President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has presented the Constitutional Instrument (C.I. 113) to give legal backing to the newly created Bono East Region where he announced Techiman as the regional.
In a ceremony held at the Jubilee House February 13, 2019, the President also named Evans Opoku-Bobie, Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister as the caretaker Minister for the Bono East Region until a substantive Minister is appointed.
He assured residents of the new region that government projects would be equitably and fairly distributed across the entire Bono East Region adding that “this Government, which facilitated the creation of this region, in compliance with the provisions of the Constitution, will help ensure the smooth take-off and development of Bono East.”
“The creation of the six new regions presents us with the opportunity to serve better the needs of people from these new regions through the effective and efficient reorganization and distribution of our public services and infrastructure,” the President stressed.
President Akufo-Addo noted that Bono East, an enclave which is ethnically diverse, representing about two-thirds of the entire land mass of the Brong Ahafo Region, and whose predominant economic activity is agriculture, Bono East, with significant deposits of natural resources, is not as developed as it should be.
That is why, according to the President, after receiving a petition from 14 chiefs from traditional areas within the municipalities and districts of the proposed Bono East Region for the creation of the region, he referred it to the Council of State for its advice.
It will be recalled that, on 15th August 2017, the Council advised that a Commission of Inquiry be established to determine whether or not there was a need and substantial demand for the creation of the proposed Bono East Region.
The 9-member Brobbey Commission established that, indeed, there was a need and a substantial demand for the creation of the Region, and when the time came for the constitutional threshold to be met in the 27th December, 2018, referendum, 99.5%, out of the 85.82% of the electorate who turned out to vote, voted YES.
To this end, he indicated that he had, within a week of the declaration of the results of the referendum, constituted a 7-member Government Committee to plan and oversee the rapid development of Bono East.
“In the President’s 2019 Budget Statement, an amount of GH¢20 million has been allocated as seed capital for Bono East to help in the establishment of the needed infrastructure for the smooth take-off of the Region, he added.
The Bono East Region of Ghana was carved out of the existing Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana.
Nkoranza youth demonstrate against Techiman as Bono East Capital
Prior to the President’s announcement, some youth and Chiefs of Nkoranza on Monday, February 11, 2019, hit the streets to protest against government’s intent to force Techiman on them as the capital for the Bono East Region.
The youth were displeased with government for snubbing their several petitions requesting that Nkoranza is made the capital of the Bono East Region.
They further reminded President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to ensure that promises made to them in relation to the selection of the capital prior to the referendum that birthed the Bono East Region are fulfilled.
By: Kekeli Kuatsenu/awakenewsonline.com
