Western Regional development plan launched.

Busua (W/R), Sept. 7, GNA- A development blue print for the Western Region was on Friday launched at Busua, with a call on all stakeholders and partners to support the Region to achieve its developmental goals. "We need qualitative and quantitative development and all must be interested in projects being undertaken in their respective communities".

Mr. Anthony E. Amoah, Western Regional Minister, said these at the launch of the 47-paged Western Regional Development Blueprint. He stressed that there was the need for a new attitudinal change towards life.

"We need people who believe in themselves and are ready to shun pessimism," he added.

Mr. Amoah said though the Region contributed 57 percent of the Nations cocoa as well as gold, timber, bauxite, manganese, rubber and oil palm, the area still lag behind in infrastructural development. He said it was sad that with all these opportunities, the youth were being "drawn into illegal gold mining, to the detriment of their education".

He said the Region deserves good roads, electricity, better health and educational facilities, good drinking water and an improved standard of living.

The Regional Minister said the country's accelerated growth to a middle-income status by 2015 could be achieved only if the Western Region developed its economic resources. He said the discovery of oil in the Western Region requires a rapid educational approach to enable the Region and its citizenry to benefit from the proceeds of the oil.

"The Region needs the appropriate education that would make its citizens employable in the oil sector, while the development of a right attitude to work could place them at vital positions instead of at the periphery" he stressed.

Nana Kobina Nketsia V, Omanhene of Essikadu, who chaired the launch, said the blueprint was a catalogue of the depressing facts. "The riches of the Region have not impacted positively on the lives of the people and all efforts must be made to reverse the trend" he added. Nana Nketsia said the Region must find immediate solutions to its development and economic challenges to transform the people. "We must use our past to build the future and if we fail, generations yet unborn would blame the leadership". Nana Nketsia appealed to all residents of the Region to have copies of the blueprint and use it to develop their communities.