Jostling Over Regional Capitals Unnecessary - Local Governance Expert

A local governance expert, Mr. Amon Kotei says fighting over regional capitals is unnecessary and that chiefs and people of the newly created regions should not get worried if they don’t receive their choice of regional capitals.

Speaking in an interview with Peace FM News, he explained the residents, chiefs and people of the newly created regions can fight for their own development in diverse ways rather than breaking necks for regional capitals.

" . . a regional capital may favor a group of persons, others can also benefit from the appointment of a regional minister and thus have the development balanced.

"There is no need to be fighting for a regional capital and so on. I believe the president in his consultation has provided the regional capitals well," he said.

The Chiefs and the people of the Nkoranza Traditional Area have raised red flags about what they deem as an orchestrated scheme to sideline them from participating in meetings before and after the referendum held for the creation of the Bono East Region, particularly on the siting of the regional capital.

Even though the chiefs and people of the Nkoranza Traditional Area have submitted a petition to the President with a copy to the Minister for Regional Reorganisation and Development, the minister has claimed that he has not received any petition from Nkoranza. The chiefs and the people of the Nkoranza Traditional Area consider the denial by the minister as ‘elimination by rough tactics’.

They said on many occasions, the Ministry of Regional Reorganisation and Development and the executive of the coalition for the creation of the region failed to invite the chiefs from the traditional area to attend meetings towards the creation of the region.

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has named Damango as the capital of the newly created Savannah Region.

The President made the announcement at a ceremony on Tuesday at the Jubilee House to present the Constitutional Instrument backing the creation of the region.

He said while the Savannah Region is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, it is ironically the least developed part of the Northern Region.

“Onus is now on the government to put into motion the processes for the rapid development of the Savannah Region,” he added.

Nalerigu has also been chosen as the capital of the North East Region, President Akufo-Addo noted during the presentation ceremony at the Jubilee House.

" . . Nalerigu has been chosen as the capital of the North East Region. I want to assure residents of the Region, however, that Government projects and structures will be equitablly spread across the Region," President Akufo-Addo said.

The three days exercise which started Tuesday with the Savannah and North East Regions will continue with Bono East and Ahafo regions Wednesday, 13th February, 2018.