Osu Chief pushes for Municipality separate from AMA

The President and Paramount Chief of the Osu Traditional Area, Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI is appealing to government to transform Osu into an autonomous municipality separate from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).

Dowuona VI believes such a move will ease pressure on the AMA and enable the new municipality to effectively collect and manage revenue to spur the needed development and create employment for the youth.

For a community that has given most of its lands and resources to government for developmental projects to the detriment of its indigenes, the Chief feels a municipality will pave the way for creating meaningful jobs and economic relief for the people of Osu.

The chief underscored that “even the boundaries qualify Osu to be a municipality”, adding that the community has more than the requisite conditions needed by a municipality that will have a positive socioeconomic impact on the residents.

He made it known that Osu stretches beyond 55 square miles and extends to cover more than 28 communities as far as Aburi. The community shares boundaries with La, parts of Asylum Down, Cantonment, Nima, Mamobi, Airport Residential Area and Haatso among others.

The Chief emphasised in an interview with XFM that the community has been sidelined by the AMA. He noted that the Assembly invests less into development projects in the area even though it contributes the bulk of the Assembly’s revenue.

“When you look at houses and businesses here, they are many and generate more than what we get now. Osu contributes about 40-50% of funds to AMA but we lack facilities like places of convenience, job creation for the youth, welfare for the traditional council and the elders.”

To him, the community is one of the prime areas in the country that should be able to boast of the best facilities and skilled manpower.

“People come to Osu and see the community as a nice place but to me I see that it lacks development. There are a lot of young people who are unemployed, unskilled and uneducated. This has made them to go into other activities which do not benefit the community,” he added.

He disclosed that the traditional council has prepared a proposal to be presented to the Ministry of Local Government to begin the process of creating the Osu Klottey Municipal Assembly.