Government has presented a total of eight vehicles to the Western North Regional Coordinating Council, to facilitate the smooth take off of the newly created region.

The vehicles which include 3 Nissan Patrol SUVs, and five pickup vehicles, were presented by the president, Nana Akufo-Addo to the Western North Regional Minister, Kingsley Aboagye Gyedu, Wednesday.

Speaking at a durbar of Chiefs at Sefwi Wiawso, capital of the Western North Region the president Akufo-Addo noted that the pledge he made in the run-up to the 2016 elections “was not to win votes from you, but I was convinced that, with the Western North Region, development would be accelerated than before.”

The President noted that “I have not changed my mind; I still stand by my word. That is why I am here today, to see how we can, together, work to create a Western North Region that will bring the needed development.”

In the run up to the 2016 election, the president vowed to fulfill a request by chiefs and other opinion leaders to create new regions.

After winning power, he followed the process of law, which culminated in a referendum with an overwhelming support for the creation of the new regions.

The six regions are Oti, Savanna, Western North, Bono East, Ahafo, North East regions.

The president has begun an official visit to the new regions.

8 vehicles

Having earlier inspected the site for the construction of the administration block for the Western North Region, President Akufo-Addo noted that, already, the head of the Local Government Service, Nana Ato Arthur, has selected the staff to work at the regional coordinating council.

To the pioneer local government staff, he urged them “to work hard and to begin on a sound footnote, so that everybody will know that they came to do their best for the Western North region”.

Touching on some roads of interest to the Omanhene of Sefwi Wiawso, Katakyie Kwasi Bumagama II, the President noted the first section of the Benkyemaa Junction to Osei Kojokrom, i.e. from Benkyemaa Junction to Adwoafua, has the procurement process for bitumen ongoing. The second 16-kilometre stretch, i.e. from Adwoafua to Nsam, isundergoing bitumen surfacing, with the second treatment soon to be done. The third section, the Nsam-Osei Kojokrom, i.e. 24 km road, is incorporated in the $2 billion Sinohydrodeal.

Additionally, the first 15 kilometres of the Sefwi-WiawsoAkontombra road, President Akufo-Addo assured, is undergoing the procurement processes, with the second section to Akontombraalready under construction.

He assured further that the contract for the 28 kilometre Akontombra to Dadieso road will be awarded this year, and, by the 2020, the road will be constructed, with the Enchi-Elubo road also placed under the $2 billion Sinohydro facility.

“Your roads are dear to my heart, and Iam working on them. If we came this evening, it is for you to know that you did not vote for me in vain. Now, you have your own region, and we are determined to ensure that your developmental needs are accelerated,” President Akufo-Addo noted.

He urged residents of Western North and Western Region to “live in harmony, since we are all part of one united Ghana.”

Earlier in the day, President Akufo-Addo cut the sod for the construction of the main campus of the Bibiani College of Health Sciences, made a brief stop at Ntrentrenso where he inspected a cocoa rehabilitation farm.

The President also inspected a newly constructed Business Resource Centre at Sefwi Wiawso.