Government has given the clearest indication that it will in a matter of weeks inaugurate the Guan District.

The people of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lolobi and Likpe (SALL) Traditional Areas have since 2019 been without an administrative district after the Oti Region was carved from the Volta Region.

Some residents and traditional leaders including the Paramount Chief of the Santrokofi, Nana Letsabi say the delay in inaugurating the district has retard development in the area.

But Minister for Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development, Dan Botwe revealed that the inaugural ceremony would be held in the coming weeks to make the Guan District fully operationalized.

Speaking to Evans Mensah on PM Express Monday, Mr. Botwe said government has held very successful consultation with key stakeholders with some offering properties to be used as temporal offices when the district is inaugurated.

“We have created the Guan Constituency. It has to be inaugurated. You just don’t create an Assembly then starts functioning. There should be an inauguration of the Assembly. That has to take place…We have to send furniture, do the installation, some adjustments will have to be made and all that. As soon as that is done, the Assembly will be inaugurated. I’m sure in a matter of weeks the inauguration will be done,” he revealed.

The Local Government Minister also indicated that a consensus had been reached among the chiefs of the SALL area in the presence of eminent stateman, Dr. Obed Asamoah for the inaugural ceremony.

Mr Botwe, however, said that the posting of personnel to the district offices lies in the hands of the Local Government Service.

There are concerns why President Akufo-Addo did not nominate a candidate for the District Chief Executive position for Guan when he released the full list of nominees to lead the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies.

But Mr Dan Botwe who is also the Member for Parliament for Okere Constituency said that the Guan district is not found in the list because it is yet to be inaugurated.

Background

Guan District made up of Santrofi, Akpafu, Likpe and Lolobi (SALL) in the Oti Region was created following a Legislative Instrument laid in Parliament by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development in 2019.

The Guan District was previously part of Hohoe Municipal (District Electoral Areas and Designation of Units) Instrument, 2014. C. I. 85.

However, the area was placed in the Oti Region in the Referendum (Creation of New Regions) Regulations, 2018 C. I. 109 of 30th November, 2018 as recommended by the Commission of Inquiry into the creation of the six new regions.

Consequently, Guan was made part of the Oti Region in Oti Region Instrument, 2019 C. I. 112 on 8th February, 2019.

It was also included in the Jasikan District in the Oti Region as provided in the District Electoral Areas and Designation of Unit Assemblies.

However, government has now created it as a new district with the maturity in parliament of Local Government (Guan District Assembly) (Establishment) Instrument, 2020.

The Guan District consists of 13 electoral areas and will be the 261st District in Ghana when inaugurated.