The Eastern Regional Minister, Mrs. Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, has outlined a comprehensive development agenda for the region, focusing on economic growth, education, healthcare, infrastructure development, and environmental sustainability. She made this known on Friday, August 22, 2025, during the maiden Eastern Regional Coordinating Council Management Retreat held at the Volta Hotel in Akosombo.
The minister’s vision is to transform the region into a thriving hub of economic growth and inclusive development, where every community experiences the benefits of equitable growth and good governance.
She noted that her priorities include promoting economic growth through agriculture, industrialization, and local entrepreneurship to create jobs and stimulate economic activity.
Mrs. Awatey said championing quality education through the preparation of the youth for future opportunities and equipping them with the necessary skills is also key.
According to her, strengthening healthcare delivery to ensure social protection and access to quality healthcare for all residents is an integral part of her vision. The minister also mentioned that infrastructure development, including improving roads, water, sanitation, and digital connectivity to unlock community potential, is seriously being considered.
Mrs. Awatey emphasized the importance of teamwork, transparency, integrity, and service in achieving her vision for the region. Mrs. Awatey expressed gratitude to the Volta River Authority for generously sponsoring the retreat, which aimed to strengthen collaborative relationships among management team members and develop strategic foresight to drive development in the region.
“We are expected to navigate through and around the pressing concerns affecting our work and find solutions to them,” she said, urging participants to bring their best ideas to the discussions to make positive impacts in their administration. The minister believes that together, they can shape a region where hard work is rewarded, unity overcomes division, and natural and human resources are harnessed responsibly for the benefit of current and future generations.
The immediate past Dean of the University of Ghana Business School, Professor Justice Nyigmah Bawole, took the participants through Effective Local Government Sector Administration and Management and Resolution of Workplace Conflicts.
According to him, decentralization was meant to bring the government closer to the people but unfortunately after 40 years, the system is still struggling with deep flaws. Professor Bawole said though change is difficult, it behoves all to embrace it and be each other’s keeper to make the system work.