Creation of New Regions ( Volta at a glance)

CULTURAL NEWS
Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Creation of the regions
Volta at a glance
Story: Tim Dzamboe


*The great bridge over the River Volta – the ADOMI BRIDGE – one of the biggest in Africa, was completed in 1956 and links Eastern Region to Volta Region.

THE Volta Region occupies the eastern part of Ghana, which stretches from the coastal belt into the savanna and occupies a land size of 18093.27 square kilometers or 6959.42 square miles and shares the eastern border with the Republic of Togo, the southern border with the Atlantic Ocean, the west with the Volta Lake and the north with the Northern Region

According to a former District Commissioner in the Kwame Nkrumah regime, Mr. Johnson Dabo of Kadjebi, the region’s name “Volta” was adopted from the name “Trans-Volta Togoland”, the name by which the area was then known before the 1956 plebiscite when the northern sector of the region decided to join the Gold Coast. The Volta water resource also lies along its western side.
It earned the nick name “number nine” from the serial number “9” of a beauty queen from the region, Miss Monica Amekuefia from Alavanyo, who represented the region at the national beauty queen pageant in the 1960s.
Initially, about half of the region from the Atlantic coast to Kpeve was considered to be part of the Gold Coast Colony under British rule and the area from Kpeve to the north was under Germany as a result of the partition of Africa.
The area to the north of Kpeve was known as the Trans-Volta Togoland but was re-designated a Trust Colony and administered jointly under the British and French after the defeat of Germany in the World War 11. In 1956, a plebiscite was held to determine which part of the Trust Colony should belong to the British or the French.
A section of the people of the trust opted to join the Gold Coast and thus the people of the Volta Region of Ghana, while those who opted for French rule joined Togo.
SO far, 27 Regional Ministers
Dumegah
or Commissioners have served under the various governments from the reign of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) after independence to date under the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Mr. C.H. Chapman was the first to be appointed regional minister from November 1957 to June 1959 under the CPP government.
Four other Regional Ministers were appointed by the CPP until it was toppled in 1966 in the first coup d’etat in the country.
They were Mr. F.K. Goka from June 1959 to June 1960, Mr. H.K. Boni from October 1961 to July 1965 and Mr. Joseph Kodzo from July 1965 to February 1966.

The government of the National Liberation Council (NLC) appointed Mr. E.Q.Q. Saanie from February to May 1966, as regional commissioner, to be followed later by Lt. Col. Enn Dedjoe from May 1966 to July 1967, and Lt Col, E.A. Yeboah from July 1967 to June 1968.
Mr. A.S. Kpodonu was the first Regional Commissioner for the region under the democratically elected government of the Progress Party (PP) from October 1969 to January 1972.
Another military junta, the National Redemption Council (NRC), which seized power in 1972 appointed Major P.K.D. Habada as Regional Commissioner from January 1972 to May 1973, Colonel E.O. Nyante from May 1973 to January 1974, Colonel J.A. Kobore from January 1974 to October 1975 and Major G.K. Amevor became the regional commissioner for the Supreme Military Council from October 1975 to July 1976.
Under the People’s National Convention (PNP) government, Mr. N.Y.A Agbesi became Regional Commissioner from October to November 1979 to be followed by Mr. D.Y. Agumey who acted from November 1979 to October 1980 and became the substantive commissioner from October to December 1981.
When the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) came to power it appointed Dr. N.I. Yao Fiagbe as Regional Secretary from December 1981 to January 1983, to be followed by Dr. A.K. Asamoah-Tutu, 1983-April 1984, Col. A.K. Amable from April to July 1984, Air Commodore F.W. Klutse.