PEACE AND UNITY, PILLARS FOR DEVELOPMENT (PAGE 22)

PRESIDENT J.E.A. Mills recently released his next batch of Ministers of State who will assist him in the day-to-day running of government business.
Amongst them was Mr Mark Owen Woyongo, who is heading for the Upper East Region as the new Regional Minister.
Mr Woyongo retired recently as a Director of Finance and Administration at the Information Services Department, having risen through the ranks.
He contested the last parliamentary elections in the Navrongo Central Constituency on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) but lost out to the New Patriotic Party candidate, Mr Joseph Kofi Adda.
If confirmed by Parliament, Mr Woyongo will become the 25th regional minister to have served the region in that capacity since the creation of the region on July 1, 1960.
Previous Regional Ministers were Messrs Ayeebo Asunda (CPP), 1960-1966; J.W.O. Agyeman (NLC), 1966-1967, Imoro Lafia (NLC), 1966-1969; Imoro Salifu (PP), 19691972; Col. George Minyila (NRC), 1972-1973; Col. Acquaye Nortey (SMC), 1973-1975; Major Ofori Akuamoah (SMC), 1975-1978, and Wing Commander Samuel Gyabaah (SMC), 1978-1979.
Others were J.D. Cobbinah, who served in an acting capacity( AFRC), 1979-1980; George Nandzo (PNP), 1981; Dr Awudu Tinorga (PNDC), 1982; John Ndebugre (PNDC), 1982-1984; J. E. Sakyi (PNDC), 1984-1988; L. K. Molibilla (PNDC), 1988-1993; S. A. Gumah (NDC), 1993-1994, and Godfrey Abulu (NDC), 1994-1995.
The rest were Cletus Avoka (NDC), 1995 -1997; Donald Adabere (NDC), 1997-1998; Alhaji Sulemana Amidu (NDC), 1998-2000; David Osei-Wusu; Boniface Gambila (NPP) 2001–2007 and Alhassan Samari (NPP) 2007-2008.
The Regional Minister designate is not new to the region. He served as both the Regional Information Officer and Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association in the 1980s.
So what does he bring to the table? This was the question this reporter put to Mr Woyongo moments after his name was announced.
“My vision is to ensure that there is peace, unity and development. Without peace and unity there cannot be any meaningful development,” he said.
Nothing can be truer than what the Regional Minister designate said. With pockets of flashpoints emanating from chieftaincy, ethnic and land disputes spreading all over the region, it would only be appropriate that the man coming in works hard towards resolving these problems to put the region back on the path of accelerated development.
"I will want to work with all the stakeholders, traditional rulers, opinion leaders and all who matter to ensure that these flashpoints are addressed. We need to put all these divisions behind us so that we can live as one people," Mr Woyongo said.
“Our enemy is not the man from the opposite tribe; our enemy is not our political opponent; our enemy is poverty, ignorance, squalor, these are our common enemy in the region and we have to come together to fight these things,” he stressed.
In the view of the regional minister designate, he is to be seen as a unifier. That way he can strategise as to how best to address the yawing development gap between the northern and southern parts of Ghana.
According to Mr Woyongo, he intends to rely on the aegis of the government's Savannah Accelerated Development Programme to champion the growth of the region.
“As I speak, a team is working feverishly on the outline of the programme, and once this is done, government will implement it to rapidly address the challenges militating against the development of the region,” he said.
He said his administration would focus on agriculture, stressing that the government had already pledged to put premium on agriculture by reducing the price of fertiliser, provide more dams and dugouts to aid dry season farming, as well as provide markets for produce. “This is to ensure nothing goes to waste.”
Mr Woyongo promised an open-door administration, stressing, “I want to work with everybody. Whether you belong to the other side of the political divide or not once you have the expertise, we will work together.”
If confirmed by Parliament, Mr Woyongo would be assuming office at a time when several individuals are urging the government to revamp abandoned factories such as the Northern Star Tomato Factory, the Zuarungu Meat Factory, the Bolgatanga Rice Mills and several fishponds at Tono and Vea dams.
When he was asked to share his views on these concerns, Mr Woyongo said he hoped to contact the relevant bodies when confirmed as to how best these factories could be revitalised to serve as avenues for employment for the people, especially the youth.
For now, indications are that the regional minister designate enjoys greater acceptability among the people and it is only hoped that he lives up to the challenge by fast-tracking the development of the region and lifting its people out of poverty.
For now, it appears most people have endorsed his nomination and cannot wait to see him confirmed by Parliament for the real work to start.
Meanwhile, the Upper East Regional branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has congratulated Mr Woyongo on his nomination.
The association praised Mr Woyongo for his exemplary leadership as Regional Information Officer and GJA Chairman for the region.
These were contained in a statement signed by Mr Mohammed Nurudeen Issahaq, Regional Chairman of the association.
It said “given your administrative competence, international exposure and good personal relations, we have no doubt at all that you would be capable of dealing with the challenges confronting the Upper East and steering the region on to the path of prosperity”.
The statement said Mr Woyongo's nomination served as an honour and inspiration to journalists in the region, adding that the media in the region would support and co-operate with Mr Woyongo to enable him to discharge his duties successfully.