Development in the Assin Fosu Municipality in the Central Region has retrogressed due to years of protracted chieftaincy disputes by some traditional leaders, Mr Nicholas Fiifi Baako, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), has said.
“Years of chieftaincy disputes among communities and traditional leaders in the area is a major challenge to social and economic development in the area,” he said.
“The disputes have created fear, panic and sense of insecurity among people in the communities and that could lead to low productivity and economic retrogression.”
The MCE, who accompanied Mr Kennedy Agyapong, Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, on a two-day tour to the area, expressed these sentiments during a meeting with traditional leaders in the Municipality as part of the “Meet Your MP Tour”.
The outreach was to enable the team to appraise the progress of on-going projects and familiarise themselves with some of the developmental challenges facing the people in the various communities including Atonsu, Wurakese, Bantama and Tafo.
Mr Baako expressed concern that chieftaincy, which was supposed to be an avenue for growth and development due to the critical roles traditional rulers played, was rather unleashing hatred and division on its people.
“This situation is making things difficult to attract the right investors to the area and unless these disputes are immediately settled, the Municipality would have itself to blame in the near future,” he added.
Me reminded them that development and economic progression could only be achieved in an environment where peace, love and political stability existed.
The MCE charged the traditional rulers and their factions to find an amicable solution to their differences and smoke the peace pipe to aid the creation of an enabling environment for productivity and development.
He called on both local and foreign investors to help provide the financial and technological inputs to make the Region the agricultural and industrial hub of Ghana’s economy.
Mr Agyapong, on his part, pledged to pre-finance the construction of major roads in the area including Brofoyedru-Akinkaasu, Fosu-Twifo Praso and Manso-Ajumako roads with a seed capital of GH¢5.3 million to befit it’s municipal status.
He announced plans to empower women in the area with Gh¢200m capital to boost their businesses to enhance their livelihoods.
The residents, during an open forum, enumerated their challenges, which include poor roads and power outages, and the lack of potable water, health and education facilities as areas that need priority attention.
