Bono East Region Has Economic Potential – Ameyaw Akumfi

Professor Christopher Ameyaw Akumfi, Chair of the Ghana Infrastructural Board has said the proposed Bono East region has a lot of economic potential that would benefit the country as a whole.

Adding his voice to the many calls for the creation of the Bono East region, the former Education Minister under the erstwhile John Agyekum Kuffuor government, said the Eastern part of Brong Ahafo Region can boast of gold, diamond, industrial clay, arable lands, trading in commercial activities among others as the backbone of the region and as such, if these resources are harnessed to their full economic potential, will greatly benefit the nation.

Professor Ameyaw Akumfi made these submissions during a two-day open forum organized held at the Accra International Conference Center by the Commission of Enquiry into the creation of new regions last week.

The Commission of Enquiry was established by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo last year October to establish the need and substantial demand for the creation of new regions.

Addressing a 9-member Commission chaired by Justice Alan Brobbey, a retired Supreme Court, and other stakeholders at the forum, Professor Ameyaw Akumfi reiterated the need for the creation of the proposed region as the said region has been blessed with a lot of natural resources including human resources which needs harnessing to ensure its maximum potential.

Again, the former Education Minister made it known that since time immemorial, the eastern part of the Brong Ahafo Region, can only boast of two ministerial appointments as compared to that of the western part which can boast of close to almost thirty (30).

A stakeholder, Kwaku Tuah Okyere, a lecturer at the Sunyani Technical University adding his voice to Professor Ameyaw Akumfi’s submissions, touched on the road networks in the eastern part of the Brong Ahafo Region.

He said most of the road networks are in poor conditions and indigenes spend majority of their time traveling to their destinations instead of being productive. Hence, their road networks can see the light of day if only the people of the eastern part of the Brong Ahafo Region get their independence.

Chiefs and queen mothers from the eastern part of the Brong Ahafo Region which comprises of Kintampo, Techiman, Atebubu, Sene, among others, who graced the occasion, also gave reasons to support points which had already being raised by other stakeholders during their submissions.

They all supported the idea of the creation of the new region in order for that part of the region to also experience massive developmental projects and transformation.

The Chairman, Justice Alan Brobbey, urged the chiefs and queen mothers to as a matter of urgency deliberate within the next two weeks to come up with an agreed name for the region so as to forward their report to the President on time.

By: thePublisherNewspaper