Dan Kwaku Botwe
THE Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Dan Kwaku Botwe, has rubbished former President John Mahama claims that President Akufo-Addo has abandoned the new regions without constructing infrastructure to develop them.
The minister also debunked assertions by a section of the public that very few development projects were taking place in the newly created regions.
The 2020 Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, on his ‘’Thank You, Tour’’ to the North East region said: “You cannot just create regions in the name. The regions must be worthy of being called regions. And it is the infrastructure that makes a region.”
According to the former President “If you go to Tamale, you will know that this is the Northern Region. If you go to Bolga you will know that this is the Upper East Region. If you come to Nalerigu, it is a shadow of a region”.
The former President who called on President Nana Akufo-Addo to address the developmental gaps of the newly created region added that “we don’t only need the regional boundaries to be re-drawn; we need regional infrastructure so that when you come you will say yes, this is the North East Region.”
He indicated that he is not happy about some NDC-initiated projects in the region, which he said had been abandoned by the Akufo-Addo government.
“I went and greeted the Nayiri and before that, the Gambagarana and Gambaga Imam, and the common refrain is that when is this government going to continue the projects that were left-off by the NDC administration,” he said.
In reaction, Mr. Botwe, noted that the government is undertaking massive infrastructural development in all the six newly created regions
Dan Botwe explained that there were 96 projects ongoing while some had been completed and inaugurated, adding that these projects, included six regional administration blocks under construction, with one completed; 24 two-storey blocks for decentralized agencies, with three, completed and one inaugurated while 66 bungalows were being constructed.
He said twelve of those bungalows have been completed and five of them inaugurated, adding that this is the evidence of the unprecedented infrastructural development ongoing in the regions.
He noted that 70 percent of all the projects had been completed and they were all expected to be fully completed and delivered by December this year.
Mr. Botwe added that in May 2019, President Akufo-Addo presented 48 cross-country vehicles (eight vehicles per region) and 30 motorbikes (five motorbikes per region) to the newly established RCCs to ensure smooth operations in their respective regions.
The Minister pointed out that some of the ongoing projects included Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) offices, offices for various departments and agencies, staff bungalows, and road construction across the newly created regions.
BY Daniel Bampoe