He said apart from the numerous agricultural produce and natural resources in the region, the friendly investment environment made the region the most conducive area for investment.

“The increasingly friendly business environment following the absolute restoration of peace in the region, coupled with the numerous investment opportunities, the region is fast becoming the toast of investors who wish to invest in it.

In spite of the challenges in the region, the Regional Co-ordinating Council and Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the region in collaboration with other key stakeholders will continue to create the necessary conducive atmosphere for businesses to thrive and for people to go about their socio-economic activities,” he said.

AlhajiShaibu disclosed this in Accra yesterday when he took his turn at the bi-weekly Minister’s Briefing organised by the Ministry of Information.

He said there was much to be achieved for the Northern Region in view of the huge potentials at its disposal.

“In this regard, I wish to use this opportunity to call on investors to inject the necessary capital into the various sectors of our economy,” the Regional Minister emphasised.

Alhaji Saibu said the region was blessed with vast and fertile arable lands which when fully exploited had the potential to change the face of the region’s economy and contribute to attaining food security in the region as well as reduce poverty, unemployment, and rural-urban migration.  

Providing updates on developmental projects in the region, AlhajiShaibu said rehabilitation, partial reconstruction, and other civil works on 245.58km of roads were currently being undertaken in Tamale and other areas in the region by the Department of Urban Roads.

These works, he said, included asphalt overlays, rehabilitation works, and storm drain construction.

“A total of 45km of roads have had asphalt overlay in Tamale, while 9-km of Yendi town roads were done as part of these projects. Some of the areas in Tamale include: Sakasaka, Nyohini, Tamasco, while that of Yendi include: the Palace, Fire Service and Residency areas,” he emphasised.

In the area of health, he said a total of about 118 projects in the region had been undertaken so far with 82 of them completed and in use, representing 72 per cent of completed projects.

These projects, he noted, comprised of Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds, health centres and clinics, administration blocks for district health directorates and health institutions, maternity wards, accommodation for health workers as well as the supply of logistics to health facilities.

The Regional Minister also said work on all eight Agenda 111 project sites in the region were progressing steadily.

He said apart from these, the government had invested heavily in the area of education and would continue to ensure that it continued with the provision of quality education.