Ogyeahoho Nana Yaw Gyebi II (right), the President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs; Katakyie Kwasi Bumangama II, the Paramount Chief of Sefwi Wiawso Traditional Area, and Tetrete Okuamoah Sekyim, the Paramount Chief of Wasa Akropong Traditional Area, on their way to the Wiawso palace

Chiefs, people of Western Region support creation of new region

Daily Graphic Jun - 23 - 2017 , 06:00 2 minutes read

The chiefs and people in seven traditional areas in the Western Region have lent their support to the decision by the government to create a new region out of that region.

The traditional areas are Anwhiaso, Bekwai, Chirano, Aowin-Enchi, Amenfi, Suaman-Dadieso and Sefwi-Wiawso.

In all these places, the chiefs and the people overwhelmingly endorsed the proposal.

The creation of new regions in the country is not a new phenomenon.

In 1987, the government of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) inaugurated the Upper West Region as the newest administrative region decidedly to ensure rapid development of the country.

During last year’s general election, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who was then the presidential candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), promised to create new regions in the Western and Volta regions to ensure equitable development.

Addressing the chiefs and people in separate programmes to seek their views on government’s decision, the President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, said the proposal to create a new region in the Western Region was a laudable idea since the northern part of the region was behind in terms of infrastructural development.

“When the decision is implemented, development would get to every part of the region,” he said.

He said the Minister for Regional Re-organisation, Mr Dan Botwe, and an entourage had visited the northern parts of the region and interacted with the chiefs on the creation of a new region.

Ogyeahoho Gyebi urged the people to give their maximum support to processes leading to creation of the new region to be decided through a referendum.

The Paramount Chief of Sefwi Wiawso, Katakyie Kwasi Bumagama, said the creation of a new region in the north of the Western Region would reduce the drudgery of getting to Takoradi, the regional capital, to transact business.

For his part, the Paramount Chief of Amenfi, Tetrete Okuamoah Sekyim, said because of the bad nature of roads in the northern parts of the region, it took about five to eight hours to get to the regional capital.

“Those of us in the northern parts of the Western Region are far behind in infrastructure development in spite of the gold, timber, bauxite and cocoa that the areas can boast of,” he said.