Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, Western Regional Minister
The Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, has pleaded with traditional authorities to reduce, if not completely end, chieftaincy disputes in the oil rich region.
He says such disputes retard the region’s development, and should as a matter of urgency end.
The Regional Minister made this plea at a thanksgiving service held by Ebenezer Kojo Kum, Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs and Ahanta West Member of Parliament, in appreciation for the honour done him by God and President Akufo-Addo.
The service was held at the Catholic Church, Apowa, on Sunday, and was attended by NPP members, executives, some traditional rulers, members of the clergy from other churches as well as colleague MPs and Ministers of State.
200 disputes
Mr Darko-Mensah reiterated the effect of chieftaincy disputes on the region, stating that the Regional Coordinating Council, during his first term, had to spend time and resources managing disputes among the traditional authorities. He said the resources could have been channelled into more productive ventures for the region.
He disclosed that there are about 200 chieftaincy disputes, currently, in the region, with the Regional House of Chiefs handling 65 of them.
The rest, he said, are before the various traditional councils.
The Regional Minister reminded the traditional authorities that apart from loss of precious lives, property, time and resources, chieftaincy disputes drive away investors. He added that it is therefore about time they considered the total good of the region instead of their parochial and selfish interests.
No serious investor, he said, would like to invest in a disputed area.
Unite for development
He indicated that although the governing NPP has wonderful plans for Western Region, there is no way that these plans will materialise when custodians of the communities continue tearing one another into shreds. He cited the PTC Interchange, redevelopment of Takoradi Market Circle, Tarkwa Highway, town roads, among others, as some of such plans.
In a brief remark, Mr Kojo Kum thanked his constituents, the President and God for the honour done him as the first Ahanta to be appointed a Minister of State since the 1992. He pledged not to disappoint them and the nation as a whole.
