Western Regional Minister-designate Dr Kwaku Afriyie has said he will harp on the key economic needs of the people of the region whenever the opportunity arises for him to do so, especially when he meets the Minister of Finance.

According to him, although the Western Region contributes substantially to the national economy in terms of raw materials like timber, cocoa, minerals, and oil, it was grappling with deplorable roads, rundown school buildings and health facilities, and other challenges.

For this reason, he said he would touch on these pressing needs of the region whenever the opportunity comes for him to meet with the Minister of Finance with regards to budget allocations.

Dr Afriyie was named the Western Regional Minister-designate on Tuesday January 24 by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the seat of government.

Speaking on his nominations in an interview with Chief Jerry Forson, host of Ghana Yensom on Accra 100.5FM on Wednesday January 25, he said: “The Western Region contributes a lot to the Ghanaian economy, but the region is not all that developed. The school buildings are not in the best of shapes, same with the hospitals and other national facilities.

The roads in the region, especially the northern part, are in deplorable state and sometimes you even ask yourself whether those areas are parts of Ghana. But you realise that when we develop these areas, especially the road network, our currency, the cedi, will appreciate in value because of the raw materials in those areas. There will be easy movement of goods and services from the region to other parts of the country and so I will make sure that I make an economic case when I meet my colleague ministers, especially the Minister of Finance.

“The overall context of how Ghana will develop is the case I will be making and I know that if I make this argument my colleagues will buy into it.”