A local governance expert, Issaka Amon Kotei, has kicked against the creation of new administrative regions in Ghana.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has established the Regional Reorganisation and Development Ministry to carve out new regions within the next four years. About six regions are likely to be created out of the Western, Volta, Northern and Brong Ahafo regions.
“We don’t need six regions,” Mr. Kotei told Morning Starr host Francis Abban on Wednesday, August 16, 2017.
“No!” he stressed.
According to him, the government should rather channel its resources into “enriching the existing structures.”
Mr. Kotei noted the problem is not about increasing the number of regions in Ghana, but ensuring that the system, especially when it comes to disbursing funds to the district level works effectively.
Increasing the number of regions was a campaign promise of the two major parties – NDC and NPP – going into the 2016 elections. Mr. Kotei opined the government could renege on that promise because it is immaterial to the wellbeing of the people now.
“If we want to talk about enhancing or bringing democracy to the doorstep of our people, it’s about putting things right and we have not done that,” he noted.
“The money that are supposed to hit the districts don’t hit the districts because by the time the money gets there we have done what we call deduction from source so the money shrinks. How do we expect development with this kind of behavior?
“What is stopping government from sending governance to the door step of the people from the existing structure? We have to enrich the existing structures… What is the guarantee that it will solve our problems,” Mr. Kotei lamented.
He is calling for a “cost benefit analysis document” over the development.
Meanwhile, the Council of State has backed the creation of the new regions under the Akufo-Addo government.
“Your Excellency, in the latter part of June, the Council received a communication under your hand, seeking the Council’s advice on the creation of new regions. Enclosed in the communication were copies of the petitions from the Chiefs and people of the Western, Northern, Brong-Ahafo and Volta Regions “from where the demands from the creation of new regions had been the most vociferous”. Mr. President, the Council has meticulously gone through these petitions which numbered some 312 pages with accompanying maps and statistical data,” a statement from the Council said.
