Volta Region Or Voter Region??

Is there any region in Ghana apart from Volta Region which is constantly complaining of lack of development from successive governments?

If no, can we say that the media has over the years failed in highlighting the region for development to be carried out in the area by successive governments?

Apart from Volta Region in Ghana, no other region[s] out of the ten regions you will agree with me has ever complained of lack of development.

This has made the chiefs and the people in the region threatened to change their voting pattern come November 7, 2016 general elections.

Immediately President John Dramani Mahama visited the area four times and assured them of development ahead of the elections.

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo of the NPP also visited the area to remind them of numerous development projects NPP government took during its eight years in power urging them to return it to power to continue its development of the area.

Looking at the voting pattern of the chiefs and people in the region, some political activists have tagged the area “NDC WORLD BANK”, “NPP NO GO AREA”, “OPPOSITION NO GO AREA” and recently “VOTER REGION” and not “VOLTA REGION”.

VOLTA REGION OR VOTER REGION is a critical analysis of the region and how it will perform after the 2016 general elections.

In the month of April, 2016, stories about President John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress NDC and that of Nana Ado Dankwa Akufo Addo of the New Patriotic Party NPP grabbed the headlines of various Ghanaian news papers.

Most of the stories that made the headlines came from Volta Region the easterly region of Ghana where the NDC and NPP presidential candidates toured ahead of the November 7 general elections.

Their visits to the various parts of the region came after the chiefs and people have complained constantly of lack of development in the area and threatened to change their style of voting come November 7 election.

The NPP took advantage of the situation to catalogue its eight years development protects it took in the area when it was in government and urged the people to return it to power to continue it good works.

The NDC on the other hand used the opportunity to chastise the NPP for having done nothing to develop the area when it was in power therefore calling on the people to reject the NPP.

That entire aside, the question is there any region in Ghana which has complained more than other regions of lack of development from successive governments?

Right from Jerry John Rawlings who is the son of the land’s government, through President John Agyekum Kufuor, President John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills to President John Dramani Mahama, the chiefs and people of Volta region have not stopped complaining of lack of development in the region.

So it is not surprising to note that their complaints have become intense this year as the country heads for the decider come November 7, 2016.

All that the chiefs and the people are saying is that, politicians negotiate for their votes in return for development only to “fool” those [VOLTARIANS] after they have won elections.

The chiefs and people of Volta region in other words could be saying that for far too long politicians and non residents in the area have been allowed to choose their destiny for them which resulted in all that lack of development and not allowing it this time.

What has made the situation worse is that now the area is being tagged as VOTER REGION for NDC and not the VOLTA, EASTERLY REGION the constitution identifies the area and its citizens as Ewe’s or VOLTARIANS.

WHERE IS VOLTA REGION
Volta Region is the easterly region of Ghana and covers an area of extraordinary scenic beauty bordering Togo.

Its landscape of rolling hills and valleys, with rocky outcrops, lagoons, rivers and waterfalls, is one of nature’s most attractive gifts to Ghana.

Climatic conditions vary tremendously within the Volta Region, which stretches from the coastal plains on the Atlantic coast to the arid lands of the north.

Visitors can experience almost every tropical climate in West Africa as they travel from the coastal plains, fringed by sunny beaches and mangrove swamps, through the deciduous rain forests of the central belt- the location of mount Afadjato the arid savanna of northern Ghana.

RECREATION
The west of the region is dominated by the River Volta and Lake Volta. The lake is a popular recreational area as well as providing a major source of power and water for the region and a water high way to the north.

Visitors can enjoy a music cruise along the lake or ride the river in a canoe with a local fisherman. The beaches of the Volta estuary are among the best.

Tourism hotspots include the amazing Wli Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in Ghana, in the tropical forest near Hohoe. Equally spectacular are the nearby Tsatsadu Falls at Alavanyo and the Tagbo Falls at Liate Wote.

The Volta Region is renowned for its bright festivals and loud ceremonies. The people of Wli hold a unique festival to give thanks for the gift of water; while the Anlo people put on the illustrious Hogbetsotso festival [the name is derived from Ewe language and translated as festival of exodus].

Kente cloth, traditionally woven by members of the Ewe and Ashanti tribes, is one of Ghana’s most famous exports. Over 90 percent of the populations are Ewe, the largest ethnic group in the region.

The Ewe migrated from the north and their weaving villages can be found along the path of migration. Ewe kente cloth is distinguished by bold animal, human and symbolic patterns skillfully woven into bright cloth.

Both groups excel at weaving cloth fit for a king and originally kente was only worn by kings, chiefs and prominent people.

HERITAGE
Ho, the region’s capital, is an ideal place to learn about Ghana’s heritage. The ruins of Europe forts and other structures can still be seen, with unmistakable vestiges of the German colonial era.

The Volta Region is a lush, highland area full of spectacular natural attractions, sincerely visited coasts and beaches, clear rivers, botanical gardens and beautiful waterfalls.

Visitors can take a trip to the cities of Ho and Hohoe or take the opportunity to see mountains, monkey sanctuaries and kente weaving villages.

The Volta Region gives the visitor a chance to truly appreciate the magnificence of the Ghanaian way of life so why are the chiefs complaining of lack of development by successive governments?

Four years ago President John Dramani Mahama, appealed to the chiefs and people of Volta region to elect NDC parliamentarians to make his work easier.

Four years after the chiefs and people of the region have voted massively for the NDC are they seeing developments or not and what is the response of the government?

The Author Is A Former Eastern Regional News Reporter Of The Ghanaian Chronicle