A Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), Kwesi Jonah has said that only towns with substantial infrastructure already in place must be considered as the capitals of the newly created regions.

He said infrastructure such as good road network, sufficient accommodation facilities for prospective government officers must be prerequisites for the selection of the capitals for the new regions.

According to him, deciding on that basis will make it easier for further development to take off in the region.

“If you create a new region and you want a relatively accelerated rate of development, you may want to go in for a city or a town in this new region which already does have some minimum infrastructure, enough good roads, enough for housing for civil servants that will be coming in and so on,” Kwesi Jonah said in a Citi News interview.

His position is countered by some who have argued that based on that fact that new regions were created to accelerate growth, local communities with little or no infrastructure must be considered as capitals.

Even before the government completes processes to have the six new regions carved out of the three existing regions, there is jostling in some areas over which town should be made the regional capital.

In the Bono East area, which received a massive YES endorsement to the carved out of the Brong Ahafo Region, there are wide campaigns to have Techiman named the regional capital.

In the Savannah region which was created out of the current Northern Region, some groups have begun pushing for Damongo to be made the regional capital. Others are also pushing for Salaga to be named the regional capital.

In the Ahafo area, four towns; Goaso, Duayaw-Nkwanta, Bechem and Kenyasi are said to be leading the race to be regional capital.

Reports suggest that either Bechem or Goaso will end up being named regional capital.

In the Oti area, there is an intense campaign by the chief of people of Buem to have Jasikan named the regional capital for the newly created Oti region.

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By: Jonas Nyabor | citinewsroom.com | Ghana