The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has described as unnecessary, the possible creation of new regions in Ghana.
According to him, the country can develop without such new regions.
“Some of us take the view that we can still develop at a faster rate without further bureaucracy, without a bigger government. My personal view honestly, is that we don’t need more regions,” he said on Citi TV’s morning show, Breakfast Daily on Wednesday.
His comment follows a recommendation by the Commission of Inquiry for the creation of six additional regions. The Commission has completed its work and submitted its report to the President.
It recommended the creation of the Western North, Bono East, Ahafo, Savannah, North East, and Oti regions from the Western, Brong Ahafo, Volta and Northern Regions.
But according to Ablakwa, a good economic policy will hasten development more than the creation of the regions.
“What’s going to be the endpoint? We are going to have five northern regions. Remember that, although we had three regions over the last 20 or so years, all our poverty indices still indicate that the three northern regions are still the poorest. That should tell you that there are other factors and there are other things considering. It’s rather about the economic policies, what you fashion out, the vision that you bring to bear as leadership. That is what we need,” he added.
Ablakwa noted that most of the calls of the creation of new regions are as a result of deep-rooted tribalism.
“If you go underneath all these regional debates there are tribalism and ethnocentrism. If you go to the northern territories, underneath this is just tribalism, if you go to Volta Region, it is the same thing.”
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