Make land available for govt’s one-district one-factory - Otumfuo

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has ordered all traditional rulers in Asanteman to make land available for the implementation of the government's One-District One-Factory initiative.

He was of the view that there ought to be land available to make it easy for the project to take off.

The Omanhene of Beposo Traditional Area, Nana Boamah Kwabi IV, made the disclosure at the inauguration of the Beposo Traditional Council. The initiation ceremony for the new council was performed by the Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mr Samuel Kofi Ahiave Dzamesi, at a colourful durbar of chiefs and people of Beposo

Nana Boamah Kwabi informed the minister that he had made a vast land available for the One-District One-Factory initiative and was only waiting for the government to kick-start the programme.

He said he was optimistic that many people in the traditional area were enthusiastic about the initiative by the government.

Otumfuo Opoku Ware II, the Asantehene, on February 12, 1996, elevated the Beposo Stool and 13 other divisional stools in the region to the status of a paramountcy.

Beposo thus becomes one of the 14 traditional councils in the Ashanti Region and recognised under L.I. 1946 of 2008.

At the inaugural ceremony, Mr Dzamesi advised members of the council to use their new capacity to unite the people for development.

He noted that the government’s assistance to any community would depend largely on how well the community was organised.

He said initiatives undertaken by many traditional councils had broken down due to unnecessary litigations and chieftaincy disputes and reminded the people that such negative tendencies always brought about disaffection and intolerance and denied the people assistance from the government.

Mr Dzamesi said he was contented that there was no chieftaincy dispute in the Beposo Traditional Area.

He said with the traditional council in place, it was time to also form a judicial committee to hear and adjudicate cases of litigation in the traditional area.

The Minister of Chieftaincy Affairs advised that chiefs who found themselves on the judiciary committee must be circumspect in decisions they take.

The District Chief Executive ( DCE) for the Sekyere Central District, Mr Kwadwo Banahene Bediako, gave an assurance that the assembly would rally behind the traditional council in its efforts to see the area develop.

He said the assembly would work to maintain its cordial relationship with the three paramountcies in the district.

The High Court Judge in Asante Mampong, Justice Francis Apangabuno Achibonga, who administered the oath of office to members of the traditional council, advised them to be fair and firm in their decisions.

He said failure to give sound judgement in any case brought before them would dent their credibility and the community would lose confidence in them.

Under such circumstance, he said, the judicial committee that would be formed would lose its legitimacy and respectability.

The Paramount Chief of the Bompata Traditional Area, Nana Effah Apenteng, was the chairman for the occasion. He urged the members of the traditional council to abide by the laws of the land and the customary laws of the traditional area at all times.

He reminded the council to be watchful and endeavour to file all case documents they received and to not take vested interest in cases brought before it.

“Sometimes personnel who file documents have interest in some of the cases and so condone and connive with interested parties, and this has serious implications for the credibility of the council,” he said.