Development Economist and lecturer at the University for Development Studies, Dr. Michael Ayamga-Adongo, has lashed out at the Mahama led administration for failing to execute significant infrastructural development in the upper east region as compared to other regions in the country.
According to him, although government can pride itself with great improvement in infrastructure in most parts of the country, such cannot be said about the upper east region noting that the region has only been given a raw deal by the government of the day.
“I think that the upper east has been given a raw deal by the Mahama led administration. I don’t think that of all the phenomenal achievements that we are getting all over, I don’t think upper east can feel the same, we cannot point to some of these massive infrastructure. I know the Regional Hospital is there and a few isolated projects here and there that are abandoned or not being pursued vigorously.”
Dr. Michael Ayamga who was speaking on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East show with Azongo Albert questioned the approach of government towards developing northern Ghana saying “if you want to close a gap, do you help the one running faster or you help the one who is slowest or if you want to close a gap do you support the one behind or you throw in something and say anyone who can run fast should pick it.”
He noted that government has not consciously targeted and focused on deprived regions such as the upper east and that could be blamed for why the phenomenal infrastructure enjoyed by some parts of the country cannot be found in the region.
“We all know the problem SADA encountered in its first cycle so that said and done I still feel that if you were going to pursue education, you would want to put in more of your infrastructure in the northern regions and if you wanted to improve roads, the roads are more deplorable in these regions and in fact the upper east and upper west regions are not connected by any first class road” he added.
In education, he noted that the three campuses of the University for Development Studies was also given a raw deal considering the fact that some regions have been provided with tertiary institutions with already existing ones seeing some level of expansion with state of the art facilities but such cannot be said about UDS.
He further mentioned that with the level of development in the three northern regions, it was imperative that government made a conscious effort by placing a special focus at giving enough concentration on these regions towards developing all its aspects in order for them to catch up.
By: Offei-Akoto Ayeh/A1RADIOONLINE.COM/GHANA
