I will give special attention to boundary clarity - Local Govt Minister assures

The Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has pledged to give special attention to internal boundary issues to foster stability and effective governance. 

Addressing a delegation from the Ghana Boundary Commission (GhBC), the minister recounted the significant cost that went into government’s expenditure in defending the country in an arbitration in which Cote d’Ivoire claimed rights of portions of Ghana’s maritime area, including the oil-rich zones.

He underscored the need for a proactive approach in addressing boundary issues through effective collaboration between the ministry and technical agencies to avoid disputes and conflicts.

“Ghana somehow is sitting on a ticking time bomb on account of lack of clarity on our internal boundaries, leading to regional boundary disputes and district boundary disputes, and even constituency boundary disputes.

“We are quick to create constituencies without taking serious consideration of  how the Statistical Service, the Electoral Commission, the Lands Commission, the Surveyors Department can contribute to delineate the clear boundaries in terms of revenue collection, revenue mobilisation, among others,” he said. 
Visit 

The visit by the delegation was led by the Commissioner General of the GhBC, Major General Dr Emmanuel Wekem Kotia.

The purpose of the visit was to congratulate the minister on his appointment and brief him on the commission’s work and status of various projects, he said

As a sector minister, Mr Ibrahim gave the assurance that he would ensure that the GhBC was made an integral part of the ministry’s programming to enable them to function effectively. 

“We must be able to do the needful, consulting the technical people and do the right thing at the right time, so that they will be able to solve the problem. Other than that, we'll sit here thinking that there is no problem. But when the issues come, even feeding of peacekeepers alone, you will feed them with GHC 2 million a day,” the minister said. 

Briefing

Updating the minister, Maj. Gen Dr Kotia said most of the country’s pillars along the land boundaries were weak due to both human and natural activities such as farming and erosion.

He added that the original pillars along the land boundaries were three kilometres apart, making it difficult for both locals of Ghana and Togo to identify the boundaries and conduct economic business within their territories.

To address the situation, he said the commission was embarking on what he termed as a re-affirmation project to confirm Ghana’s land boundaries by building intermediary pillars 500 meters apart within the 3km distance.

So far, he said the commission had constructed 350 km of the intermediary pillars along Ghana’s boundary with Togo, adding that  of Cote d’Ivoire was expected to be constructed next month.

In addition to that, he said the commission had organised stakeholder engagements with Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, as well as traditional rulers, and other stakeholders to sensitise them on boundary issues.

Maj. Gen Dr Kotia further told the minister that with funding from development partners and regional boundaries, the commission was also undertaking social intervention programmes to support communities in deprived communities.

While impressing on the minister to make the commission an integral part of the ministry’s sensitisation programmes with religious groups and chiefs, he stressed the importance of sustainable funding and cross-border cooperation to help the commission discharge its mandate effectively.