VRCC to promote tourism for development

Akatsi, Apr. 17, GNA-The Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC) has said the huge tourism potential of the region would be developed to become the bedrock of its socio-economic development process.

The VRCC said it would, therefore, facilitate the massive development of composite facilities to open the industry in the region. Mr Kofi Dzamesi, Volta Minister, who announced this at the Akatsi District People's Assembly at Akatsi on Friday said the focus would be on the building of access roads, regional hotels, lodges and related projects mainly by the private sector.

He said the region had the largest wetlands, variety of birds, mountains, waterfalls, monkey sanctuaries, butterfly collections, the Keta Lagoon and Keta reclamation works.

The Minister said the region also had the spa and health farm at Sogakope, the only one in the country, to boast of.

Mr Dzamesi also announced that a Chinese construction firm was being engaged to construct an access road to the Wli Waterfalls. He said government would pursue development plans of the region to the fullest and called on businessmen to invest in the region.

Mr Dzamesi said a regional monitoring team would soon be put together to speed up the implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

He said some personnel of the NHIS in the districts would be sent to the Brong Ahafo region to understudy the successful takeoff of the scheme there.

Miss Theresa Tagoe, Deputy Minister of Lands and Mines said government would enhance social relief programmes, including poverty alleviation funds and free education at some levels to mitigate the social cost of the recent hike in prices of petroleum products.

" People should be demonstrating in the streets for mitigating programmes, rather than for the reversal of prices," she said. Mr Nicholas Negble, Akatsi District Chief Executive (DCE) said 19 billion cedis was spent on development projects in the district within the past four years.