Mac Manu Decries Poor State Of Western Region

The Western Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr.Peter Mac Manu, has also added hs voice to the present state of Western Region, which many people have been criticising for sometime now.

"What crime have we in this region committed which is so serious that investors are refusing to come and invest here," he asked, adding that the Sekondi portion of the free zone, which should have been in operation by now, is lying idle because no investor has shown interest to invest there.

Speaking at the inauguration of the New Site Ward 14 NPP women's wing in the Effia Kwesimintsim constituency last Sunday, Mac, as he is popularly called, partially diagnosed the problem as uncooperative attitude by some communities where some of these investors who are already in the region are operating, thus scaring others to come and invest in the region.

"We as a region must change our attitude towards investors because a lot of them are harassed, which is not good for us," he advised.

According to Mac Manu, the NPP government is not against the profits which are made by investors on the investment they have made in the country.

Therefore, if any individual harbours such an idea, then the person must drop it because if conflict is allowed to go on between the investors and communities where they operate, it would not be good for the region and the country as a whole.

He advised that anytime a misunderstanding arose between the investor and the communities where they operate in the region, the right channel of conflict resolution must be followed, instead of resorting to demonstrations, which sometimes involve people claiming to be supporters of the party.

"If we are to stay in power for ever as your slogan is saying, then we must change our attitude towards the government by making sure that we have stopped demonstrating against it and try to use dialogue instead, he advised his over enthusiastic supporters who were clad in party colours," he stressed.

Manu also disclosed that his outfit, together with Empretec Ghana Foundation, intends to organise a workshop to teach the people how to welcome investors to communities in the region where they are needed to open up job opportunities in the region.

Touching on the call on President Kufuor's government to investigate the divestiture of state-owned enterprises, the regional party chairman said the government wants to follow the due process of the law in investigating the whole divestiture programme and, therefore, called on the people to exercise patience.

The Shama Ahanta East Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr. Philip Kwesi Nkrumah, on his part said, his outfit has suspended the disbursement of the Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF) because as much as ?260 million, which was borrowed during the previous administration, has still not been re-paid.