Ghana is to reconstruct new intermediary land boundary pillars to protect the country’s land boundaries and ensure effective boundary management.

The decision to reconstruct the new pillars was a result of their weak nature that had led to their removal by natural activities such as erosion and farming.

Also, due to the lack of a well demarcat­ed international land boundaries, foreigners from neighbouring countries stray into Ghana without notice.

“All our boundaries are demarcated. However, we have a few challenges. These challenges have to do with the type of pillars that have been constructed along our land boundaries. Most of the pillars are very weak, and some of them have been removed as a result of natural activities,” the Commissioner General of the Ghana Boundary Commission, Major General Emmanuel Wekem Kotia, said.

“What we have done is that we have decided with our neighbours to start what we call the reaffirmation exercise. The reaf­firmation means that we are confirming our land boundaries, and as a result of that, we are even increasing the number of bound­aries along the international boundaries.

Apart from the main pillars, we are introducing intermediary pillars, which are within the main pillars and probably a distance of 500m apart,” he added.

Major General Kotia disclosed this when the Ghana Boundary Commission paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Local Gov­ernment, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, in Accra on Friday.

He said that the reaffirmation exercise was being sponsored by the German government with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) as the implanting partner.

Apart from the construction of the intermediary pillars, the Ghana Boundary Commission, Major General Kotia said, had initiated some social intervention programmes such as the construction of health centres to support deprived commu­nities along the country’s boundaries.

He said that it was important for the country to develop initiatives to encourage local economic development, especially for communities along her boundaries, and therefore pledged the Boundary Commis­sion’s support to the government in that regard.

Also, he appealed to the ministry to include the Boundary Commission in work­shops organised for district assemblies to enable the Commission brief District Chief Executives on its mandate.

Additionally, Major General Kotia prom­ised to collaborate with the Ministry and all other stakeholders in the protection and management of land boundaries along the country.

In his remarks, Mr Ibrahim assured Ma­jor General Kotia that the concerns raised were well noted, and the necessary mea­sures  would be taken to address them.

He also noted that the government recognised the challenges that the lack of clarity on the country’s internal boundar­ies had created, which sometimes affects revenue mobilisation at the local level and constituency creation.

Mr Ibrahim said the government would support the Boundary Commission finan­cially to enable it to carry out its mandate effectively and reduce the Commission’s reliance on international organisations for funding.

 The Oti Region­al Coordinating Council (ORCC) has adopted a non-partisan strategy to foster the development of the region by convening stakeholder meetings in the capital, Dambai.

The meetings are designed to harness the participants’ experienc­es, exchange ideas, and collaborate effectively with the ORCC, thereby enabling them to make significant contributions to the region’s devel­opment.

The stakeholders consisted of former Municipal and District Chief Executives (MDCEs) from both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Pa­triotic Party (NPP), encompassing the years surrounding 2001, both prior to and following the estab­lishment of the Oti region.

Their extensive experiences during their tenures were intended to contribute significantly to the region’s development.

Speaking at the meeting, the Oti Regional Minister, Mr John Kwad­wo Gyapong, said the stakeholder gathering would provide him with the opportunity to gain insights from the experiences of previous Municipal, District, and Chief Executives (MDCEs).

He emphasised the importance of recognising both challenges and opportunities in order to leverage them for the necessary develop­ment aimed at enhancing the living conditions of the community.

Mr Gyapong again stressed that the development of the Oti Region called for unity and peace which he said were prerequisites for growth, saying the development efforts of the region should be devoid of partisan politics and called on all stakeholders to contribute mean­ingfully to the progress of the region.

The Regional Minister com­mended the former MDCEs for their willingness to support the de­velopment activities of the region, and called on other development partners to help bring the needed development to the region.

A former District Chief Exec­utive for Krachi West, Mr Moses Kwame Ponyeh, lauded what he described as an all-inclusive administration adopted by the Oti Regional Minister, and urged him not to relent in his efforts, since the move would definitely yield positive results for growth.

Mr Ponyeh said development should be regarded as a collective responsibility of all, irrespective of political affiliation to ensure that relevant development needs would be provided for the people.

The former District Chief Ex­ecutive (DCE) stated that the lack of a bridge over the Oti River, along with insufficient agricultural practices such as irrigation, has hindered development over the years.

He noted that the current sce­nario, where vehicles transporting agricultural products from the northern regions of the country and Burkina Faso must wait for hours at the Oti River bank for a pontoon to ferry them across, is detrimental to economic activities.

Mr Ponyeeh explained that the absence of effective transport system in the region continued to militate against the progress of the region, and would definitely affect government’s 24hour economy when implemented and appealed to the government to build a bridge at Dambai as a legacy project of the Mahama-led NDC government.

 FROM SAMUEL AGBEWODE, DAMBAI

Since the institution of the Heri­tage Month celebration in Ghana, it has offered citizens opportuni­ties of a lifetime to learn about their cultures and lifestyles.

Ghana’s version is observed in the month of March, coinciding with the country’s Independence Day celebra­tions on March 6.

Heritage Month features festivals, food fairs, arts, crafts, and music events to highlight the economic and social value of preserving national heritage.

Though a brainchild of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), the celebra­tion has been driven to greater heights by local media with the organisation of several events to create the needed euphoria.

Among the events are the Heritage Caravan and Back To Your Village Food Bazaar pow­ered by Accra-based Citi FM and Citi TV, Wear Ghana Festival and the Gɔbɛ festival powered by 3News.

The Heritage Caravan is a road trip which takes patrons across more than half of Ghana’s regions to offer a distinctive road trip that allows participants to explore the various re­gions of Ghana, providing an up-close encounter with the country’s histori­cal and cultural heritage.

In addition to these roles played by the media, news anchors and other presenters appear on screens immac­ulately garbed in locally made outfits, bringing out the beauty of our tradi­tions.

Today, The Spectator news­paper selected a few of the media personalities that are working to give the cel­ebration a global dimension to project the country.  

 By Andrew Nortey