Aflao gets municipality

President Akufo-Addo has stated that the chiefs and people of Aflao, who have been pushing for Aflao to be elevated to a municipality, have a strong case.

This was when the Paramount Chief of Aflao, Togbega Amenya Fiti V, called on the President at the Flagstaff House to make their case.

After listening to all the arguments, President Akufo-Addo admitted “I think the arguments that you’ve made are powerful.”

“One of the things we are having to work out is to create districts where there is no constituency. It’s just easier to go about it if there is a constituency that is carved out of Ketu South, that would make it very much easier,” he said.

That notwithstanding, he said, “I’ve done a lot of work on your behalf and the Minister for Local Government, Hajia Alima Mahama is waiting to have a meeting with you face-to-face; I don’t know whether today or any other time of your choosing but she is waiting in order for you to work out how we can bring this to being.”

In the end, he said “to me it makes a lot of sense and we can see what we can all do.”

Togo Impasse

Touching on the current political crisis in neighbouring Togo, which shares border with Ghana at Aflao, President Akufo-Addo said he was in talks with the President of Togo, Faure Gnassingbe and other political actors involved to resolve the impasse.

“I cannot be idle while these events are taking place,” the President said, adding that he had already met the Togolese President and other key actors on the matter.

Ten days ago, he said, the President of Togo visited him in Tamale while on a tour of the Northern Region where they had fruitful discussions on the way forward.

According to the President, his plea to the actors has fallen on sympathetic ears, stressing that he was optimistic calm would return to Togo.

Appeal

He urged Ghanaians to continue to pray for a peaceful resolution of the crises in Togo since any spillover could have negative effect on Ghana and for that matter Aflao.

The President also called on Togbega Fiti to support the government to ensure that criminals and other miscreants do not abuse the 24-hour opening of the Ghana-Togo border.

“Mobilise the population to act against syndicates and criminals who would want to use the border for smuggling activities,” President Akufo-Addo said.

Togbega Amenya Fiti expressed gratitude to the President for the decision to open the Aflao border 24 hours to facilitate the movement of goods and people.

He appealed to the President to help quicken the process of creating the Aflao Traditional Council and appealed to the government to construct a Nursing Training School in the area.

The paramount chief later presented a chair in the shape of an elephant, the symbol of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), to the President as gift.