Western Regional Minister Joseph Nelson has called for stronger collaboration among government, traditional authorities, the private sector, financial institutions and development partners to accelerate sustainable development and create decent jobs in the Western region.
According to him, no single institution can address the region’s development challenges working in isolation, making strategic partnerships essential to tackling unemployment, skills gaps, inadequate infrastructure, environmental degradation and limited access to finance.
Mr. Nelson made the call while speaking at the 2026 Axim Kundum Festival, organised under the theme “Creating Partnerships for Sustainable Development and Jobs.”
He described the theme as timely and strategic, saying it should move stakeholders beyond the celebration of culture to a broader conversation about how the region’s resources, institutions and relationships could be transformed into sustainable economic opportunities, particularly for the youth.
“Kundum is much more than a festival. It is a living expression of our history, identity and cultural heritage. It is a time of thanksgiving, harvest, purification and renewal,” he said.
The Minister said the Western Region’s rich natural resources—including agricultural lands, forests, minerals, oil and gas—must translate into tangible benefits for residents.
He stressed the need for a development model that promotes local value addition, arguing that communities should not remain mere producers of raw materials while economic value is created elsewhere.
He encouraged stakeholders to develop partnerships that would support the processing, packaging, branding and marketing of agricultural products produced by local communities.
In the mining and extractive sectors, Mr. Nelson called for stronger local participation through employment, skills development, enterprise opportunities and responsible corporate citizenship.
He also urged stakeholders in the tourism sector to ensure that local businesses, including transport operators, tour guides, restaurants, artisans, farmers and accommodation providers, benefit meaningfully from the tourism value chain.
“This is what sustainable development means: creating an economy in which value is retained within our communities and opportunities are continuously reproduced,” he said.
The Western Regional Minister placed youth employment at the centre of the region’s development agenda, stressing that young people should be regarded not merely as beneficiaries but as partners and drivers of development.
He called for partnerships that would provide young people with relevant technical and vocational skills, entrepreneurship training, access to finance, mentorship and markets.
Mr. Nelson also appealed to companies operating in the Western Region to move beyond traditional corporate donations and invest in initiatives that build sustainable local enterprises and human capacity.
He encouraged businesses to collaborate with traditional authorities, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, training institutions and youth organisations to create practical pathways from skills development to employment and from entrepreneurship to enterprise growth.
Mr. Nelson further stressed the importance of peace and stability to the region’s economic development.
He said traditional authorities had an important role to play in mobilising communities, protecting the environment, promoting education, supporting investment and maintaining a peaceful environment for businesses to operate.
“Where there is peace, investors have confidence. Where investors have confidence, businesses grow. Where businesses grow, employment opportunities increase,” he said.
He appealed to traditional leaders to make dialogue the first response to disputes involving boundaries, succession, customary practices, traditional jurisdictions and other matters.
According to him, disagreements among traditional authorities should not be allowed to spill over into conflict among ordinary citizens or undermine the peace and development of communities.
The Minister also called for greater protection of the region’s natural resources, warning that economic growth should not come at the expense of the environment.
He advocated responsible mining, sustainable agriculture, responsible fishing, proper waste management and stronger environmental stewardship to protect forests, rivers, wetlands and the coastline.
“Our generation has a responsibility to ensure that when we hand over this land to the next generation, we hand over opportunities, not environmental liabilities,” he said.
Mr. Nelson urged Corporate Ghana and development partners to deepen their investments in the Western Region through initiatives that support local businesses, strengthen supply chains, develop skills, promote technology transfer and create sustainable employment.
He called for a shift from conventional corporate social responsibility towards corporate shared value, where business success is directly connected to the development of the communities in which companies operate.
He further called for stronger collaboration among the Western Regional Coordinating Council, MMDAs, traditional authorities, private sector organisations, financial institutions, academia and development partners to identify viable sectors, mobilise investment and implement projects with measurable economic and social impact.
Mr. Nelson said government had a responsibility to create the enabling environment, while traditional authorities, the private sector, financial institutions, educational institutions, development partners and young people must each play their part in building a prosperous region.
He urged the people of Axim and the wider Nzema community to use the 2026 Kundum celebration as an opportunity to renew their commitment to peace, partnership, investment and inclusive development.
“Let us build partnerships that create businesses, let us build partnerships that develop skills, let us build partnerships that protect our environment, and let us build partnerships that attract investment. Above all, let us build partnerships that create sustainable jobs and dignified livelihoods for our people,” he said.
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