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How it feels like to loose a business; the current state of Western Region. Part I
Thursday, June 13 2024. A day that goes straight into my diary of how I lost an important business doing in Western Region, Tarkwa. There has been many occurrences shared on social media about how this Western Regional minister has been very lame when it comes to national issues and I must be frank, my experience on June 13th was nothing to take my mind off of the various post I have seen on the media space.
Western Region in retrospective
The Western Region is located in south Ghana,[4]spreads from the Ivory Coast (Comoé District) in the west to the Central region in the east, includes the capital and large twin city of Sekondi-Takoradi on the coast, coastal Axim, and a hilly inland area including Elubo. It includes Ghana’s southernmost location, Cape Three Points, where crude oil was discovered in commercial quantities in June 2007. The region covers an area of 13,842 km2, and had a population of 2,060,585 at the 2021 Census.[2]
The Western Region enjoys a long coastline that stretches from South Ghana’s border with Ivory Coast to the Western region’s boundary with the Central Region on the east.
The Western Region has the highest rainfall in Ghana, lush green hills, and fertile soils. There are numerous small and large-scale gold mines along with offshore oil platforms dominate the Western Region economy.
The culture is dominated by the Akans; the main languages are Akan, French and English.
The largest rivers are the Ankobra River, the Bia River, and the Pra River in the east, with the Tano River partly forming the western national border. The area is known for the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the village of Nzulezo built entirely on stilts and platforms over water[5] and the Ankasa Protected Area. There is a series of imposing Portuguese, Dutch, British, and Brandenburgian forts along the coast, built from 1512 on.
The Dialect/Ethnic group popularly known in the Western Region is Nzema, the beaches of Nzema have become a getaway/vacation/resort destination for a lot of tourists (local and foreign) to experience true Nzema Hospitality. Amongst the top resorts along the coast of Nzema are Venice View Beach Resort, Located in a small town called Baku (also sometimes known as Beku) about 8 minutes drive from Eikwe. Along these beaches are other destinations such as the Fort Apollonia located at Beyin.
Also there is a beach tourist attraction village called Busua, with the biggest tourist resort in the region which has a beach suitable for surfing. On the east there is a small fishing village called Butre with a beach, a lagoon and several tourist resorts. The old language in these parts is Ahanta, most people speak Fanti.[citation needed] (Wikipedia)
One carefully reading through the above from Wikipedia.com would definitely have a great impression about the region and without a shred of doubt would even find ways and means to have an experience, adding up to revenue generated from the region, that is, a visit to this vast rich tourist sites can be a contributing factor to Ghana’s gross domestic product (GDP)
(A graphical representation of Western Region)
With special attention to the contribution of Western Region to gross domestic product (GDP) as at 2015, per capita of $2,500. Fast forward 2024, in my quest to find out the current contribution to national GDP I asked google, since it’s everyone’s friend. “Western Region’s contribution to Gross Domestic Product” even google gave me a tough result, probed and probed but nothing of what I actually wanted. I resorted to A.I, no result as it only provided that of Ghana.
The contribution of Western Region to Ghana’s GDP which I know of, is almost close to 60% considering the gold mining, bauxite, manganese, oil drilling, and so forth coming from Western Region, yet it is the most deprived in terms of infrastructures and development. In a publication on https://yen.com.gh/politics/238168-kennedy-agyapong-blasts-ghanaian-politicans-god-lash-them/ with headline “Kennedy Agyapong Blasts Ghanaian Politicians During Campaign, Says God Must Lash All Of Them”
Going by what Hon. Kennedy Agyapong said in the above, with proper look into Western Region, the regional minister really needs a lashing and to add to; a dirty slap.
A look back in history, Wednesday 24th Ocotober, 2023, a witness to it and a publication on “traffic chaos on poor Takoradi-Agona-Nkwanta road due to heavy vehicle breakdown” https://beachfmonline.com/2023/10/26/traffic-chaos-on-poor-takoradi-agona-nkwanta-road-due-to-heavy-vehicle-breakdown/
(traffic chaos on poor-takoradi-agona-nkwanta road due to heavy vehicle breakdown)
Ladies and gentlemen, we are in 2024 and this same problem from 2023 hasn’t been solved. You’d ask all the big questions. Are there leadership in the region? Does the regional minister know what is happening on that road? As a leader does he have any vision at all? Do they care about the people that commute that road for their daily activities? And so forth.
14th June 2024, same problem persist on Takoradi-Agona-Nkwanta road
The current state of Western Region doesn’t look good, the only national sports stadium we can boast of, Essipong Stadium has been left to deteriorate, center for national culture, the interchange promised us is now a tourist attraction or better put a statue that will soon be named after the Regional Minister I guess. And when He’s granted to speak it’s always trash.
To end with:
“But until you’re affected, you’ll never know the cry of the innocent Ghanaian” ~ Anonymous
“Countrymen, the task ahead is great indeed, and heavy is the responsibility; and yet it is a noble and glorious challenge – a challenge which calls for the courage to dream, the courage to believe, the courage to dare, the courage to do, the courage to envision, the courage to fight, the courage to work, the courage to achieve – to achieve the highest excellencies and the fullest greatness of man. Dare we ask for more in life?” ~ Kwame Nkrumah