Set Up Ministry In Each Region — Okyenhene

The Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin II, has advocated the setting up of a ministry in all 16 regions as part of the decentralisation process.

“As a strong advocate for the decentralisation process over the years, I do not understand why everything is located in Accra, the national capital,” he said. He said such a strategic move would ensure the transfer of ministries, agencies and government departments currently situated in Accra strategically to specific regions in order to drive the development of the nation.

“What is the Forestry Commission, for instance, doing in Accra? What is the Agriculture Ministry doing in Accra?” he asked.
Anniversary lecture
The Okyenhene made the call when he delivered a lecture at the Jophus Anamuah-Mensah Conference Hall of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) as part of the 25th-anniversary celebrations of the university last Wednesday.
He was speaking on the topic: “The role of science and technology in the provision of quality education for sustainable national development.”

Open up

Osagyefuo Amoatia stated that development could be spread across the country for the ultimate benefit of ordinary Ghanaians if his suggestion that each of the 16 regions in Ghana should have at least one ministry was taken serious.
He said such an initiative would promote commerce, connect disadvantaged people to economic opportunities, prevent people from moving from their communities to other areas in search of non-existent jobs and opportunities as well create opportunities for the nation.
“If we have the courage to do this as a nation, trust me the fortunes of this country would definitely be turned around,” he stated. Osagyefuo Amoatia said although traditional rulers were not policymakers, they provided ideas to be tapped into by policymakers.

Science education

Touching on the topic, he called on the government to introduce a comprehensive science and technology education programme to prepare the youth to be competitive in today’s ever-changing technological world.
The Okyenhene pointed out that the government needed to make huge investments in science and technology education at all levels of education to enable the country to train qualified human resources to catch up with the rest of the world.
“Students aspiring to take up various professions in the sciences must be provided with state-of-the-art libraries, laboratories and other facilities that would adequately prepare them for the job market,” he said.

Delivering on mandate

The Vice-Chancellor of the UEW, Rev. Fr Professor Anthony Afful-Broni, said the UEW, which was the fastest-growing university in Ghana with a current student population of 85,004, was focused on delivering on its mandate to train qualified and competent teachers for the country.