Former Deputy Upper East Regional Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Andrews Atariwini, has urged residents to rise above partisan politics and rally behind the PEARL Framework, describing it as a development agenda that belongs to the entire Upper East Region.
Speaking on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper, hosted by Gerard Awombadek Asagi, Mr. Atariwini said the region cannot afford to politicise initiatives aimed at addressing unemployment, poverty and underdevelopment.
“This is not about an NDC-NPP matter,” he said. “If we have good roads, the road will not ask whether I was part of the government that built it before I use it. If we have good hospitals, the benefits will not go to one political party.”
His comments come ahead of the launch of the PEARL Framework, Prosperity through Enterprise, Agriculture and Regional Livelihoods, a 10-year development blueprint expected to guide investment and economic transformation across the Upper East Region.
Mr. Atariwini warned that unemployment remains one of the greatest threats facing the region and requires a collective response.
“The cancerous nature of huge unemployment is creeping in, ticking fast. The implications of not solving it will harm not only one political class but all of us,” he said.
He stressed that residents share common challenges and should pursue common solutions.
“We live in the Upper East. You are my neighbour, and I am your neighbour. We are related. We share the same geographical space and the same aspirations for development,” he noted.
According to him, political parties may come and go, but the region’s development needs remain constant.
“The political class of a particular government may introduce the idea, but we must eschew partisanship. Development should not be reduced to party colours,” he said.
Mr. Atariwini said the true test of the PEARL Framework would be whether future governments remain committed to delivering its objectives.
“Citizens should be able to tell any government that comes to power that this was our plan. You have achieved A, but B has not been achieved. What are you doing about it? That should be the standard,” he said.
He added: “Politicising it will not take us anywhere.”
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