Dan Botwe
THE MINISTER for Regional Reorganization and Development, Dan Kweku Botwe, has allayed the fears of chiefs and people of various communities in the newly created regions who are clamouring for regional capitals to be situated in their respective towns to be patient, since all infrastructural developments are not going to be done only in regional capitals but rather they will be distributed across all towns.
The minister gave the advice in Sunyani yesterday when he separately met chiefs from Ahafo and Bono East regions to formally invite them to a meeting with President Akufo-Addo in Accra on Wednesday when the President will formally sign a Constitutional Instrument (CI) to give effect to the new regions after the results of the referenda were gazetted by the Electoral Commission after 21 days. The President will afterwards hand over copies of the CI to the petitioners (chiefs) according to the minister.
Chiefs from Techiman, Atebubu, Nkoranza and Ntotroso (all in Bono East), including Goaso and Bechem (both in Ahafo), all attended the meeting which was held separately.
District and municipal chief executives from both areas including a Council of State member and a former MP for Techiman North, Prof Ameyaw Ekumfi, also attended the meeting.
Addressing them, Mr. Dan Kweku Botwe said unlike previously when infrastructural development such as offices of decentralised departments and agencies were located more especially in regional capitals alone, with the new regions, government is going to make sure offices of all decentralised departments are evenly distributed among towns and cities forming the new regions to ensure holistic development in all parts of the regions.
For his part, the Omanhene of Yeji Traditional Area, Pimmapim Yaw Kabresey, who is also the President of Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, said the clamouring for regional capitals is normal since it is part of democracy for people to express their views but it doesn’t necessarily mean their preferences are the ultimate; they would have to accept what government comes up with. He thanked the President and all people who worked tirelessly to create the new regions.
FROM Daniel Y Dayee, Sunyani