Ho, Oct. 17, GNA - Mr Kofi Dzamesi, Volta Regional Minister has hinted that the Ho Polytechnic stood the chance of becoming a state funded university of science and technology while one of the existing technical institutes in the region could be raised to the status of a polytechnic.

He was addressing Journalists at the Regional Meet-the-Press Series in Ho on Tuesday.

Mr. Dzamesi said the physical transformation of the Ho polytechnic and its academic stature were phenomenal, which gave credence to the fact that government was not influenced by political considerations in determining how the national cake was apportioned.

For sometime now there had been calls on the government by people in the academia from the region and others for a state funded technical university in the region.

Mr Dzamesi said as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the country's independence a "jubilee" technical institution would be constructed in the region.

The Minister said between 2002 and 2003, 13.3 billion cedis of the HIPC Fund went into the construction of classroom blocks and in 2005 about 2.5 billion cedis was spent on 15 school projects under the public investment project in the region.

He said overall the region did not fare badly in socio-economic development under the present government even though admittedly there were Herculean constraints.

He was optimistic that the region could witness more dramatic developments in the future provided its people acted in unison with others.

Mr. Dzamesi therefore urged citizens of the region to make its socio-economic development their supreme concern.

"Those who help themselves are helped by others," he said.

Mr. Dzamesi said it was essential that differences were buried and efforts made to rally behind government to implement its programmes for the region.

He said the region must explore the strength of its diversities in order to realise its full potentials.

"We can move faster if as a people, we bury our differences, realise that there is unity in diversity and rally round the government in its effort to move the region forward.

Mr. Dzamesi's one hour presentation covered the profile of the region, its potentials, constraints and state of development in all areas.

On the National Health Insurance Scheme, he said there

was much progress, which could be better but for 16 major

constraints, including over-prescription of drugs by providers

and fraudulent practices. Other negative practices were derogatory remarks about

the scheme, long waiting periods at the out patients

departments, lots of unnecessary referrals and virtual

non-existence of monitoring and supervision due to logistical

problems. "I hereby sound a note of warning to the people that

anybody, whether a health worker or not, who deliberately

behaves or does anything to discredit or cheat the scheme

would face the full rigours of the law," the Minister warned. He enumerated programmes in the agricultural sector

aimed at raising production in that sector. On roads, Mr Dzamesi said the Ho-Fume, Ho-Nyive,

Sogakope-Adidome, Kadjebi-Poase road networks had been

awarded with 21 others due to be awarded on contract

soon. He said the region was more peaceful now than it had

been at any other time and praised some chiefs and

clergymen "for their sterling contributions towards conflict

resolution in the region".

Mr Dzamesi said the region had 18 flash points but that

"our strategy has been to set up and promote conflict

resolution committees to help resolve or settle conflicts and

disputes as soon as they occur". Mr. Kwamena Bartels, Minister of Information and

National Orientation said the region was unique and that

contrary to perceptions that only Ewes inhabited the region,

16 languages and 41 dialects were spoken there. He said, " I was amazed by the sheer diversity of

development in the region as recounted by the Regional

Minister.