Minister of Regional Re-organization Dan Botwe explaining the concept to Parliament during his vetting
Minister of Regional Re-organization Dan Botwe explaining the concept to Parliament during his vetting

The minister-designate for Regional Reorganisation and Development Dan Kwaku Botwe appears to be prepared for his new job as he took along with him a huge map of Ghana to make his case before the appointments committee Monday.

The former information minister requested the permission of the committee, and took members through the various regions and their specific challenges and the need for the new regions.

He said he believes his work will be easier because both the main opposition National Democratic Congress and the governing New Patriotic Party agree on the need to create more regions.

“I feel I’m lucky to be heading this ministry because it looks like there is a meeting of minds on this area. The NDC mentioned it  in their manifesto and the NPP and the President also believe there is the need to create more regions, so we all agree with this,” he told the appointments committee.

He said he will involve chiefs and all stakeholders in the exercise in order to build consensus on the creation of the regions.

President Akufo-Addo promised to create four new regions during the 2016 electioneering.

“The four regions that we have chosen are those that we want to reshape and create new regions out of them. We’re talking about the Western North region which I committed myself to and the manifesto also committed itself to, the creation of the Ahafo region out of the Brong-Ahafo, another express commitment on my part and backed by the manifesto, the northern region.

“Even on the thank you tour, that I took there a couple of weeks ago, there was an express demand that there should be a region created out of the eastern corridor by the Chiefs and people there, and then the Volta region where there has been a long-standing demand for the creation of the Oti region,” Akufo-Addo explained.