The Upper West Regional Women and Youth Coalition has presented its communique to the Regional Minister, Lawyer Charles Lwanga Puozuing, following its Regional Development Forum.
The communique was delivered at a courtesy call held on March 4, 2025, at the Office of the Minister, Upper West Regional Coordinating Council.
The coalition, which includes the Upper West Regional Youth Parliament, Young Female Influencers, Fulbe Youth Association of Ghana, and Upper West Queenmothers Association, convened the forum on February 22, 2025.
The coalition draws breath from the Heard Everywhere and Represented Daily (HEARD) project implemented by SAVE-Ghana with support from Norsaac.
The resolutions focused on key development gaps in the region, starting with the need for increased youth and women engagement and participation in local governance.
They called for the reservation of a quota for youth (ages 18-35), women, and marginalized groups in current and future appointments by the new government.
The communique also highlighted youth unemployment as a major social concern, urging the creation of sustainable employment opportunities, particularly in agriculture.
The coalition stressed the urgent need to improve infrastructure, including the uncompleted Wa-Tumu-Bolga road and the deteriorating Wa-Sawla-Wechi road, as well as addressing superstructure deficits at key educational institutions.
They further raised concerns about drug and substance abuse, particularly tramadol, and called for comprehensive research and proactive law enforcement to combat this challenge.
The resolution addressed malfunctioning streetlights in the regional capital, Wa, noting the associated security risks such as increased armed robbery and serial killings in darkened areas.
Additional issues mentioned include the removal of taxes on sanitary pads, poor sanitation practices, teenage pregnancy, child marriage, and the need to revisit the Free Senior High School entry cut-off.
The coalition also called for the Regional Minister to appear before the Upper West Regional Youth Parliament, alongside other development stakeholders, to present a State of the Region Address.
On his part, the Minister, Lawyer Puozuing received the communique with a commitment to working hard to address the issues raised, which he described as “matters that concern us all”.
In particular, he stressed the readiness of his office to tackle the issue of drug and substance abuse squarely and uproot it from the region.
He hinted that the Wa-Sawla-Bole road is a priority to the government and has been captured in the soon-to-be-read Budget and Economic Policy of the government, adding that he would work to ensure the Wa-Tumu-Bolga road is captured in subsequent budgets.
He noted that plans were underway to install streetlight bulbs in the regional and district capitals to stem crime and boost business.
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