According to him, the division will also disintegrate the five ethnic groups in the region.

[contextly_sidebar id=”xYp63gD3VmXCFQLvSMVXiinnScEjUpbx”]President Akuffo-Addo, who first announced the party’s decision to divide the region into Western North and South during his campaign tour at Juaboso, pleaded for support from the chiefs and people of the region to make it a reality.

He made a similar call at the Western Regional House of Chiefs when he embarked on a ‘thank you tour’ after winning the December elections.

President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yawe Gyebi II, assured the President of the house’s commitment to support the split when a referendum is called in 2018.

But speaking to Citi News, the Paramount Chief of the Western Nzema Traditional Area, Awulae Annor Adjaye noted that, the belief by others that splitting the region is the sure way of bridging the development gap in the region, is not the best approach in solving the development deficit.

He said “I do not buy the idea of splitting the region to have a Western North and South. I do not buy it. There are other ways of improving the development agenda in other sectors of the region where development is not going on”.

“We should look at what constituencies or districts we are going to create there. How can we give them revenue for improvement? Will just creating these MMDAs without the financial support bring development in those areas? Who are we going to choose as district executives? In my view, I think the move to elect MMDCEs can be a way of fast-tracking the development we need rather than necessarily having a Western North or South region.”

Awulae Annor Adjei also noted that, the splitting of the region will disintegrate the ethnic groups rather than unite them.

“We are five ethnic groups, and I think that dividing us into different groups will not help us. We have the Nzemas, the Ahantas, the Wassa, and Wiawso. We are together now. Even as I speak, the one who is our [Western Regional House of Chiefs] president is from Sefwi Anwhiaso. This is the integration that some of us will prefer than diving us into two. The division for me is not a development agenda.”

He suggested a decision to rather look at bridging the transportation challenge between the North and South, and to have infrastructure that befits an oil region.

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By: Obrempong Yaw Ampofo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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