Creating New Regions in Ghana: Populist or Rational Pathway to Development? Gyampo R * Department of Communication Studies, Ashesi University, Ghana * Corresponding author: Gyampo R, Professor, Department of Communication Studies, Ashesi University, Ghana, Tel: +233 30 261 0330; E-mail: vangyampo@yahoo.com Received date: January 30, 2017; Accepted date: March 13, 2018; Published date: March 22, 2018 Copyright: © 2018 Gyampo R. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Abstract The proposal for regional reorganization and the creation of four additional ones seem feasible and have the needed popular support. However, a thorough and detailed analysis of the processes leading to the creation of additional regions reveals imponderable challenges likely to be encountered. This paper argues that popular support for governmental policy proposals is not necessarily coterminous with feasibility, effectiveness and relevance. The paper therefore examines the feasibility and relevance of the proposal for the creation of additional regions in Ghana and proffer policy recommendations to re-focus the attention of policy makers on the critical challenges and barriers to rural development and how they could be effectively tackled. Keywords: Authoritarianism; Pluralism; Politics; Investments; Relations; Strategies Introduction In the lead up to Ghana’s 2016 General Elections, the fag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo made several promises to Ghanaians. Notable among these promises is the creation of additional regions to ensure efective administration and the devolution of power. Upon the assumption of power as the elected President of Ghana in January 2017, Nana Akufo-Addo gave indications that four (4) new regions would be created beginning from 2018 to bring the total number of regions in Ghana to fourteen. Per the campaign promise, the process towards the creation of a new region out of the current Western Region to be called the Western North Region is to be initiated. Again, on January 11, 2017 the president in a media report hinted of the creation of three additional regions, namely the Ahafo out of Brong Ahafo Region, Oti out of Volta Region and a region out of the eastern corridor. In view of this, the president has created a new ministry known as the Ministry for Regional Re-organization and Development, which is headed by Dan Kwaku Botwe, a Member of Parliament, to take full charge of the process. In spite of the commitment on the part of the government to create more regions, a number of Ghanaians continue to express some scepticism about the idea. Some have rejected it ab. initio while others are of the view that the proposal is completely misplaced given the urgent bread and butter issues, as well as basic challenges of development that confronts the people of Ghana. For instances, on 15th January, 2017, a youth group in the Volta Region, the Concerned Volta Youth, kicked against the creation of a new region out of the existing one. According to Jean Claude Koku Amenyaglo, the convener and the spokesperson of the group, the region is too small in size and population to merit consideration for a split. He argued that citizens of the region are opposed to the initiative because it is needless and does not refect their needs. He further noted that: If the decision to split the region is as a result of lack of access to the regional capital, Ho by the districts, then the region needs good transportation systems like roads and rail, just as the president has established the Ministry of Railway [Development] so that we will have easy access to our regional capital. Several other Ghanaians have questioned the justifcation for the creation of new regions and indicated that it is a misplaced priority. Indeed, some have noted that if the increase of Districts from 110 through 170 to 216 could not deal with the challenge of rural poverty and under-development, it is unlikely that additional regions would serve similar purpose [1]. Te Gonja traditional council has also vowed to fercely resist attempts to include portions of their land to the yet to be created eastern corridor region. Even though there is no media reportage of similar sentiments expressed against the region by chiefs and opinion leaders in other regions to be afected, apart from the sources above, it is an indubitable truth that Ghanaians remain somewhat divided over the relevance of additional regions. What is the historical experience in the reorganization and creation of regions in Ghana? What are the theoretical factors that favour the creation of new regions? Is there any justifcation for creating additional regions in Ghana? What are constitutional requirements for the creation of new regions in Ghana and what needs to be done to meet these requirements? How popular is the proposal? How feasible is the desire to create additional regions in Ghana? Using secondary sources of data generated through archival research and information from the IEA-VOTO Survey on the Expectations of Ghanaians of the New Government conducted in the frst half of 2017, this paper seeks to profer responses to the questions raised here and to provide policy recommendations to shape public policy, as well as guide the implementation of the proposal to create four additional administrative regions in Ghana. J o u r n a l o f P o l it i c a l S c i e n c e & P u b l i c A f f a i r s ISSN: 2332-0761 Journal of Political Sciences and Public Affairs Gyampo, J Pol Sci Pub Aff 2018, 6:2 DOI: 10.4172/2332-0761.1000324 Review Article Open Access J Pol Sci Pub Af, an open access journal ISSN: 2332-0761 Volume 6 • Issue 2 • 1000324