Divide Western, Northern regions — CSO

A Civil Society Organisation (CSO), the Forum for National Equity, has commended the President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for his determination to honour his promise to divide the Western Region into two.

But the forum believes that besides the Western Region, the Northern Region which is the biggest in the country, also requires to be divided.

Additionally, it is the opinion of the forum that the nation’s capital be moved to a location in the Northern Region considering that prevailing conditions in Accra made it difficult for further infrastructural development to take place.

“We call for the relocation of the political capital to the middle-geo-political zone of the country, while Accra still remains the business capital like New York, Lagos and Abidjan,” the President of the Forum, Mr Prince Bagnaba Mba, said in an interview with the Daily Graphic.

Northern benefits

Outlining some of the reasons why the Northern Region should be divided, Mr Mba said the region had the land mass for more development activities.

“The Northern Region is one of the regions that can bring more growth to Ghana if proper attention is given to it. Apart from the size of the region, the climatic condition is suitable for growth,” he said.

Mr Mba said the forum believed in the capabilities of the incoming government to bring about total transformation of the country.

“As President-elect, you have already started on the right track by calling for unity and commitment on the part of all to rebuild the country. The true Ghanaian quality of the human person can be protected and preserved only when your government answers to not just the wealthy or to any particular region or tribe but to all people,” he said.

New leadership

Mr Mba said the forum believed that Ghanaians made the best decision when they voted for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and that the confidence reposed in the incoming administration must not be betrayed.

“Ghana is a nation founded on hope and constant quest for a better tomorrow. We are by nature optimistic and willing to contribute positively to building a country that we would be proud of,” he said.

Mr Mba stressed the need for Ghanaians to be ready to work hard, noting that without “your support, it would be extremely difficult for the new government to achieve the much needed development goals.

He said negative behaviour that affected meaningful development must be avoided.