The Chairperson of the Steering Committee of STAR-Ghana, Dr. Esther Ofei- Aboagye has lauded the manner in which Ghanaians conducted themselves during the referendum that led to the creation of six additional regions.
She said the cross-party non-partisan collaboration of having a common vision of creating the new regions was exciting to behold and it was an indication that Ghanaians can work together on issues that they deem important for their development.
Speaking on the Episode Two of the ‘‘We The People’’ show on GTV, Dr. Ofei-Aboagye said the provisions for the creation of the new regions will go a long way to help the country write a rulebook because it provides an opportunity to explore how the provisions would work out going forward.
‘‘We The People’’ show forms part of activities to implement the GJA/ STAR-Ghana Local Governance Project.
The show is a monthly programme which is telecasted live on GTV and GTV GOVERN. It is a platform aimed at bringing together experts and various groups including journalists, civil society actors, and persons with disabilities (PWDs) to discuss critical local governance issues.
The discussions on the Episode 2 of the show focussed on ‘‘Creation of New Regions: What Next?’’.
Also on the show was a Governance expert, Dr. Eric Oduro Osae. He said the energy with which Ghanaians petitioned for the creation of the new regions should be same energy they should use to develop the regions.
He appealed to those who have lands and other resources to make them available for the development of the regions.
He disagreed with those who criticized the move to create six regions at the same time. He said ‘‘I am of the view that the six regions are not too many except that they are manageable within the current circumstances and needs of the country.
All we need to do as a country now is to make a conscious effort to systematically develop the new regions and once we are able to do that, Ghana will go places’’.
Studio guests were also given the opportunity to ask questions. A member of The More Hope For Disable Foundation, Joseph Odey Mensah, wanted to find out how the concerns of persons with disabilities (PWDs) can be included in the developmental agenda of the new regions.
In response, Dr. Esther Ofei-Aboagye said ‘‘we should ensure that these new regions are more responsive to the needs of marginalized communities. We should not leave it to chance at all.
New regional administrative buildings which are going to be put up should be responsive to persons with physical challenges. They should be able to ensure that the culture of engagement with PWDs is done differently in these regions’’.
The Executive Director of Ghana Center for Democratic Development, Prof. Kwesi Prempeh, who moderated the show said Ghanaians are really concerned about the nexus between regions creation and development and so Ghanaians particularly those in the newly created regions are ultimately expecting to see development.
Story by Zephaniah Danaa
