The Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs has appealed to the state to accelerate development in the area to help position it as a fully fledged region.
The chiefs also called for the establishment of a degree-awarding institution in the region.
The President of the House, who is also the Paramount Chief of the Ntotroso Traditional Area, Barima Twereku Ampem III, led the delegation of chiefs to pay a courtesy call on President John Dramani Mahama at the Jubilee House last Wednesday, where he made the appeal.
Barima Ampem III said basic and secondary schools lacked the needed facilities and logistics to operate optimally.
He expressed concern about the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) projects in the region, some of which were about 20 per cent complete, but had been abandoned for years, and appealed to the President to intervene.
Present at the ceremony were the Vice-President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang; the Chief of Staff, Dr Julius Debrah; the Political Advisor to the Vice-President, Dr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo; the Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, and other senior government officials.
Appreciation
Responding, President Mahama thanked the chiefs for the support they gave him in the 2024 elections, recalling that he visited almost all their palaces during the campaign and received a warm reception.
“You did not fail; you truly stood behind me. We won five of the six seats in the Ahafo Region,” he said, adding, “I can assure you that in sharing the national cake, Ahafo will get its fair share”.
The President acknowledged that Ahafo was a very important region but, being new, lacked many amenities.
He said some important roads in Ahafo had been factored into the Big Push project, and that Phase Two of the programme would capture many more roads in the region.
On education, President Mahama said the government’s promise to provide Ahafo with a tertiary institution was on track.
“I assure you that before the end of my term in office, Ahafo will have a tertiary educational institution,” he said.
President Mahama added that buses and other logistics were being procured under the GETFund budget for schools, especially those with the greatest need.
On health care, he said the government was on track to provide first-class regional hospitals in all six newly created regions.
President Mahama said this year’s budget catered for three regional hospitals, and that procurement processes had been completed and contractors would be moving to site soon.
Next year’s budget, he said, would provide for the remaining three, including Ahafo.
Stabilisation of economy
The President said the government had spent its early months stabilising the economy following the crisis it inherited from the previous government.
Measures included reforming procedures and reviewing financial management laws to bring greater discipline into the use of public resources.
“I am happy to acknowledge that those measures have yielded results.
Today, the Ghanaian economy is stronger and more solid than it was before,” he said.
President Mahama said the focus would now be shifted to job creation.
In line with that, “we intend to make about two billion dollars available every year in sectors that can create jobs.”
Agriculture, he said, would play a key role, with oil palm and poultry as priority areas.
The President expressed concern over the fact that the country spends almost $500 million annually to import chicken.
Decentralisation
On decentralisation, President Mahama said traditional rulers formed an important part of the decentralised structure.
“It is my expectation that chiefs and traditional rulers will have a more active participation in our district assemblies than they have had in the past,” he said.
The President said that 80 per cent of the District Assemblies Common Fund now goes directly to the districts, with funds being released promptly every quarter.
He, therefore, urged the chiefs to work closely with their respective chief executives to ensure proper utilisation of the funds.
Community devt
The President said mining companies must ensure communities benefit from resources extracted from their lands.
He acknowledged Newmont’s contributions to road construction and the completion of the Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs’ building.
President Mahama described the Accra-Kumasi Expressway as a national road linking southern Ghana to the north.
“I am confident that in about three years, we shall all gather again to commission that historic road,” he said.
