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Community engagement crucial to closing witches’ camps – NER Minister-designate

The Minis­ter-designate for the North East Region (NER), Tia Ibrahim, has stated that he will adopt a cautious and strategic ap­proach to closing witches’ camps in the region to ensure the safety and reintegration of women ac­cused of witchcraft into society.

Appearing before Parliament’s Appointments Committee yes­terday, he explained that while the ultimate goal was to abolish the camps, it must be done with careful community engagement to avoid putting the lives of the accused women at risk.

“This is a very sensitive matter that must not be rushed. I care more about the safety of these women, so my approach will begin with engaging the commu­nities to ensure they are ready to accept the reintegration of these accused women,” he said.

He said witches’ camps are “safe havens” for the women accused of witchcraft, and added that rushing to close them with­out community readiness could expose the women to harm.

He gave the assurance that his administration would prioritise dialogue and education to address the stigma associated with such accusations.

On education, the minis­ter-designate pledged to prioritise girl-child education in the region by collaborating with stakehold­ers such as the Camfed Ghana, an NGO focused on the promo­tion of the education of young girls, to ensure that no child was left behind due to gender.

He noted that efforts to promote education in the region would include the completion of abandoned school projects and focus on remote areas.

“As the saying goes, if you educate a boy, you educate an individual, but if you educate a girl, you educate a whole nation. We will not neglect boys, but our attention will be on empowering girls to realise their full poten­tial,” he said.

In the health sector, Mr Ibrahim assured the committee of plans to increase the number of Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds and expand clinics to improve access to healthcare.

He mentioned that good health is fundamental to the region’s development.

He also outlined plans to de­velop the region’s tourism sector, pledging to work with Members of Parliament in the area to improve tourist sites to attract visitors.

He noted that tourism had the potential to generate revenue and drive the development of the region.

 BY RAISSA SAMBOU

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