I am very delighted to welcome you back to Jubilee House, the seat of the Presidency of our nation. We first gathered here on 19th October, 2017, after I had received several petitions from individual citizens and diverse groups, seeking the creation of several new regions, a process which had obtained the support of the Council of State, expressed to me in its epoch-marking letter of 15th August, 2017.

In accordance with the teachings of the Constitution of the Republic, provided in Article 5(2), I proceeded to inaugurate, pursuant to Constitutional Instrument No. 105 (C.I 105), this Commission of Inquiry, with the following terms of reference:

a)to inquire, pursuant to the petitions, into the need and substantial demand for the creation of new regions and, thereby, the alteration of Western Region, Brong Ahafo Region, Northern Region and Volta Region;

b)to make recommendations to the President, based on its findings, on the creation of a region or alteration of regions; and

c)to specify the issues to be determined by referendum and the places where the referendum should be held, where it makes recommendations for the creation of new regions and alteration of regions.

C.I 105 required the Commission to complete its job within 6 months, i.e. by April 30th, 2018. This period, at the request of the Commission, as a result of the extensive nature of its task, was extended by C.I. 107 to 30th June, 2018.  

I am pleased you have now concluded this assignment, and, on behalf of the Ghanaian people and their government, I express my deep appreciation to the 9-person Commission, chaired by the distinguished jurist and respected former member of the Supreme Court, Mr. Justice S.A. Brobbey, for bringing to a conclusion this momentous undertaking. I am grateful to him, and also to all the other excellent men and women of various skills, expertise and knowledge who form part of this Commission and its Secretariat.

I followed with keen interest the proceedings of the Commission, and noted, with satisfaction, the wide nature of the consultations undertaken. I was, particularly, pleasantly struck by the several occasions, in the course of those proceedings, when important personalities from different political persuasions saw common ground on the need to create new regions. It is clear that the process has been demand-driven, and reflective of the will of the people, as the Constitution so intends. It has been a truly national exercise.

The report submitted by the Commission indicates that there is, indeed, a need and substantial demand for the creation of new regions in the various areas that were the subject of its inquiry. The Commission has recommended the creation of the following new regions – Western North, Bono East, Ahafo, Savannah, North East, and Oti. The Commission has, thus, further recommended that the Electoral Commission hold referenda in these new proposed regions to determine whether the constitutional thresholds for the creation of new regions will be met by the vote of the people affected. It has also specified the issues that the referenda will resolve.  

Let me reiterate that at least 50% of the persons entitled to vote must vote in each of the different referenda, and, of the votes cast, at least 80% must be cast in favour of the creation of a region for the demand to succeed. The Constitution insists that the process and outcome must be guided by the popular will, and it is my earnest wish that the holding of the referenda will be conducted in an orderly and peaceful manner. Generally, throughout our history, administrative regions have been created to bring governance closer to the people and accelerate socio-economic development. Hopefully, the creation of these new regions will serve the same purposes.

We are chartering new paths in the development of Ghanaian democracy. This is the first time that, in a constitutional era, regions are being created under constitutional provisions. The work of this Commission will definitely be one of the landmarks in that journey. History will definitely applaud, I have no doubt, the manner in which this Commission has discharged its historic duty.

Let me acknowledge, with gratitude, the support of the Ghanaian people in their different components – Members of the Council of State, Regional Ministers, Members of Parliament, Municipal and District Chief Executives, traditional rulers, security personnel, public servants, opinion leaders and members of the media, professionals, workers and farmers – for the work of the Commission during its consultations and public hearings.

It would be remiss of me to end this statement without paying due tribute to the Minister for Regional Reorganisation and Development, Hon. Dan Kwaku Botwe, Member of Parliament for Okere, for the exhaustive, painstaking and sensitive work that he has done to bring this matter to its present state. General, as he is often referred to in NPP circles, ayekoo. You have proved yourself a public servant of the highest pedigree, and I thank Almighty God for the inspiration that led me to choose you to lead this vital, national initiative.

Now, the process will be in the hands of the Electoral Commission and the people.

May God bless us all, and our homeland Ghana, and make her great and strong.

Thank you for your attention.