On the Friday 21st of February, 2025, the Regional Minister for the Western North Region, Hon. Wilbert Petty Brentum, paid a courtesy visit to the traditional authorities and the Suaman District Assembly. This visit aimed to officially introduce the Regional Minister to the traditional authorities and government agencies to foster collaboration. The intention was to interact with various agencies to understand their challenges and explore how best to address them, thereby enhancing collaboration between the Regional Coordinating Council and the various stakeholders.
The visit was in two sections: a meeting with the Nananom (traditional authorities) and a meeting with the Suaman District Assembly, where the Regional Minister also served as the acting Chief Executive of the District.
His first visit was with the Namanom. There, Honourable Minister engaged with the traditional authorities to discuss how to address the challenges faced within the district. The traditional authorities highlighted several issues, including:
– The need for road construction
– Maintaining peace and security along the district’s boundary
– Requests for tertiary institutions in the district
– Challenges associated with regulating galamsey operations
In response, the Regional Minister expressed his appreciation for the traditional authorities’ support following his appointment and promised to address all the challenges highlighted by the end of his tenure.
The second segment of the visit involved a meeting with staff and department heads within the district. The purpose of this meeting was to promote collaboration between the Regional Coordinating Council and the government agencies operating within the district.
During the discussion, the staff expressed their willingness to support the Regional Minister in achieving his goals and shared some operational challenges they were facing. These challenges included:
– Upgrading the office complex for the Immigration Office
– Staff shortages in the district
– The need for logistics to enhance operations within the security services
– Allowances for field officers to support their community visits
– Enhancements in agricultural mechanization to improve production and manage post-harvest losses
– Telecommunication challenges within the district
The Regional Minister acknowledged the scarcity of government resources in addressing all the issues raised. He emphasized that efficient management of resources would yield optimal benefits for the various agencies in tackling their challenges. He assured everyone present that he would collaborate with the Ministry of Communication to address communication issues and that staff shortages in the various agencies would be addressed—along with the other challenges—by the end of his tenure as Regional Minister.