The atmosphere in Bolgatanga was charged with anticipation as the Upper East Regional Development and Business Forum and Exhibition commenced, a landmark event that drew government officials, traditional leaders, entrepreneurs, and development partners from across Ghana and beyond.
Representing President John Dramani Mahama, Mr. Augustus Obuadum Tanoh, Presidential Adviser on the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development, delivered a powerful address that both honored the region’s heritage and set a bold vision for its future.
Mr. Tanoh began with warm greetings from the President, expressing regret at his absence due to pressing national duties while commending the regional leadership, the PEARL Technical Working Committee, and development partners for organizing the forum. He highlighted the significance of the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, a national initiative to transform Ghana’s productive sectors by fostering value addition, local processing, and quality job creation. Since its launch, the programme has mobilized over $11 billion in investment and targeted 1.7 million quality jobs, with the Upper East Region standing as a vital component of this nationwide push.
Turning to the heart of the occasion, Mr. Tanoh praised the PEARL Framework, Prosperity through Enterprise, Agriculture, Resilience and Livelihoods, as a 10-year, regionally driven strategy with a GHS 8.6 billion investment portfolio. He noted that PEARL was conceived by and for the people of the Upper East, reflecting their aspirations and priorities. The government’s role, he emphasized, is to be a committed partner: aligning national policy, investment, and support behind the region’s own vision for transformation.
Drawing on the region’s legacy, Mr. Tanoh recounted its centuries-old role in trans-Saharan trade, its world-renowned crafts and music, and its history of integrated industrial ventures like the Zuarungu Meat Factory and Pwalugu Tomato Factory.
He stressed the importance of learning from these integrated models, where agriculture, processing, and downstream industries were linked from the outset, when designing PEARL’s new projects. Such integration, he argued, is key to sustaining industrial growth and maximizing local benefits.
Mr. Tanoh underscored the region’s unique strengths: fertile lands, abundant minerals, a resilient people, and a strategic location as Ghana’s northern gateway. He described emerging opportunities in gold, clay, limestone, and granite, and called for responsible development that moves beyond extraction to build value-adding industries and decent jobs for the people.
He celebrated the completion of the Tamne Irrigation Dam, the expansion of Tono, and the planned transformation of the Fumbisi Rice Valley as pivotal steps toward year-round agriculture and food security. Mr. Tanoh also highlighted plans for an Agricultural Technical University and the proposed Bolgatanga Airport, both set to elevate the region’s status as a hub for trade, education, and investment.
On behalf of President Mahama, Mr. Tanoh gave three assurances: once the PEARL Framework is validated, national institutions will integrate its priority projects into Ghana’s development agenda; the government will deepen regional empowerment and partnership; and the President himself will champion the region’s investment-ready projects on the global stage.
He called on all stakeholders to scrutinize, refine, and strengthen the Framework over the forum’s three days, ensuring its proposals withstand rigorous review and deliver lasting results. To investors, he extended an invitation to explore the region’s opportunities, form partnerships, and support innovation and job creation.
In closing, Mr. Tanoh praised the traditional authorities for their commitment to peace and stability, recognizing that sustainable development thrives only in such conditions. He officially declared the Upper East Regional Development and Business Forum and Exhibition open, wishing blessings on the region and the nation.
With the PEARL Framework as its roadmap, the Upper East Region now stands poised to shape its own destiny, guided by visionary leadership, community ownership, and national partnership.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com