Development of Western Region - We Won't Repeat NDC's Mistake

PRESIDENT JOHN Agyekum Kufuor has assured the chiefs and people of the Western Region that his government would fully develop the region to befit its status as the richest region in the country.

He said it was rather unfortunate that the previous government neglected the region, which is a major contributor to the country's income.

He promised that his government would not repeat such a mistake, but would see to it that the Western Region gets its fair share of the nation's development projects.

President Kufuor was speaking at separate durbars organized in his honour by the chiefs and people of Shama, Enchi, Sefwi Wiawso, Bekwai, Wassa Akropong, Esiama and Agona Nkwanta as part of his four-day duty tour of the region which ended Wednesday, this week.

Almost all the chiefs from the aforementioned towns complained bitterly about the poor state of the road infrastructure in the region which continues to contribute immensely to the wealth of the country.

They named specifically the Elubo-Dadieso-Akontombra-Bodi-Sefwi Wiawso roads and Axim Junction-Tarkwa-Huni Valley roads which are currently in bad state.

At the moment, it takes almost seven hours to travel from Takoradi to Enchi through Asankragwa due to the bad state of the road.

According to the chiefs, since their region can boast of so many mineral deposits which contribute to the foreign exchange earning of the country, they sometimes find it very difficult to understand the reason why the region has been neglected to such an extent.

Responding, President Kufuor said he had travelled extensively in the region and, therefore, knows most of the problem they are raising.

He, however, pleaded with them to exercise patience since he had already given the assurance that his government is committed to the development of the region.

According to the President, his government's decision to join the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative was not meant to ridicule the country as it is being peddled in some quarters but to ensure economic stability of the country.

President Kufuor told the people that his government inherited a huge debt from the NDC government and that if such a bold decision was not taken to declare Ghana as a HIPC country, it would have been very difficult for his government to mobilize the necessary resources to develop the country.

He further said because of the HIPC initiative, the government has been able to save close to $200 million which would be spent on development projects some of which will be in the Western Region.

President Kufuor said besides the HIPC initiative, his government has also managed to stabilize the cedi and also cut down both the interest rate and inflation to allow business to flourish in the country for the benefit of all.

My focus now, he continued, is to eliminate the corrupt practices that have characterised the services of the police and the judiciary by making sure that the law institutions were adequately paid and resourced to ensure crime prevention and proper rule of law in the country.

At Agona Nkwanta, President Kufuor told the people that he was aware of the problem that has bedevilled the Takoradi Port and assured them that everything would be done to save the situation to create more business and employment in Sekondi-Takoradi.

The President, whose speeches covered every segment of the region's economy said special attention would be paid to the development of railway to ensure free flow of goods and passengers.

Addressing a non-denominational church service at the Takoradi Polytechnic park, which was attended by a large number of people earlier on Sunday to mark the beginning of his tour in the region, President Kufuor attributed his victory at the 2000 election to the will of God through prayers by Ghanaians.

He told the gathering that since it was through prayers that he was able to win the election in a peaceful atmosphere, Christians and Muslims should continue to pray for him and his government since any of them as human beings can fall to the forces of corruption.

So keep on praying for us so that we could be able to resist corruption and whatever form and set the example for others to follow, he said.

Among the people who accompanied the President on his tour were the Regional Minister, Hon. Joseph Boahen Aidoo, his deputy, Madam Sophia Horner-Sam, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, Minister of Health, Mr. Peter Mac Manu, Regional Party Chairman, Mrs. Gladys Asmah, Minister for Women's Affairs, Mr. Atta Dickson, Regional First Vice Chairman and others.