Wa, (Upper West) 16 Sept.,

Alhaji Amidu Sulemana, Upper West Regional Minister today directed regional heads of departments to notify the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) before travelling outside the region. Alhaji Sulemana who gave this directive at a meeting with regional heads of departments at Wa, noted with regret that very often the deliberations of very important committees are impeded because officials serving on them had travelled outside the region without notice. The Minister asked the regional heads to ensure that they hand over to their deputies before travelling. The meeting was convened to enable the Minister to brief them on government policies and issues of concern to the RCC. Alhaji Sulemana called on the departmental heads to show the way for their staff to emulate by being punctual to work and avoiding alcoholism. Alhaji Sulemana announced that the RCC will soon come out with a ceiling on tariffs to be paid with respect to the use of telephones by the various departments, saying the head of any department who exceeds the ceiling will be surcharged. He said to control excessive expenditure on procurement, some of the departments have been directed to seek clearance with the RCC before presenting their vouchers to the Controller and Accountants-General's Department for payment. The Regional Minister advised the officers to cultivate the habit of reading to be abreast with events, especially with regard to implementation of government policies. Mr Ken Dabuo, the Acting Regional Director of Education, announced that his office is taking measures to identify and transfer "floating teachers" in the Wa township to deprived schools in the districts.