also called on the Regional Coordinating Director to undertake regular familiarisation visits to the districts, to better appreciate the realities on the ground.
Amid the challenges, there was encouraging news too: general attendance across the Region is on the rise — a small but telling sign that the culture of discipline is already taking root.
A UNITED TEAM, A RENEWED PURPOSE
The meeting closed on a note of shared resolve, with both the Chief Director and the MMDCDs committing to work as one team in the service of the Upper West Region’s development. As Mr. Damma Shaiku Mumuni settles into office, the Region extends its warmest wishes for a tenure marked by impact, integrity and progress.

COMPILED BY THE PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT, UPPER WEST REGIONAL COORDINATING COUNCIL, WA.

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FATCHU LIGHTS UP: UPPER WEST REGION TURNS LIVELIHOOD SUPPORT INTO A WEAPON FOR PEACE

In a powerful demonstration of how development can double as a shield against extremism, one hundred women and youth in Fatchu, Sissala West District, walked away this week with more than farming tools and a solar-powered water facility — they walked away with hope.
The handover, under the Preventing and Responding to Violent Extremism in the Atlantic Corridor project, brought together the Upper West Regional Coordinating Council, UNDP, the governments of Denmark and Norway, the Upper West Regional Peace Council and CAPECS in a united front against the socio-economic vulnerabilities that fuel instability along Ghana’s northern frontier.
Regional Minister Hon. Charles Lwanga Puozuing Esq. set the tone with a stirring address, framing the intervention as far more than equipment distribution. “When a young person has a productive livelihood, when a woman has an income-generating enterprise, and when a community has the means to produce food and generate wealth, we reduce vulnerability and strengthen the social foundations upon which peace depends,” he declared — a reminder that resilience is built one enterprise, one solar pump, one empowered woman at a time. He challenged beneficiaries to safeguard the facility from vandalism and misuse, and to grow beyond subsistence toward real market value.
UNDP’s Dr Edward Ampratwum linked the project to a bigger regional mission: stopping the spread of violent extremism from the Sahel toward Ghana’s coast, with poverty and youth exclusion identified as the sharpest risk factors. District Chief Executive Hon. Abudu Fuseini Gbene echoed the urgency, citing the district’s border proximity, while spotlighting the Community Peace Committees as frontline defenders against conflict.
Perhaps the most compelling voice came from 22-year-old beneficiary Sanah Fadila, who spoke of newly acquired skills — from soap and shower gel production to gardening and savings — as tools for genuine self-reliance.

With over 3,000 stakeholders reached region-wide, Fatchu stands as living proof: when communities are empowered economically, peace finds fertile ground to grow.

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HON. CHARLES LWANGA PUOZUING ESQ., LEADS UPPER WEST CAUCUS TO INSPECT WA-TUMU, WA-SAWLA ROADS

The Upper West Regional Minister, Hon. Charles Lwanga Puozuing Esq., On Friday 21st August 2026 joined the Upper West Parliamentary Caucus on a comprehensive inspection of ongoing works on the Wa-Tumu and Wa-Sawla roads.
The inspection was to assess progress, interact with contractors on site, and gather first-hand concerns from residents and road users.
The team observed encouraging progress on several fronts, while noting some bottlenecks that require urgent attention to expedite completion.
Hon. Puozuing reaffirmed the commitment of the Regional Coordinating Council, working hand-in-hand with Members of Parliament, to lobby, monitor and deliver the quality roads the people of Upper West deserve.
He emphasized that improved road infrastructure is critical to bridging communities and unlocking the economic potential of the region.
He expressed profound gratitude to chiefs, elders and residents for their patience, warm reception and invaluable feedback.
Together, we are building a more accessible and prosperous Upper West Region
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UWR ROLLS OUT FREE PRIMARY HEALTHCARE AS HALF-YEAR HEALTH REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS GAINS AND GAPS

WA, UWR – The Upper West Region has officially launched the Free Primary Health Care Policy as part of the 2026 Half-Year Health Sector Performance Review held at SEM-B Hotel, Wa.
Representing the Hon. Regional Minister, Lawyer Charles Lwanga Puozuing, Pognaa Fati Issaka Korey, RCC Co-ordinating Director, described the policy as a “landmark intervention” to remove financial barriers and bring quality care closer to rural communities.
> “Free healthcare must never become poor-quality healthcare,” she cautioned, urging MMDAs, GHS, and NHIA to strengthen CHPS compounds, staff retention, and accountability.
Key highlights from the review:
1. Maternal health improved: Maternal mortality ratio dropped from 87.82 to 48.5 per 100,000 live births.
2. Policy rollout: Free Primary Healthcare has been piloted in 10 out of 11 districts in the Region. Nationally, NHIA has released GH¢35.1m to 107 districts.
3. Key challenge: Inadequate staff accommodation continues to hinder attraction and retention of health workers, especially in hard-to-reach areas.
GHS Regional Director, Mr. Josephat Nyuzaghl, confirmed receipt of essential medical equipment for the pilot. NHIA Regional Director, Mr. Rashid Mohammed, said the Authority targets over 150 districts nationwide by 2028.
Stakeholders, including traditional leaders, called for urgent action on staff housing and encouraged health professionals from the Region to return home to serve.
The RCC reaffirmed its commitment to work with partners to ensure healthcare is accessible, affordable, equitable, and responsive to all.