We’ll create special purpose vehicle to unearth potentials - Bono East Minister Designate

Bono East Regional Minister-Designate Kwasi Adu Gyan has proposed a special purpose vehicle to unearth more youthful talents in the region for agricultural development.

He said human capital was one of the problems of the region, and the creation of a special-purpose mechanism for large scale crop farming would help to create a more beautiful picture about the agricultural sector and attract the youth into it.

Mr Gyan made the suggestion when he appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament, in Osu-Accra, and was being vetted by the Committee after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had nominated him for the position.

If the Committee recommends Mr Gyan, an ICT specialist, and former Director-General of the Ghana Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT ((AITI-KACE)to the plenary of the House for the ministerial position, and the plenary okays the recommendation, Mr Gyan would take over from Mr Kofi Amoakohene, who was until the December 2020 elections the Bono-East Regional Minister.

Mr Eric Opoku, MP for Asunafo South Constituency, and member of the Committee had wanted to know measures the nominees would stem the tide of mass migration of youth in the region at the peril of their lives, and also to retain them in the region.

Answering, Mr Gyan said human capital and its development was one of the problems of the region and attributed the problem to the use of the rudimentary method of farming, which he said made it unattractive for the youth to go into agriculture.

He suggested the development of large scale crop farming and taking advantage of the Government of Ghana’s One District, One Factory (1D1F) flagship programme and the availability of land in the region to deploy the youth into agriculture.

“We’ll take advantage of the 1D1F so that they can work at full capacity,” Mr Gyan said, adding that there would be a further collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Sports to train the youth.

On traffic congestion in the Techiman Township, which is the capital of the region, the Minister-Designate proposed a collaboration among the Minister of Highways and Members of Parliament (MPs)the creation of a ring road that would not pass through the town to ease traffic congestion.

On tourism, Mr Gyan agreed that there were potentials in the region, and mentioned the Apour Festival of the Chiefs and People of Techiman, which he described as a sense and beginning of democracy in the area.

“It is a period to allow the citizens to voice out whatever grievances,” the Minister-Designate said, stressing the need for effective marketing of the sector.

He called for effective marketing of the sector through appropriate technology, promising to take it over from, where former Minister for Tourism, and now Member of the Committee and MP Techiman North Constituency left off.

Equally, sanitation and road network would also be improved.

Asked whether from his IT background and being former Director-General of the (AITI-KACE) the Ghana Telecom University and the AITI-KACE merged into one institution, the Minister-Designate, responded that the AITI-KACE was to give room to specialize in cut-edging IT technology.

He said the establishment of the AITI-KACE as a centre of excellence, when people come for specialization for short periods, therefore, would not make it a good idea to merge it.