Government can't impose creation of new regions on citizens

Dan Kwaku Botwe, the Minister of Regional Reorganization and Development, said government cannot impose the creation of new regions on the citizenry.

"No government can give a fiat for the creation of new regions. It is not something we can just give out. It is the decision of the people with strict constitutional provisions," he stated.

Mr Botwe who was addressing a sensitization workshop for media practitioners and staff of the Information Services Department and the National Commission on Civic Education on the creation of new regions in the country said government was only facilitating the processes because it received petitions.

"You can't stop people from presenting petitions and the fact that they presented petitions did not mean they will have new regions, the processes are well defined in the Constitution," he said.

Mr Botwe added that the exercise was demand driven, based on provisions in article 5(6) of the 1992 Constitution and that government was not "campaigning" to create new regions.

He said government received six petitions, one each from Western and Volta regions, two from the Bring Ahafo and two from Northern region, all being worked on by the Commission on Inquiry.

The Minister said the exercise was therefore not simply fulfillment of manifesto promises but response to the needs and demands of the people and called for support of all.

Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa, the Volta Regional Minister said the exercise had no political agenda and asked the participants to eschew prejudices and counter misinformation and propaganda with the truth.

The Commission of Inquiry is scheduled to hold four public hearings in the Region in line with the petition for the creation of a new region. The Volta Region has a land area of 20, 570 square kilometres with a Statistical Service's May 2017 population projection of 2,491,293.