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Creation Of Western North Region Not Guarantee For Development---Chief

By CitiFMonline
Politics Creation Of Western North Region Not Guarantee For Development---Chief
DEC 13, 2017 LISTEN

The Paramount Chief of the Western Nzema Traditional Area, Awulae Annor Adjaye II, has said that the anticipated development after the present day Western Region is split, is not certain, as many other factors account for accelerated development in any area.

The nine-member Commission of Enquiry tasked to consult on the proposed creation of new regions in the country, has taken their consultative exercise to the Western Region after an in-camera hearing in Accra, where opinion leaders were given the opportunity to explain their petitions.

The Commission, led by retired Supreme Court Judge, Justice Stephen Allan Brobbey, is to seek the views of opinion leaders and other stakeholders in the Western Region on whether or not they are for the proposed split.

Speaking to Citi News after a session, Awulae Annor Adjaye III said if there is no coordinated effort at developing the region, the hope of development will only be a mirage.

He explained that “this is a probability, and it is because to develop, there are so many factors. The input itself or the people who are handling development at the helm of affairs, and then you also talk about the support the people in the area will also receive or give. These are all probability”.

He reiterated an earlier position that he does not support the split, explaining that, “the fact that there is no development in the region and people think when the area is demarcated as a region there will be development is problematic. That is just one aspect of the coin. The important thing is the responsiveness to the points we have raised, and the people who will be handling the development agenda. As to whether they will put in their effort and capability and what support they will receive from the people is another matter”.

Meanwhile, the Vice President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs, Awulae Amihere Kpanyili III, who is also the Paramount Chief of the Eastern Nzema Traditional Area, maintains that “the possibility is high. If not, what is the alternative to development or supporting the northern part of the Western Region? We do not have any better one. So until we have something different, we cannot condemn what we are doing”.

He continued that “we need to be practical with ourselves. But of course, people will say the district assembly will be the one to carry out development. It is true, but perhaps a region will be a boost”.

The Upper East and West Regions in Ghana were split in the 1980s, but development in the two regions leaves much to be desired.

However, Awulae Kpanyili III believes that should not be a case for a halt in the process, but rather, it should encourage the Commission of Enquiry to do more to help avoid those challenges.

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