The commission will, thereafter, hold public hearings to enable members of the public and other stakeholders to also contribute to make the process all-inclusive.

The Minister of Regional Re-organisation and Development, Mr Dan Kwaku Botwe, announced this at a news conference in Accra on Thursday.

Petitions

Mr Botwe said six petitions had so far been received from petitioners from the four regions requesting the creation of new regions out of the existing 10.

He indicated that petitioners from the Brong Ahafo and Northern regions had made a case for the creation of two additional regions from the existing ones.

“The Commission will meet the representatives of the petitioners  from the Western Region on November 21, the Volta Region on November 22 , those from Brong Ahafo on November 23 and 28 while petitions from the Northern Region will be heard on November 29  and December 5, 2017 respectively,” he said.

Process           

Mr Botwe said the Constitution required a referendum to take a final decision on the creation of the new regions after approval of the petitions by the commission of enquiry and the government.

“Should the commission be convinced that such a need pertains, it will recommend the places and issues for a referendum. The matter will then be referred to the Electoral Commission for a referendum to be held according to the recommendations of the commission,” he said.

Mr Botwe further stated that the referendum was underpinned by the fact that, the Constitution required 50 per cent of persons living within the proposed areas to endorse the proposal for new regions with 80 per cent of the votes being for or voting yes for approval.

Request

For his part, the Minister of Information, Mr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, explained that the current considerations were based strictly on a request the state had received over the years.

“The agitation for the creation of the new regions began decades ago and so upon assumption of office, a minister was appointed to facilitate the process in line with the constitution,” he said.

Commission of Enquiry

On October 19, 2017, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo inaugurated a nine-member Commission of Enquiry under the chairmanship of Mr Justice Stephen Allan Brobbey to review the petitions for the creation of new regions.

The other members include Dr Grace Bediako, a former Government Statistician; Maulvi Mohammed Bin-Salih, AMEER, Missionary in Charge, Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission in Ghana; Prof. Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa, a former Vice Chancellor, KNUST, and Ms Gladys Gillian Naadu Tetteh, a local governance expert.

The rest are Mr Robert Ajene, a retired director of Education; Dr David Wellington Essaw, a Senior Research Fellow, University of Cape Coast; Prof. George Owusu, Institute of Statistical, Social & Economic Research /Director, Centre for Urban Management Studies, University of Ghana, and Ms Josephine Hughes, a legal practitioner.

The commission is expected to present its report to the President within six months.