I would have made Jasikan or Nkwanta the capital of the region of Oti – Obed Asamoah

Regional News from Saturday, February 16, 2019

Source: citinewsroom.com

2019-02-16

The former Foreign Minister, Obed Asamoah, believes that Jasikan or Nkwanta would have been a good choice as the capital of the new region of Oti.

In an interview with Umaru Amadu Sanda of the daily Citi News before President Nana Akufo-Addo announced that Dambai would be the capital of the Oti region on Friday, Mr Asamoah said it made sense to choose Jasikan or Nkwanta as capital. main international route in the region.

He said that previous petitions for the creation of the new region over the years had also called for Jasikan to become the capital, given its current role as the administrative capital of the region.

"Left alone, the capital should be on the main road, the international road; Jasikan or Nkwanta. Jasikan had long been the administrative capital of this part of the region.

"When they created the traditional Buem-Krachi council, Jasikan was more or less the capital. If you look at the petitions that the chiefs sent to the various governments over the years, they wanted to make Jasikan the capital. I think geographically, it makes sense. "

Obed Asamoah, who also served as attorney general from 1993 to 2001, added that if the government wanted to focus specifically on the development of the fisheries sector in the region, Dambai, reputed to be a fishing center, could be a critical element. starting point.

"If you go fishing, Dambai, for example, is an important fishing center because it is really where the lake is big enough and where there is a lot of fishing. If you want to develop fishing, you would like to use this place as a starting point, or at least as a subsidiary point.

"If you have a fisheries department in Jasikan, you should have a sub-office in a place like Dambai where you fish a lot. I hope, as the government has said, that they will expand these administrative units all over the world, this will be done in a way that does not create unnecessary difficulties. "

Asked about his position regarding the creation of regions from existing regions, Mr. Asamoah said the new regions would bring development and also lead to employment.

"When a region is created, a lot more development goes into it. Even the administrative structures giving work to people are to be taken into account. Due to the new regions, new people will have to be recruited. "

He admitted that, if huge expenditures could be made to set up the administrative structures in these new regions, the government could compensate for this if an area with an existing infrastructure was chosen as the capital.

"That's why, to make a decision, you need to determine which areas already have infrastructure. If you look at the Oti region, I think the infrastructure is no longer in Jasikan. "

Jasikan and Nkwanta missed, Dambai named capital

President Nana Akufo-Addo announced that Dambai would be the capital of the Oti region at the Jubilee House in Accra.

President Akufo-Addo also presented to the leaders and opinion leaders of the region the constitutional instrument for the creation of the new region.

This brings to six the total number of new regions that have seen their constitutional instruments presented to their leaders by the president.

The inhabitants of the Oti region approved almost unanimously the creation of the region after a vote of 99% in the referendum in December.

Some districts participating in the referendum included; Biakoye, Jasikan, Kadjebi, East Krachi, Krachi Nehumuru, West Krachi.

The others are; Nkwanta North, South Nkwanta, Santrofi, Akpafu, Lolobi and Likpe.

Prior to the announcement of Dambai as the capital, the inhabitants of Nkwanta and Jasikan had campaigned for one or the other of the two cities to be designated as the capital of the region. Oti.

Capitals of other new regions named

President Akufo-Addo presented since Tuesday the constitutional instruments to the heads of the six newly created regions.

He used the events to also name capitals for the new regions.

Nalerigu, in the East Mamprusi Municipal Assembly, has been designated the capital of the Northeast Region.

Sefwi Wiawso has also been named the capital of the Northwest region, while the Ahafo region has Goaso as its capital.

President Nana Akufo-Addo said later in the week that Techiman was the capital of the Bono East region.

The government has already earmarked 20 million GHc of seed capital for each of the new regions.

Click below to get the full interview of Obed Asamoah: