Gov’t forms c’ttee to come out with development plan for new regions

President Akufo-Addo has set up a committee to assess the needs of the soon to be created new regions.

This follows the unanimous endorsements received in the December 2018 referenda in the six areas proposed to be carved out of the existing regions.

Addressing the media on Sunday, the Minister for Regional Development and Reorganization, Dan Botwe, said the government is set to give each of the six new regions ¢20m as seed money.

“That seed money, that is GH¢20 million is for each of the newly created regions to start setting up. Rent offices, get furniture and do new recruitments. The committee has been put in place to make sure that all these things happen so that there can be a smooth take-off. Mr. President has also put in place a committee to really come out with the development plans for these new regions because that was one of the major grievances they had,” he said.

Before processes are finalized for the new regions to be officially created,various towns in some of the areas earmarked for the new regions have begun jostling to be capitals.

In the Bono East area, residents are campaigning to have Techiman named the regional capital.

In the Savannah area, some groups are pushing for Damongo to be made the regional capital, while others are also pushing for Salaga to be chosen as the capital.

In the Ahafo area, four towns; Goaso, Duayaw-Nkwanta, Bechem and Kenyasi are competing to be named as the regional capital.

Reports suggest that either Bechem or Goaso will end up being named regional capital.

In the Oti area, there is an intense campaign by the chiefs and people of Buem to have Jasikan named the regional capital for the newly created Oti region.

But a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), Kwesi Jonah, has said that only towns with substantial infrastructure already in place should be considered as the capitals of the newly created regions.

Source: citinewsroom