Following the election of the Akufo-Addo led NPP government into power in 2017, they have exhibited a higher class of incompetence and cluelessness.
As a constitutional mandate, an elected President, that forms government is by law, expected to appoint people who share the same ideology and have the expertise to assist the president to deliver on his campaign promises for which reason, he was elected by the Ghanaian people.
My region, the Bono Region, was never left out on the list of appointees by the Akufo-Addo government.
For emphasis, the Bono Region, from 2017 till date, has had appointees like, Health Minister, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Employment and Labour Minister as well as the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice who are all Cabinet Ministers. The region again benefitted from deputy ministerial appointments such as the Deputy Minister for Aviation, the Deputy Minister for Attorney-General and Justice. Other important positions such as the Chief Executive Officer for the Middle-Belt Authority, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of Operations at COCOBOD, Ambassadorial positions, Board Chairman of Bui Power Authority and the Majority Chief Whip portfolio amongst positions of influence and power, have been made by President Akufo-Addo from the region.
These various appointments in the region, ostensibly gave us an impression that, the President meant well for the region only to realize that, the President appointed incompetent personalities that he can always remote control them with ease.
A clear example is that of the Health Minister, Hon. Kwaku Agyeman Manu, who has been nothing but a disgrace to the region at all levels, from COVID funds mismanagement, to series of countless corruption related cases levelled against him especially on his own admission of acting in error in the procurement of COVID vaccines.
The erstwhile Mahama led administration in their quest to bring quality healthcare to the doorstep of the Ghanaian people, built hospitals like Tain District Hospital, which was intended to be the biggest referral hospital, aside the Bono Regional Hospital in Sunyani. This district hospital, was strategically built with the intent to take care of critical cases reported from Tain, Banda, Jaman North and South and Wenchi districts. The hospital was left at 85 percent completion stage but surprisingly, left to rot under the watch of a finance expert, a chartered accountant for the avoidance of doubt, knowing very well, the financial gains of this project if fully completed ,will give the region and the country at large: the number of employment opportunities that comes with it, reducing the number of unemployment rates in the region.
The Labour and Employment Minister, who has been nothing but worst amongst them, one I call the ‘rubber stamp’ employment minister, who also upon knowing the economic benefits and the employment (direct and indirect) job opportunities that comes with the fully completion of the Tain and Sampa district hospitals, the Sunyani- New Dormaa -Kotokrom road, how it will improve private sector businesses, improve productivity and growth of the region and even the health benefits of the people living along that dusty route, for which people are dying of asthma as well as other health related diseases whilst school children abandon classrooms has perpetually become blind to these worrying plight of his very own people in the region.
The New Dormaa – Kotokrom – Techiman road when completed, will have a huge economic boost in the region: making the operations of the Sunyani Airport very effective to be patronized by passengers from the Bono East Region, opening up businesses such as small scale enterprises – linking up with sister regions such as Bono East, Savanna and the Northern Regions, to foster investor confidence in the region.
Furthermore, the appointment of the Middle Belt CEO, was just a waste of time to the region: while other agencies such as CODA, NDA, SADA and MBDA were making significant impacts in the lives of people within their catchment zones such a providing farming inputs to eradicate poverty amongst residents, providing sports facilities to harness talents development, same cannot be said about the CEO of the Middle Belt Authority who is from the region. The current MBDA Boss from our region cannot even boast of a single project in his district not to talk of the region.
To mention the least, as a farming dominant region with a lot of forest, to have a Lands and Forestry Minister from our region is a step in the right direction. Unfortunately for us, after his appointment and during his reign as the minister, galamsey and deforestation was the order of the day. Regrettably, such person has been elevated to internal level as an Ambassador to represent the entire country. The obvious simple question i ask myself is, do you expect anything positive from him? Your guess is as good as mine.
In reference to all these observations and happenings, and as the adage goes, birds of the same feather, flock together. This gives a clearer indication that, Akufo-Addo appointed his replica from the Bono Region to occupy these portfolios, the reason, the Bono Region, has been razed down on its knees.
Rashid Ahmed (Kwaku Rooney)
Bono Regional Youth Organizer
050 819 0144
