Minister seeks Chiefs’ support for new Region

The Western Regional Minister, Dr Kweku Afriyie, has dispelled rumours going round in some parts of the region that the division of the Western Region into two would disintegrate the ethnic groups in the area.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Ado has committed himself and his government to the creation of a new region out of the vast Western Region, to be called Western-North Region.

Towards fulfilling this commitment, the president has indicated that by the time the next district assembly and unit committee elections are held in 2018, all the constitutional and legal procedures involved in the creation of the new region would have taken place.

It is expected that the Western-North Region will comprise Sefwi, Juaboso, Bodi, Bia and Bibiani.

Following the announcement about the creation of the new administrative region, some people in the area have started peddling falsehood that the splitting would disintegrate the five ethnic groups in the region rather than unite them.

However, the regional minister dismissed the rumours and pleaded for the support of the chiefs and people of the region to make the division a reality.

He explained that dividing the region is rather the surest way of bridging the development gap in the northern part of the Western Region.

Dr Afriyie stated this when he paid a courtesy call on the Omanhene of the Essikado Traditional Area, Nana Kobina Nketsiah V, at his palace on Friday to officially introduce himself to him.

The regional minister was accompanied by some staff of the Regional Coordinating Council and regional executives of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

He explained that the creation of the new region was long overdue, considering the fact that a significant proportion of Ghana’s natural resources, such gold and cocoa, as well as foodstuffs, are found in the area.

He underscored, “I will continue to call on the chiefs to ensure that the creation of the new region comes into fruition so that we can rapidly develop this region and improve the standards of living of the people.”

Nana Kobina Nketsiah described the new regional minister as a critical thinker and true son of the region, considering the fact that the minister’s late father was a chief’s linguist.

The Omanhene promised to give the regional minister the needed support to succeed.