Kwahu citizens lament over lack of development, no appointment in NPP govt

A group calling itself the Concerned Citizens of Kwahu is accusing the Akufo-Addo administration of bad faith in the provision of basic developmental projects for the people of Kwahu in the Eastern Region.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, the group criticized the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government for neglecting communities in the area despite the massive support enjoyed by the party in the area.

“The last NPP government did little to none for us here in Kwahu. The few times the President came here to solicit for our votes, he struggled to commission projects because there were none,” Convener of the group, Odame Agyare said.

The group maintains that facilities such as astroturf, good roads, running water systems, hospitals, etc. were non-existent in the area.

“Virtually nothing major happened under the last Akufo-Addo government in Kwahu. We are not considered when significant decisions are taken, and it is sad that despite our massive votes for the NPP they treat us with disdain.”

According to the group, some significant towns in Kwahu, namely Obo, Twenedurase, Abetifi, Pepease, Tafo, Ahinase, Akwasiho, etc. do not have access to potable drinking water with some resorting to drinking from streams which are also being used by animals.

Another project they say failed to materialize is the rehabilitation of the Nkawkaw Sports Stadium as well as lack of jobs for the youth, leading to rural-urban migration.

No person from Kwahu appointed into government

The group also accused the Akufo-Addo administration of bad faith in appointments of persons into his government.

According to the Concerned Citizens of Kwahu, President Akufo-Addo has acted contrary to assurances he gave them in the run-up to the 2020 general elections where the people of Kwahu were promised major roles in his next government.

This assurance, he added, inspired them to vote massively for the party.

“In the lead up to the elections, many including the President visited us in Kwahu with a promise of Kwahus featuring prominently in the second term of the Akufo Addo-Bawumia led government,” Mr. Agyare said.

“This assurance encouraged Kwahus all across the country to register and vote massively for the NPP because we were confident that a Kwahu would be around the table when the development and policy decisions were being taken at the cabinet.”

This, the concerned citizens of Kwahu noted, smacks of bad faith and downplayed any benefits the appointment of one of their own and Member of Parliament (MP) for Mpraeso, Seth Acheampong as Eastern Regional Minister-Designate, would bring to them.

“Once again, the Akufo Addo-led NPP has taken Kwahus for granted and thrown the 'no impact' regional minister portfolio at us, as if that's the only designation that befits us,” they whined bitterly.

They catalogued several prominent individuals from Kwahu in previous administrations and the effective role they played in nation-building.

They include Mike Acheampong who served as Agric Minister and Col. Osei Wusu who served as Interior and later Health Minister under Jerry John Rawlings, Aggrey Ntim and Asiedu Afram as Communications Minister and Trade Minister respectively under the Kufuor leadership while H.E. Prof Mills and John Mahama also appointed Dr Edward Omane Boamah as Minister for communications and Julius Debrah as Chief of Staff.

Though President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo appointed Bryan Acheampong, a Kwahu indigene as minister of state during his first tenure, the group said it protested against the appointment because it was “not a substantive position.”

According to them, its allegiance to the NPP is unquestionable as its ‘businessmen and women’ continue to fund the NPP with the people also voting massively for the party.

The group which is threatening to abandon the NPP said: “Now it is clear Kwahus do not matter in this NPP governments despite our unalloyed loyalty to the party, and perhaps it is time to ignore the elephant and look elsewhere!”