The public hearing from 6^th to 12^th February 2018, will only be to discuss the petition for the creation of a new region in the Bono East area. The petition for the creation of a new region in the Ahafo area will be discussed at the public hearings from 13th to 17th February 2018.

Persons who wish to appear before the Commission may do so at the venues and times indicated above.

[contextly_sidebar id=”7p4aGmfPaRgBGjGi74A4QddoHQeUgiXf”]The Akufo-Addo administration advanced plans to create three new regions with the inauguration of a nine-member Commission of Enquiry in 2017, to collate views that will lead to carving out new regions from existing ones.

President Nana Akufo-Addo inaugurated the commission which is chaired by retired Supreme Court Justice, Stephen Allan Brobbey.

The Commission is expected to conduct consultative sessions leading to referenda for the creation of the regions.

The attempts to create new regions are in fulfillment of the New Patriotic Party’s campaign promise to carve new regions out of the Brong Ahafo, Western, Northern and Volta Regions.

The minister-nominee for Regional reorganization Dan Botwe, has said the creation of new regions will enhance economic opportunities as well as promote effective governance.

According to him, the creation of new regions by the New Patriotic Party government is not for political advantage, but it is to help ensure even distribution of development across the country.

But there appears to be mixed feelings from inhabitants of the Volta Region on the proposed creation of a new region out of the Volta Region, after the Commission overseeing the processes began its public hearings in Ho.

The Paramount Chief of Gbi Traditional State in the Hohoe Municipality of the Volta Region, Togbega Gabusu VI, has asked that the creation of a new region out of the existing Volta Region, should not affect the current boundaries of the Hohoe Municipality.

The Hohoe Municipality consists of nine traditional areas with Togbega Gabusu VI presiding over the Gbi State. There are indications that four of the traditional areas including Lolobi, Santro Kofi, Likpe and Akpafu, who are mostly Guans, wish to join the proposed new region.

Togbega Gabusu advised that attempts to take any of the traditional areas from the jurisdiction might not inure to the benefit and the development of the Hohoe Municipality.

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By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The suit follows an initial letter sent to the Commission of Enquiry expressing reservations about the schedule of meetings in the region with regards to the proposed Oti region.

[contextly_sidebar id=”izGiTBaBvKzoyPIwtZfKNPaF75ETLyTV”]The chief is seeking the following reliefs in his suit:

• A declaration that the decision to hold public hearings into the creation of the new region in the Volta Region only in the Northern part save for Ho, the regional capital infringes applicants’ fundamental human rights  guaranteed under the constitution, 1992.
• A declaration that the exercise of second respondents’ discretion in selecting only venues in the North, save for Ho, the regional capital is arbitrary, bereft of candor and unreasonable, given the Commission’s terms of reference in clear violation of Article 296 of the 1992 constitution.
• An order compelling the respondents herein to extend to the South of the Volta Region, public hearings into the matter of the creation of the new region in the Volta Region.

‘Southern views important’

A petition was earlier submitted to the Commission of Enquiry requesting that the hearings in the Volta Region be expanded beyond the northern part of the region to cover areas in the south as well.

The lawyer for the seven petitioners, Albert Quashigah, told Citi News that his clients had decided to petition the Commission because they felt that persons who lived in the southern part of the region were being discriminated against in the process.

According to them, the decision to select venues for the hearings which were predominantly based in the north, constitutes an exclusion of the people in the south, despite the fact that a regional split would affect the entire region.

“About five venues have been chosen. My clients became alarmed because if you look at the distribution of the venues for the hearing, you would find that they are basically concentrated in the northern part of the Volta Region,” he said.

“These public hearings are for the Volta Region. The region is a mass expansion of land from the south to the north, and the eventual creation of the region would affect the entire region. So if you want to do a public hearing on a matter as sensitive as this, you don’t create the impression that only those who live in the areas involved in the split will be considered.”

‘Most appropriate venues’

In their response to the concerns raised, the Commission said given the fact that the petition had been received for the creation of a new region from the northern part of the Volta Region, it was imperative that it visits the parts earmarked for the split to determine whether the action is viable.

