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16.08.2016 Feature Article

WREXIT - THE GHOST OF WESTERN-NORTH REGION - By Marricke Kofi Gane

WREXIT - THE GHOST OF WESTERN-NORTH REGION - By Marricke Kofi Gane
16.08.2016 LISTEN

According to NPP's Nana Akufo-Addo, creating the “Western-North” region is necessary because: (a) it holds a significant proportion of Ghana’s natural resources (b) the new region will ensure more equitable development of the region and (c) it will address the unwieldy size of the Western region.

Two out of the three arguments raised by the NPP are in themselves no self-sustaining justifications for the formation of a new region.

(a) Yes the region holds a significant proportion of Ghana’s natural resources. It reasonably should see more commensurate development than it has seen - it however does NOT justify any allusion that the Sefwiman area alone OWNs these natural resources. It belongs to Ghana just like the Akosombo dam that generates power from the Eastern region belongs to all Ghanaians or as the sea and air ports in Greater Accra region serve all Ghanaians. Any indication that the People of Sefwi must single handedly determine political decisions affecting all Ghana on this basis alone borders on national division.

(c) "that it will address the unwieldy size of the Western region." Well, the biggest regions in Ghana are Northern region, Brong Ahafo region, Ashanti region and Western region in that order. So in terms of land size, the Western region is the 4th largest and in terms of population as per the GSS latest estimates, it is 5th. In terms of cocoa, the Western is not the only region that produces cocoa and up until 1983 when pest issues set in, Ashanti region had consistently been the top cocoa producing region. So, NO!! Western region does not have an unwieldy size in terms of political administrative management.

That leaves us with only one real reason cited by the NPP flagbearer - "the new region will ensure more equitable development of the region"

Interestingly the Sefwiman Development Association (SMDA - the people of the Sefwi area themselves) have made crystal clear WHY they feel a regional formation is necessary. They say - "their development has been neglected for so long in spite of their comparative natural resource endowment"

I have worked and still do in International Development and without doubt the single biggest cause of any failure in development agenda is for Governments to do what they feel the people need and not really what the people say they need. The people of Sefwi have set what the ROOT and CORE cause for their agitations are - the development in their area mismatches the national wealth generated from their ground.

So let's ask the critical albeit simple questions here:

(1) Is regional development an agenda that can only be initiated by formation of a new region? If so, what then happens to the cut off tail of Western-North region that does not have as much natural resource?

(2) Assuming the split and formation of the Western-North does happen, will it's administration politically and fiscally not continue to be by the strings of central government? Or will this one region be given autonomous independence from central Government in order to manage and commercially deal it's own resources - and in response, will other regions, in order to survive economically be allowed to do the same? What exactly are we aiming for here - a war of regional endowments?

(3) The NPP has been in power before in different shapes - is it only after their last term in office that the Western region became substantially and disproportionately endowed with resources to the point of justifying a separation? A separation from what? To stand alone as what?

So then, let's assume even the answers to the questions I have posed give reason and cause - what does the constitution say in Article 5? Two hurdles need to be jumped: (a) a commission of enquiry needs to show the president that there's is a SUBSTANTIVE DEMAND for a region and (b) a referendum needs to be voted on by at least 50% of the PERSONS ENTITLED TO VOTE and once a vote is cast by them, the pass rate must be 80% in favor of the motion. And here are the areas of possible contentions:

(1) what will the SC interprete as "substantive demand?" as per the constitutional provision and

(2) who will be the "persons entitled to vote?" - all Ghanaians of voting age or just the people of the Western region? If it is the latter, surely that is a case of implied autonomy - how will that be interpreted by other regions?

HERE IS WHAT I THINK:
I certainly think this is a case of the NPP saying a "political yes" in order to woo votes. If indeed the people entitled to vote in such a referendum is the same category of persons entitled to vote in any general election, then effectively the cost benefit of carrying out a nationwide voting exercise just to split one region is unproductive and wasting especially so when such a cost can equally deliver at least part of the development they have so far been denied. Coupled with the cost of establishing new regional capital governance structures.

THE SOLUTIONS :
The solution is there: a quasi decentralised regional governance structure that gives each region a well spelt out list of what will fall under full decentralised authority and what will remain under central government in order to maintain equity - that process will require an extensive but central cordination between regions while also ensuring that each is intentionally leveraging its regional competitive advantage.

The alternative is to solve the equitable development problem by simply structuring out 2-3 similar development projects for each region over every 4 years, so none feels LEFT OUT in the distribution and ownership of tangible national developments.

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