Executive Director of the Northern Patriots in Research and Advocacy (NOPRA), Bismarck Adongo Ayorogo has decried what he said is the slow pace of development being witnessed in the Upper East Region.
Speaking in an interview on Breakfast Today on Thursday, Mr. Bismarck Adongo observed that the region is lagging behind in many aspects of development.
He noted that despite the Upper East Region being older, the Upper West Region, which was carved out of it, has made significant progress in infrastructure development than the former.
The NOPRA Executive Director believes the slow pace of development in the region is due to disunity among residents.
“I led series of demonstrations in Upper East and in Upper West and I can tell you I begin to understand why people are referring to them as our babies that have overtaken us. In terms of township road network, they have overtaken us”.
He said although the region has the best of brains, they are sharply divided on tribal lines and sometimes, fight one another over siting of projects instead of uniting and collectively pushing for the development of the geographical area.
This, in his view, has deprived the region of essential infrastructure and amenities.
“All the people who matter When it comes to the question of development are this region, but why are we where we are? We don’t have passport office, we don’t have airport,” he lamented.
“The Kasena man is sitting there and saying, how can it go to Bolga? The Bolga man is sitting and saying how can it go to Kasina land? And we are fighting over nothing”.
The Upper West Region was carved of the then Upper Region (now Upper East Region) in 1983. Since its creation, it has witnessed some moderate level of development, having major facilities including an airport and a passport office built in the area.
However, it mother region, the now Upper East Region is yet to get an airport and a passport office.
Plans by government, for decades now, to build an airport has been hindered by dispute among 3 communities over siting of the project.
