Michael Boateng
13 November 2009
Brong-Ahafo — After His Excellency Professor John Evans Atta-Mills has indicated his readiness to establish a University of Energy and Natural Resources in the Brong-Ahafo Region in fulfillment of his campaign promise, the people of the region have assured him of their support to make the promise a reality, devoid of political discrepancies.
Prof. Mills, during the climax of the Golden Jubilee celebration of the creation of the Brong-Ahafo Region, said a committee would be constituted to start the necessary preparatory works to ensure that the government constructs two public universities for the Brong-Ahafo and Volta regions respectively.
The President however called on the chiefs and people of the region to support the vision with unity for rapid development, asserting that Brong-Ahafo was endowed with rich natural and human resources, which needed to be harnessed for its growth.
According to Prof. Mills, governance was a shared responsibility, therefore the chiefs should sacrifice by providing lands for the proposed University, whilst the people also support with peace and cooperation, to make it a success.
The promise and plea of the President touched the hearts of many people who spoke to The Chronicle after the durbar.
The people of the region stressed that the chiefs have a major task in ensuring that the President's promise was delivered, by providing the required lands needed for the University.
The basic thing needed is land, and the traditional authorities being custodians of the lands, have not justification to deny the people such a great asset to improve the human resource capacity of the region, and the entire nation for rapid socio-economic development.
Madam Martha Akosua Boatemaa, a businesswoman, said the increasing rate of irregular migration among the youth of the region, could be curbed, if they gain access to tertiary education, and the establishing of the university could be of great advantage in fighting the issue of irregular migration.
She noted that was a pity to hear many youth losing their lives in embarking on deadly voyages through the desert, emphasising that the region, and for that matter Ghana, cannot afford to continue losing her youth through such avoidable means.
She commended the President for the promise, and called on the chiefs and people of the region to do their possible best without any political differences, to help make the dream a realisation.
Mr. Kofi Asumani, an electric welder, said the President's promise should not be given any political interpretation, but be supported nationalistically, for the betterment of the region.
"This is the time to think Ghana first, and desist from negative acts that derail the progressive agenda of the nation." However, a Chronicle source can confirm that some of the chiefs have expressed their readiness to allocate parcels of land for the university projects.
The chiefs, according to the source, were ever-ready to support the project, but the problem was the location, as the site of the university was now in contention. Some chiefs have begun lobbying that the proposed university be established within their jurisdiction, but it is believed that the committee to be set up by the President would consider the most appropriate place to site the project.
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