Bono Region in retrospect: Region witnessed sweet, bitter incidents, events in 2024

The Bono Region, with 12 municipal and district administrative areas, witnessed sweet and bitter incidents in 2024.

While the bitter incidents brought heartbreaking and emotional moments in the lives of the chiefs and people of the region, the sweet experiences brought them joy and excitement.

The sorrowful events in the year 2024 consisted of murder, accidents, armed robbery and fire outbreaks, while the exciting events were the inauguration of life-changing projects and historic events such as the unveiling of the first-ever Bono-Twi dialect New Testament Bible.

Burial rites of Sunyanimanhene

Undoubtedly, one of the top events in the year under review was the seven-day burial rites (Doteyie) of the late Sunyanimanhene, Nana Bosoma Asor Nkrawiri II, who died in July 2022.

The event brought together thousands of people, including the then Flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, and former Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to bid farewell to Nana Asor Nkrawiri II.

Tradition was at its best as the chiefs and mourners, clad in black and red clothes, lined up on the principal street of the town amid the firing of muskets, drumming and cultural displays.

Businesses, including schools in the Sunyani Municipality, were closed down, following a directive by the Sunyani Traditional Council, to honour the late chief, who was laid in state for sympathisers to show their last respect, ahead of his burial.

Accidents

On August 29, five persons were confirmed dead after a tricycle [rickshaw], popularly known as "Pragya", collided head-on with a Toyota RAV4 vehicle on the Sunyani-Berekum highway.

Three other occupants in the Pragya, who sustained life-threatening injuries, were rushed to the Sunyani Teaching Hospital (STH).

The horrific accident occurred at a spot between Mantukwa and Dumasua on the Sunysni-Berekum highway.

Again, on November 2, 2024, eight persons, four of them mourners, perished after a Toyota Corolla taxi cab crashed into the passenger side of a private vehicle on the same Sunyani-Berekum highway.

The accident happened at Amanfoso around 2:30 p.m., when the driver of the private vehicle appeared to have lost control of the steering wheel and crossed into the lane of the taxi, causing the collision.

Fire outbreak

Another heartbreaking story that hit the region was the Fiapre four-bedroom house fire outbreak, which killed two people.

The deceased were burnt beyond recognition. Eight of the occupants, including five children, however, managed to escape unhurt.

Also, on June 12, a residential storey building with about 10 bedrooms and three vehicles, including a gas tanker, was destroyed by fire after a gas filling station caught fire at Asufufu near Sunyani.

The incident happened around 8 p.m. after a taxi cab caught fire at a time when an attendant of the gas station was filling the fuel tank of the taxi.

The fire spread and engulfed the gas tanker and the other vehicles, which were at the fuel station.

Robbery

A suspected robbery attack targeting students of the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in Sunyani resulted in the death of one student.

The incident, which resulted in the injuries of several students, happened around 7 p.m. on April 16, 2024, near Boffourkrom in the Sunyani West Municipality.

In another robbery incident at Wenchi on December 28, the Police gunned down a suspected armed robber during a gunfire exchange on the Wenchi-Wa Highway.  

The incident occurred at around 3:40 a.m. when four armed suspects reportedly engaged the police patrol team in a firefight.  

An eyewitness said the suspected robbers opened fire on the officers upon the arrival of the police patrol team at the scene, where the police returned fire and managed to neutralise one of the robbers, while the remaining three escaped into the bush.

Bono-Twi bible launch

Despite these tragedies, the region was in the news for several good reasons and hosted several national events.

One such exciting moment was when the Bible Society of Ghana (BSG) unveiled the first-ever Bono-Twi dialect New Testament Bible in Sunyani.

The launch of the first 5,000 copies of the Bono New Testament Bible was to facilitate an easy understanding of the Word of God and preserve the culture of the Bonos since it has been written in their own dialect.

The project, which was started by the BSG in 2017, was successfully completed, with the translation of the 27 books of the New Testament of the Bible into the Bono-Twi dialect.

Another life-changing programme initiated in the region was the launch of an Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) programme at Nkrankwanta to fight against malaria in two districts.

Rolled out in the Dormaa West and Banda districts, the initiative was targeted at ensuring the health and well-being of the people in the areas.

The districts were selected to benefit from the intervention because they fall within the high malaria burden classified districts.

Multi-purpose facilities

On November 19, the Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD) inaugurated three multi-purpose projects in the region to improve the local economy.

While Dormaa Ahenkro benefited from a transport terminal, the Berekum Municipality had both a transport terminal and a market.

The projects were executed under the World Bank-funded Ghana Secondary Cities Support Programme (GSCSP) initiated by the MLGDRD after the government secured a $245 million Urban Development Grant (UDG) to execute the projects in 38 municipalities according to their preferences.

On December 20, the Bui Power Authority (BPA) inaugurated two energy projects and a multi-purpose office complex at Bui in the Banda District.

The projects sought to provide sustainable energy, stimulate industrial growth and attract investors into the region and the country as a whole.

"Thank You" tour

Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo also embarked on a 'Thank You’ tour in the region to account for his stewardship and thank people in the region for their support of his administration.

He said his administration had completed 169 different agro-processing factories under its One District One Factory (1D1F) programme to drive the local economy and reduce unemployment.

Former President Akufo-Addo said aside from that, 152 other factories were under construction, explaining that the region had seven such factories, out of which three were operational.
In the 2024 general election, the NDC caused an upset in the region, with the party winning 11 out of 12 seats. 

Writer's email: biiya.ali@graphic.com.gh