The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie with other officials
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ho Central, Richmond Edem Kofi Kpotosu, has clarified that no Legislative Instrument (L.I.) has been passed to upgrade the Ho Municipal Assembly to metropolitan status, cautioning that recent public pronouncements on the matter amount to “optical shows” rather than genuine progress.
Addressing journalists after the Ho Municipal Assembly’s General Assembly Meeting, Mr. Kpotosu explained that the critical parliamentary requirement for the elevation a Legislative Instrument has not yet been laid before Parliament.
“By the grace of God, when we resume for our third session of the Ninth Parliament, the L.I. will be laid for the mandatory 21 days before we can officially say that Ho has been elevated to a metropolitan assembly. Only then can we establish sub-metros,” he pointed out.
The MP underscored that upgrading Ho to metropolitan status is vital to accelerating socio-economic development, particularly in fishing, urban infrastructure, and other key sectors. However, he expressed concern that despite discussions across four consecutive parliaments, no concrete legislative action has been taken.
“Everything done so far is just optics. You can have the optical shows and say anything, but the reality will always expose you,” Mr. Kpotosu stressed, urging stakeholders to avoid misleading the public with premature declarations.
The clarification comes amid growing public interest in granting Ho metropolitan status, a move expected to provide greater administrative autonomy and attract more development opportunities to the Volta Region’s capital.
FROM Daniel K. Orlando, Ho