''I AM ONLY A LIAISON BETWEEN CHIEFS, PEOPLE AND APPOINTING AUTHORITY'' - UE REGIONAL MINISTER 7TH MARCH, 2025

The Upper East Regional Minister, Hon. Donatus Akamugri Atanga has called on the chiefs and people of the region to call on him any time and make time to meet him regularly for ideas sharing and discussions that have the potential to cause the needed development and progress the region has been yearning for. “Please do not see me as a boss! I am only a liaison between you, the people and the appointing authority”, he stated. 

Hon. Akamugri, Seated At Sirigu Naba's Palace

Hon. Akamugri made the call last Friday, March 7, 2025 when paid separate courtesy calls on the paramount chiefs of Sirigu, Mirigu and the Paga traditional areas. These visits to the paramount chiefs have been going on for more than a week now as it has become a not-to-be-discarded norm in the political administration of the region whenever newly appointed regional ministers assume office. So, Hon. Akamugri was simply following precedence; affording him the opportunity to formally introduce himself to the chiefs and to seek their support and counsel for the effective administration of the region.

The Regional Minister’s first point of call was the Sirigu chief’s palace where Naba Roland Atogumdeya Akwara III on behalf of his divisional chiefs, elders and queen mothers, congratulated him and wished him a successful tenure. In his remarks, the chief did not hesitate to share his community’s needs and priorities in the hope that, the minister will find the means and resources to address them. He revealed that his community has a poor road network which becomes very inaccessible during the rains and mentioned a major bridge connecting Zorkor and Sirigu; noting that a contractor was currently working on it and appealed to the minister to ensure the contractor does not abandon site but stays to complete the project on time before the rains set in.

Naba Akwara III Listens As Hon. Akamugri Speaks

Naba Akwara also touched on the need for absolute peace in the Upper East region as this allows the local economy to grow while it serves as a pool factor for investors. He expressed sadness on the unending Bawku conflict and urged the regional minister to constantly keep the President reminded on the urgent need to find lasting peace for Bawku. He also drew the minister’s attention to the erstwhile communal clashes between the two neighbouring communities of Kandiga and Doba suggesting that, there were still some underlying issues that require the authorities sitting down with community leaders and other stakeholders to completely extinguish any possible re-occurrence.

Hon. Akamugri in his response, promised he will get the appropriate road’s authorities to have a serious look into which roads in the area can immediately be worked on while others, including where bridges are needed, shall be packaged and pushed under specific government roads’ intervention projects and programmes. He added that, one of the biggest legacies he would be glad to leave behind is to have the Bawku conflict reaching a permanent solution that is acceptable to all parties involved and that at the least opportunity, he would always bring this issue up in his engagements with the President.

The Regional Minister then made his second stop in the day at the Mirigu chief’s place. The paramount chief, Naba Anthony Abisa Anonsona Atasige III called for the extension of the national electricity grid to cover all communities in his traditional area; lamenting that apart from his palace and just a few houses around, the vast portion of the area remained off grid. He noted that the absence of electricity negatively impacts the business community while potable water supply points are also woefully inadequate for both domestic use and dry season farming ventures.

Naba Atasige also talked of bad roads in the area, including those linking Mirigu to Kandiga and Mirigu to Navrongo. Hon. Akamugri responded that the chief had made very important and valid requests for his people but said though he could not give a definitive timeline; he would ensure Mirigu’s needs are given proper attention and action; whenever resources become available.

By 1500 GMT, the Regional Minister and his team had arrived at the Paga Pio’s palace and settled down with some members of the Paga Traditional Council. After brief introductions and stating the purpose of the minister’s visit, Kazigu Chief; Pe Thomas A. Asangchira requested the minister’s urgent intervention in getting the education authorities to upgrade the Paga Senior High School to full boarding status and also appealed for the reconstruction a dormitory block that got burnt some time ago.  The chief also urged the regional minister to make time to inspect the progress of work on the district’s Agenda 111 hospital project at Paga Zenga so he can make a strong case to government for its quick completion because to him, matters of health cannot wait in perpetuity.

Hon. Akamugri first conveyed President John Dramani Mahama’s appreciation to the chiefs  and people in  the Chiana-Paga Constituency for voting massively for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and that, the President is scheduled to visit the  area a bit later on his official “Thank You” tours.  He pledged to hold discussions with the Education Minister on the Paga SHS conversion and also gave the assurance that, the NDC government will soon peruse the Agenda 111 hospitals and see the way forward to ensure their completion since the nation could not afford to play politics with the health of Ghanaians.

The Regional Minister also answered to the asking on his plans to push for an airport for the region since this holds great prospects for job creation, a quicker means of transportation for the business community and further opening up the region for investors. He recalled that a similar question was posed to him during his vetting, and that it is among his top priorities. He pledged to utilised every contact he has in government to ensure this comes to life during his tenure.

 

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