COBAANA commends Bono Regional House of Chiefs for engaging Akufo-Addo on problems in the region

The Council of Bono and Ahafo Associations of North America (COBAANA) has applauded the Bono Regional House of Chiefs for meeting the President His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo to present to him problems facing the region.

Recently, a delegation from the Bono Regional House of Chiefs visited the presidency to present a petition from the organizers of the #Sunyani Deserve Better/#Bono Deserve Better demonstration held a few months ago in Sunyani.

Oseadeyo Nana Agyeman Badu II who spoke on behalf of the house mentioned the numerous problems confronting the region in terms of infrastructural deficit.

In the view of COBAANA, such an encounter is the best way to let the presidency know for instance how the lack of road infrastructure is seriously affecting the evacuation of farm produce from the famed food basket of the country.

“The Council of Bono and Ahafo Associations of North America (COBAANA) wants to congratulate the Bono Regional House of Chiefs for meeting the President His excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo and bringing to the fore the myriad of problems and concerns pertaining to the region,” part of a press release from COBAANA signed by General Secretary Augustine Boahen reads.

COBAANA stresses that the Bono region lacks behind in many areas and the sooner these issues are addressed the better it will be for the youth and the general population of the region as a whole.

Read more from the press release from COBAANA below:

COBAANA Congratulate The Bono Regional House Of Chiefs On Their Meeting With The President

The Council of Bono and Ahafo Associations of North America (COBAANA) wants to congratulate the Bono Regional House of Chiefs for meeting the President His excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo and bringing to the fore the myriad of problems and concerns pertaining to the region. Cobaana is an umbrella Association of citizens from the hitherto Brong Ahafo region residing in North America who have come together to foster unity among themselves and also to be developmental partners with the three regions. Even though the former region has been split into three, Cobaana has not been broken up and we have resolved to harness the strong bond that exists between the people of the three regions as a force for development of the three regions.

COBAANA has followed the delegation from the Bono Regional house of chiefs that were at the presidency to present a petition from the organizers of the #Sunyani Deserve Better/ #Bono Deserve Better demonstration held some few months ago in Sunyani. Oseadeyo Nana Agyeman Badu II who spoke on behalf of the house mentioned the numerous problems confronting the region in terms of infrastructural deficit in the region. COBAANA would like to add their voice to the many infrastructural challenges in the three regions. In the view of COBAANA, such an encounter is the best way to let the presidency know for instance how the lack of road infrastructure is seriously affecting the evacuation of farm produce from the famed food basket of Ghana (the Bono and Ahafo regions). COBAANA would like to add our voice to the call from the demonstrators which was echoed by the chiefs that the region lacks behind in many areas of our lives and the sooner these issues are addressed the better it will be for the youth and the general population of the region as a whole.

Of greater concerns to COBAANA among the many issues raised are the educational needs of the two universities in the region (Sunyani Technical University and the University of Energy and Renewable Natural Resources). It is amusing that it is only in Bono region that government converts an existing education institution into a university and never augments that with requisite infrastructural support. We ask that the infrastructures for the satellite campuses of the above mentioned Universities should be given the urgent attention because with the increase in the student population of these institutions, there is the urgent need for the institutions to have those infrastructures to make teaching and learning easy on their campuses.

Similarly, the issue of the proposed teaching hospital should be given an utmost consideration. Such a facility (a Teaching Hospital) will not serve only the people of the Bono region but also the two other sister regions (Bono East and Ahafo) and even parts of the northern regions and hence the need to give it the necessary and urgent consideration. Many researches on the proposed Teaching hospital in Sunyani reveal that much will be derived when it is put up and the benefits in having such an institution in the region far outweigh the cost in establishing it. The catchment areas to be served by the proposed Teaching University is such that we call on the Ministries of Health and Education to come together to make the teaching hospital a reality. The regional hospital at Sunyani and the University of Energy and Natural Resources has the basic infrastructure to start this all important institution.

COBAANA wants to call on the politicians from the region to rise up and do all in their power to help the region receive its fair share of the national cake. Our politicians should help and work with our Chiefs and the youth when it comes to the development of the region. The practice where some of these political leaders from the region are not engaging with other stakeholders when it comes to the development of their respective areas should cease forthwith and should work with all those who have the interest of the regions at heart. COBAANA is also calling on the government to address similar needs of the other two regions- Bono East and Ahafo regions since their problems are not different from those of the Bono Region and as such they should also be addressed. Road network, health and education facilities in our sister regions (Bono East and Ahafo regions) are in dire need of attention and it is our expectation that attention should be given to them. COBAANA is calling on all politicians in the regions irrespective of their political affiliation, whether from NPP, NOC or any other political party to work in unison when it comes to the development of the regions. We have sadly observed that not much is seen in such collaboration when it comes to thinking about the development of the region. Our politicians should know that when their time in politics is over, they will return to the region and as such if they help build a better region, they will enjoy "the fruits of their labor".

COBAANA calls on the Regional house of chiefs to make such visits to the presidency a regular occurrence and in so doing the government will be reminded of the needed infrastructure and other needs of the region. We also call on the government to make do its promise to the chiefs to address the concerns of the youth and the chiefs from the Bono region. We once again congratulate our Nananom for taking that step and to dialogue with the presidency all with the view to bringing our challenges and concern to the presidency.

Issued by

Augustine Boahen

General Secretary, COBAANA

May 30, 2022