Development potential abounds in Volta Region
The Volta Region abounds in the potential for development for which reason one cannot easily say that the region is poor and underdeveloped.
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The over-reliance on the central government for the ‘beautiful’ things from the social, economic, political and other facets of life and the development gap, inequity in the distribution of resources, the general disappointment over expected projects among a host of factors are the issues of concern in development.
Development must start with the individual and his mindset. This must play out onto the bigger stage of the family and in an advancing fashion, the community and then the state.
That is to say, development is a mindset and it is within the framework of that mindset that our actions and inaction come into play.
Our unparalleled passion for the niceties of life will continue to remain an emotion,until we put pragmatic principles to work in a fashion that meets the pre-determined aspirations of the Volta Region.
But what are those pre-determined aspirations as a region? Has there been adequate intra-region stakeholder consultations with regard to the collective definition and estimation of the majority of the people of the region as to what constitute the region’s development priorities?
Quite a lot has been said eloquently about the visions that governments after governments have had for the development of the region but most of these forcefully articulated visions encountered truncation at crucial points.
The John Mahama government, in a manner reminiscent of the JJ days, undertook a regional ministerial reshuffle, which saw Nii Laryea Afotey-Agbo becoming the new Volta Regional Minister.
His coming beckons the aspirations of many a Voltarian that it was time for politicians to ‘walk the talk’.
That is to say, for continued electoral success, it may not be enough just to rely on past achievements and affiliations but to chart new courses that may serve as sources of inspiration and attainment in years to come.
US President Barrack Obama could not have expressed this more succinctly than to juxtapose the corporate position and vision of the US vis-à-vis ‘permanent interests’ and ‘permanent friends’.
What the Volta Region should be looking out for is permanent interests and not permanent friends.
The paramount interest of the region, therefore, must be an aggregation of various stakeholders input into what constitutes a regional understanding of ‘interest’.
Without much doubt, ‘development’ would be the topmost ‘interest’ on the list of priorities of the people of the region.
The Volta Regional Minister, Mr. Nii Laryea Afotey-Agbo, may have opened the floodgates by promising an airport by the end of his term and a host of other plans and visions for the speedy development of the region.
He also said recently at a sensitisation workshop held by the Ghana Investment Promotion Council (GIPC) in Ho, that the region must prep itself to benefit from the windfall occasioned by the over-concentration of investment in Accra that had necessitated a diffusion to other parts of the country.
In terms of proximity, the Volta Region can boast of proximity to the national capital, the industrial and harbour city of Tema and a congenial travel on a smooth road for just two hours.
In view of this, districts in the region have been tasked to come out clearly in a written form, with investment opportunities that abound in their respective areas so as to provide an available resource of information for potential investors.
One of the major problems that he identified as a strong challenge to investment was the issue of land since the tradition of land ownership in the region was largely vested in the name of families and individuals rather than stools.
"Give to us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for - because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything".
