President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has named Dambai as the capital of the newly created Oti Region.
The President made the announcement Friday, February 15, 2019, at a ceremony to present the Constitutional Instrument 112 signaling the birth of Ghana’s 16th region and legal backing to the region.
President Akufo-Addo said the creation of the Oti Region and that of the other newly created ones will help in the fair distribution of national resources.
“The creation of Oti Region and in indeed the other five regions gives the nation another opportunity to reorganize the distribution of public services and infrastructure to serve better the needs of people from these new regions,” President Akufo-Addo said.
President Akufo-Addo also urged them not allow the Creation of the new region bring rift between them.
He said the relationship between the two regions must be characterized by mutual sentiments of magnanimity and goodwill.
President Akufo-Addo asked the current Volta region Minister Dr. Achibold Lesta to temporal take charge as the Minister of that region.
President Akufo-Addo also pledged a GH¢20 million seed money for the region, pointing out that “Already government has allocated this year an amount of GH¢20 million, a seed capital for the development of Oti region.”
He said apart from the GH¢20 million allocated to the Oti Region, Government projects and structures will be equitable spread across the region.
The struggle for the creation of Oti region begun in the 1950s when the people in that area petitioned the colonial administration for an independent region but could materialized.
The Chiefs did not relent in their efforts and petitioned subsequent administration.
Their hope of getting new region got breath when the then New Patrotic Party’s Presidential candidate now President Akufo-Addo asuured them during his campign of that part of the area of a new region.
The president upon assumption of office setup a Commission of Inquiry to look into the creation of the new regions.
‘Today’, the dream of the firebearers of the region came to pass when President Akufo Addo presented CI112 which establishes the creation of the Oti region to them.
Among the six regions created, there were fears that the creation of the Oti region will bring division between the Voltarians and the Otis. This President Akufo Addo asked them to avoid.
He charged the two Community to continue to live in harmony and peace harmony. He assured them improved infrastructural and other development.
The Spokesperson for the Joint Consultative Committee of the Oti Movement, Nana Mprah Besemuna, promised to partner the government in bringing development to the Oti region.
President Akufo Addo latter signed and presented the Instrument of attestation to the Chiefs.