In a  letter to the petitioners signed by its Secretary, Jacob Saah, the Commission said the venues chosen for the hearings were the “most appropriate” to ensure the ultimate success of its work in the region.

“The Commission is of the considered opinion that the venues for the public hearings, published in the Daily Graphic of January 8, 2018, are the most appropriate if the objectives of the mission to the Volta Region are to be achieved. The Commission’s visit has been necessitated by a petition from the Chiefs and people of the northern part of the Volta Region demanding the creation of a new region,” the letter said.

“The facts and issues raised in the petition can only be verified in that part of the country. The Commission therefore has a duty to visit the northern part of the Volta Region to observe things at first hand, and interact with its people directly. The Commission is aware that the Chiefs and people of other parts of the Volta Region also desire for their opinions to be heard on the matter at hand.”

President Nana Addo set up a Commission of Enquiry  in 2017 to collate the views of various stakeholders and residents on the creation of new regions.

The Commission, upon assumption of office toured the Volta, Western, Northern and the Brong Ahafo Regions, to solicit the views of residents on the creation of the new regions.

A retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Brobbey, led the committee of 8 members to undertake the consultation process.

The Commission has also engaged chiefs and opinion leaders from the Western, Volta Northern and the Brong Ahafo Regions during its consultations.

Government is seeking to split the Northern, Western, Volta and the Brong-Ahafo Regions. However, some analysts, including chiefs have expressed their reservations about the move, arguing that it is merely for political advantage.

But the Minister of Regional Re-organisation, Dan Botwe, has dispelled such claims, saying the new regions would create economic opportunities for all.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

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The Nine Member Commission chaired by Justice Alan Stephen Brobbey, ended its in-camera hearings on the creation of the new regions on Tuesday.

[contextly_sidebar id=”kkSIe2gSAwAMgd8351yLEXzgt8WmQc0g”]Speaking to the media, Dan Botwe said he is hopeful that the Commission will break for Christmas and resume in January 2018.

“In the C.I., the president gave the Commission of Inquiry six months to work and they started in October. I know that per their programme this year, they are going to Western Region and that is from 11^th to 16^th December, and then they will break for the Christmas. Then they will resume in January. So from January they have to go to the rest of the three regions and they should be able to finish and write their report by the end of the six months deadline,” he added.

He explained that after the Commission’s work, the Electoral Commission (EC) is expected to conduct a referendum for the acceptance or rejection of the new regions.

About Justice Brobbey’s Commission of Inquiry

The Commission was tasked by the President to produce a report on its work, and present recommendations which will subsequently be handed over to the Electoral Commission.

The Commission, upon assumption of office, toured the Volta, Western, Northern and the Brong Ahafo Regions, to solicit the views of residents on the creation of the new regions.

A retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Brobbey, led the committee of 8 other members to undertake the consultation process.

It has over the past few days also engaged chiefs and opinion leaders from the Western, Volta Northern and the Brong Ahafo Regions.

The Electoral Commission is expected to organize a referendum for the creation of the new regions following final recommendations from the commission.

If 50% of persons living within the proposed areas endorse the proposal, the process of creating the new regions will then be implemented.

The creation of new regions was one of President Nana Addo’s several campaign promises in the run-up to the election in 2016.

Government is seeking to split the Northern, Western, Volta and the Brong-Ahafo Regions. However, some analysts have said the move is merely for political advantage.

But the Minister for Regional Reorganization, Dan Botwe, has dispelled such claims, saying it would instead enhance the economic opportunities as well as promote effective governance in such areas.

Once the in-camera hearing of petitions has ended, the Commission will move into the regions to hold public hearings. That process is expected to begin this month from the Western Region.

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By: Caleb Kudah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Commission on new regions will meet 6-month deadline – Dan Botwe appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Chairman of the nine-member Commission, Justice Alan Steven Brobbey, made this revelation today [Tuesday], when he was addressing petitioners, saying “Today, the commission brings this consultation to an end. This hearing has been organized for those who have already petitioned the President for creation of regions.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”ASxnlPgmGx8M54cZqPsDbrR06NWa6wu8″]The Commission was tasked by the President to produce a report on its work, and present recommendations which will subsequently be handed over to the Electoral Commission.

