Pay attention to Gonjaland — Jawula
The Chairman of the Co-ordinating Committee for petitioners for a new region out of the Northern Region, Lepowura M.N.D. Jawula, has appealed to the government to pay more attention to Gonjaland to maximise the resources in the area.
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That, he said, would also boost the establishment of agro-based businesses to transform the area into the bread basket of the country.
Significance
According to Alhaji Jawula, the creation of the region will boost other businesses such as tourism and eco-friendly mining activities, which will create more employment opportunities, increase incomes and reduce poverty levels in the area.
On effective governance, the Lepowura in his presentation said: “The creation of the new region will enhance administrative efficiency and accelerate socio-economic and infrastructure development to give impetus to the government’s decentralisation policy.”
That, he explained, would also bring governance closer to the people and enhance peace and security in the area.
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“The creation of the region will also stem the migration of young men and women from the region to the southern part of the country in search of jobs,” Alhaji Jawula added.
He further indicated that the enormity of challenges confronting the existing Northern Region, such as lack of basic infrastructure, posed a daunting administrative challenge, making the effective governance of the region almost impossible.
Presentation
Lepowura Jawula made the appeal in a presentation to the Committee of Inquiry into the creation of new regions when a group from the Gonjaland, led by the Yagbonwura, Sulemana Tuntumba Boresa I, appeared before the committee at the Osu Castle in Accra on Wednesday.
Their appearance is the penultimate of the six petitioners expected to appear before the Justice Stephen Allan Brobbey Committee.
So far, petitioners from the Western, Volta and Brong Ahafo regions have had their turns. The next petitioners from the Maprugu Area of the Northern Region will meet the Committee on Tuesday, December 5, 2017 to climax the in-camera hearing which commenced on November 21, 2017.
Gonjaland
Presently, the Gonja area of the Northern Region has more than 20 ethnic groups from a population of about 578,235.
It has seven administrative districts, namely Bole, Sawla-Tuna-Kalba, West Gonja, North Gonja, Central Gonja, East Gonja and Kpandai.
The area is endowed with natural resources such as salt, gold, limestone, bauxite, diamond and hydro carbon deposits. In the tourism sector, it also boasts the famous Mole National Park, the Larabanga mystery stone and ancient mosque, the Salaga slave market, as well as the confluence of the Black and White Volta.
Former and current ministers of state, district chief executives (DCEs) and Members of Parliament (MPs) from both the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) from the Gonjaland were present at the presentation to give their unflinching support to the proposal.
