Central Region must rise again
During a greater part of the colonial era, the Central Region played a very important role in the way things were done in the territory called Gold Coast.
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If for nothing at all, the region hosted Cape Coast, which used to be the capital ‘city’ of the colony, and as such boasted many amenities unknown in most parts of the colony. The region was prosperous and held a great potential to be among the richest in the country.
Indeed it was a centre for political activity and served as the centre for some of the agitations that culminated in the independence of the colony, with Ghana’s independence winning party, the Convention People’s Party, having been born in Saltpond.
It is also because the region was the nerve centre of activity that it boasts some of the finest second cycle schools such as Wesley Girls' High School, St. Augustine’s College, Mfantsipim School, Adisadel College, to mention a few.
These educational institutions in Cape Coast and the many tourist sites in the region continue to make the region a must-visit one for many tourists, both local and foreign. In addition, the region has natural resources that can be tapped for the benefit of the nation.
In spite of these, the region is now the fourth poorest in the country with many children in its towns and villages out of school, and Cape Coast a poor shadow of itself.
Indeed, President John Mahama captured it succinctly at the weekend when he said: "It is absolutely unacceptable for the Central Region, which has the best educational institutions, tourist attractions, and other economic ventures, to be among the poorest regions in the country."
Speaking at the 50th anniversary of the Fetu Afahye of the chiefs and people of the Oguaa Traditional area, President Mahama said the government would tackle the challenges and find lasting solutions that would make the people comfortable.
A few decades ago, the Central Regional Development Commission (CEDECOM) was a leader among the many development commissions set up to ensure the development of the regions but CEDECOM now has virtually nothing to show for its existence.
It behoves CEDECOM, therefore, to lead the development of the region in a manner that made it the envy of other regional development commissions, since it is the institution with the responsibility to formulate a development strategy that would provide the government the road map for developing the area.
One major reason for the region’s predicament is the collapse of many of the industrial concerns there. Notable among them are the Komenda Sugar Factory, the Saltpond Ceramics and the citrus and lime juice factory at Asebu.
We are happy to note that the Komenda Sugar Factory is now being rehabilitated to give jobs to the teeming youth and save the country from importing sugar and other sugar products at huge costs. But we dare say that there are many promises to the people of the region that have not been fulfilled by succeeding governments.
example is the pledge to reconstruct of the Kotokuraba Market and the Robert Mensah Sports Stadium. It is heartwarming to hear from the President assuring the people that the government would not relent in its effort to accelerate the pace of development in the region.
On such an auspicious occasion, it is wont for the President to give this assurance but we pray that when the ceremonial sod cutting is done on October 1, it will be the final lap to the construction of the market, which has been on the drawing board for so long.
Again the construction of landing sites in the region to promote the growth of the fishing industry, which is the mainstay of the people, has taken too long a time to come to fruition and we urge the government to expedite action on this and many other projects that the government has promised the people.
