A member of the National Democratic Congress communication team in Bolgatanga in the Upper East region Paul Danka has blamed the stagnating development in the region on the inability of political heads and government appointees in the region to creatively lobby for projects.
Bolgatanga, the regional capital of the Upper East region over the years has been lagging behind in terms of infrastructural development with classical examples including poor sporting facilities, unfitting structures in the heart of the town and bad nature of roads in the municipality.
Civil society organizations and pressure groups in the region have in the past held series of press conferences and demonstrations in a bid to get some major roads in the municipality constructed but that has yielded no results.
Though His Excellency John Dramani Mahama on some occasions promised getting the Bolga-Bawku road which is a major road linking the regional capital to major towns in the eastern corridor of the region and neighboring country Togo, the road still remains an eyesore with the Zuarungu stretch claiming lives of road users almost on daily basis.
In a discussion on the bane of roads network on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East show Thursday, Paul Danka observed the situation as one that should be blamed on the lack of innovative lobbying on the part of persons at the helm of affairs and influential positions in and outside the region.
He explained that the failure of government appointees and traditional rulers to break the jinx and approach people in the corridors of power or organizations for development projects deprives the region.
“I will squarely blame our inability to have much at the doorsteps of most of the people that really matter, the politicians, our appointees and elected members, traditional rulers and supposed lobbyist groups. Most at times we only hear about them at some instances but what sometimes we expect to hear from them or see them do, we don’t actually get it.”
While intimating that Ghana is a unitary state with a single pool of resources and likening it to “a family bowl and when they serve food, irrespective of the temperature you just have to deep your hands in,” Paul noted that the upper east region can get an appreciable level of development if duty bearers engage power brokers at that level and push for projects.
Writing proposals and embarking on significant visits to high places for development projects are key in wooing projects such as roads construction but this he added isn’t being done by some appointees in the region.
He said “You would realize that whereas some areas traditional rulers are actually able to get their paramountcy together, go meet the president and make their demands, up here is very rare.”
He further stated that the lack of innovation and the over dependence on district assembly common fund is another cause of the under development because the amount often received falls short of meeting the needed development projects.
BONABOTO not “Sleeping”
In his response to assertions that civil society organizations and pressure groups in the Upper East region have relented in their fight for development, spokesperson for union of Bolga Nangode Bongo and Tongo (BONABOTO) Stanley Abopam said the union can’t be blamed for any wrong doing following its incessant calls and pressure on leaders in the region to execute certain projects.
According to him, BONABOTO has in the past championed the course of the region and held many meetings with duty bearers and in some cases demonstrations to drum home their demand for development. He further cited a recent demonstration organized by the union to call for the construction of major roads in the region but that was tagged as a politically motivated demonstration and hence saw a low participation by residents.
Mr. Stanley Abopam blamed the worrying development issue on the lack of support from the citizenry in a craze for projects adding that “people appear to be satisfied with the little they get.”
By: Azongo Albert | A1RADIOONLINE.com | GHANA