The Commission, upon assumption of office, therefore toured the Volta, Western, Northern and the Brong Ahafo Regions, to solicit the views of residents on the creation of the new regions.

A retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Brobbey, led the committee of 8 members to undertake the consultation process.

It has over the past few days also engaged chiefs and opinion leaders from the Western, Volta Northern and the Brong Ahafo Regions.

The Commission’s recommendations will subsequently be handed over to the Electoral Commission to organize a referendum within the various regions out of which the new ones are to be carved out.

If 50% of persons living within the proposed areas endorse the proposal, the process of creating the new regions will then be implemented.

The creation of new regions was one of President Nana Addo’s several campaign promises in the run up to the election in 2016.

Government is seeking to split the Northern, Western, Volta and the Brong-Ahafo Regions. However, some analysts have said the move is merely for political advantage.

But the Minister for Regional Reorganization, Dan Botwe, has dispelled such claims, saying it would instead enhance the economic opportunities as well as promote effective governance in such areas.

Once this in-camera hearing  of petitions ends, the Commission will move into the regions to hold public hearings. That process is expected to begin this month from the Western Region.

–

By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post In-camera hearing by Commission of inquiry on new regions ends appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The commission is to tour the Northern, Western, Brong Ahafo and Volta Regions, which are earmarked for the additional regions, as stated in the governing New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) 2016 campaign manifesto.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo brought this to the fore when he addressed the chiefs and people of Mamprugu land at the Nayiri’s palace in Nalerigu, beginning his three-day official tour of the Northern Region.

He said the commission’s recommendations will be handed over to the Electoral Commission to organize a referendum required to secure 50% endorsement of citizens of the proposed areas under consideration.

He asked for the strong support of the Nayiri, and the nation’s traditional rulers, to facilitate the creation of new regions which the Council of State has approved awaiting constitutional requirements satisfaction.

The President’s disclosure was in response to the overlord of Mamprugu traditional area, The Nayiri Mahami Bohigu Sheriga’s renewed call for the area to be carved out of the Northern Region.

“I am in full support of your demand, and I believe your demand for a new region is a good one, and I will support it. So if you want  it, you will have it,” President Nana Addo underscored.”

“If you are determined to have a new region, it is in your hands. The way you respond to the commission of inquiry, and also how you vote if by the grace of God the commission of inquiry recommends a referendum, that is what will decide whether or not you deserve a new region.”

“The Council of State received my request for their advice and they were positive. They agreed that there was the demand for the creation of regions in Western, Northern, Brong Ahafo and Volta Regions.”

“The referendum will require that 50% of all those who are registered in the area of the demand come out to vote and after that, 80% of the voters must say yes.”

“…Because of this very strict condition, it has never been done before in the life of the fourth Republic, this is the first time that the procedure has been initiated.”

The Nayiri in his welcome address posited that, giving the area a regional status could offload the myriad of chieftaincy disputes pending at the Northern Regional House of Chiefs, of which he is the incumbent President.

The Nayiri appealed to government to establish two more health facilities at Mamprugu Moagduri and the Bunkprugu/Yunyoo district.

He further decried the deplorable road network in Mamprugu which he said requires rapid attention.

He said several communities within his jurisdiction lacked electricity, and therefore called for the construction of a sub power station in Nalerigu to feed the deprived communities.

The Nayiri emphasized that, government should get investors to explore the large deposit of lime in the area.

He lauded the planting for food and jobs, free Senior High School and the fertilizer subsidy programmes.

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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Nana Addo to unveil commission of inquiry for new regions appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, announced this after a meeting with the Regional Security Council, religious leaders and the Ga Traditional Council.

The meeting, among others, recommended that during the period of the ban, the usual form of worship in churches should be confined to their premises and noise levels minimized to the prescribed decibels.

Mr. Afotey Agbo however, appealed to the Christian community and the traditional authorities to respect each other and restrain their followers from making derogatory statements about the beliefs and practices of one another’s religion.

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA also urged churches operating within its jurisdiction to respect the ban on noise making and drumming in order to avoid confrontation with the Ga traditional authorities.

The ban on drumming and noise making ushers in the celebration of Homowo by the Gas.

The ban will be lifted on June 12, 2014.

Source: GNA

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