EVANS AIDOO PLEDGES TO WORK WITH EVERYBODY (PAGE 14)

The new Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, has pledged to work with everybody in the region for the betterment of mother Ghana.
He has therefore called for collective efforts to ensure the development and total transformation of the region.
He said elections were over and the time had come to unite and chart the path of development of the region which provides the lion’s share of the country’s economic support.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic at Sekondi, the regional minister said he would welcome ideas from all quarters to ensure that, together, they could contribute to the region’s growth.
The minister said: “There is a lot of work to be done and each and every one of us has a role to play. Therefore, the time has come for us to contribute in a manner that would push the growth of the region faster than we expected.
“We as individuals, groups or associations, entrepreneurs, corporate chiefs and other traditional rulers have a role to play. I would ensure an open and transparent administration to ensure that people feel they are part of the growth process,” he said.
“We in the Western Region are endowed with arable land and very industrious people. What we need at the moment is to ensure that we join hands and focus on how to take advantage of things to make life better for the people in our communities, towns and villages,” Aidoo said.
“One of the interesting things I want us to focus on is how to take advantage of the various areas, for the region is rich, particularly in cocoa, timber, mining and agriculture.”
He said it was good that the region had discovered oil and urged residents to work hard to ensure that every town and village, district and metropolitan area benefited.
He called on the people of the region and the business community to ensure that other services to come as a result of the discovery of the oil were used to improve the living standards of the people.
Mr Aidoo said it was on the agenda of the government to ensure that the needed platform was created for growth as well as investing in people, jobs and the economy to ensure uniform growth.
He thanked the chiefs and people of the region, religious organisations for their support, saying: “I will work with everybody for the betterment of mother Ghana. We should not leave anything to chance.”