According to him, the country had similar opportunities now, as in the early sixties but the then government used those resources to establish factories and later some of those factories had to be closed down due to lack of cheap raw materials.

Mr Barimah noted that during the time of the First Republic, the country's neighbour, the Ivory Coast, used its resources to establish large plantations and now it had the necessary raw materials for the establishment of the necessary industries to develop the nation.

The Minister, who was speaking at a courtesy call on the Anum Tradtional Council at Anum on Wednesday, called on the chiefs to release land for the establishment of farms by interested persons.

The Asuogyaman District Chief Executive, Mr Emmanuel Ntow Bediako, appealed to the chiefs to educate their people to register with the District Health Insurance Scheme to enable them benefit from the facility.

He said government had now absorb all school fees and soon would be providing food to pupils and urged parents in the area to take advantage of the facilities being offered by government to enroll their wards in schools.

Mr Bediako warned that his office would take action against any parent, who would refuse to enroll their children of school going age in school.

The Paramount Chief of the Anum Traditional Area, Nana Appiah Kumi II, appealed to the Minister to help extend water from the township to the Anum Presbyterian Senior Secondary School and to provide additional 12-classroom block for the school to cater for the increase in the students' population.

He also called for the provision of a hostel for the Anum Vocational Training Institute to enable the institute to enrol students from other towns surrounding Anum.