Wa, Feb. 25, GNA - Mr Mahmud Khalid, Upper West Regional Minister has reminded Heads of Government Departments and Agencies in the region to see the development of the region as their major goal.

He said the region was widely seen as one of the poorest in the country so it imposes a greater challenge and responsibility on them as supervisors to work harder to bridge the gap between with the South. Mr Khalid made these remarks at his maiden meeting with heads of government Departments and Agencies in the region at Wa on Tuesday, to introduce himself to them.

He told them to monitor workers under them closely as well as encourage and motivate them in order to bring the best out of them. "We complain of not being well paid. But how well do we work? Some are punctual but they do not work but rather sit for the whole day doing nothing," he remarked.

As opinion leaders, he appealed to them to sensitize members of their communities to refrain from fuelling chieftaincy and religious disputes in the region and expressed the hope that all actions emanating from such disputes would be withdrawn from the courts for settlement. He pledged to be a Minister for everybody in the region and welcomed anybody who had ideas to offer to him.

Dr Alexis Nabei-fubah, the Regional Director of Health Services, who spoke on behalf of the heads of MDAs, appealed to the Regional Minister to institutionalize regular meetings to enable them share experiences and best practices.