DR Archibald Yao Letsa, the immediate past Volta Regional Minister, has described the hostile political atmosphere of the Region as a thing of the past.
He said people were getting used to others expressing interest in different political views and alliances.
Dr Letsa asserted that the political environment of the Region was much better while there was more tolerance now and more respect was accorded people’s opinion which was improvement.
Speaking with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Dr Letsa said in the past, everyone in the Region expected indigenes to affiliate and be interested in the ideologies and practices of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He stated that in the past, people could be pelted with stones, adding that things had taken a turn that when members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) visit the Region, they became amazed because they were received warmly without attacks.
“The other day, I went somewhere I saw people in NPP t-shirts and there was no fuss. The hostility has died down completely,” Dr Letsa said.
Dr Letsa emphasized that one of the greatest things he was happy about is that “at least” he left the Region in a very peaceful state because when he took office in 2017, the Alavanyo-Nkonya conflict was “hell” for him.
He said it was a longstanding conflict that gave him sleepless nights adding that, “you hardly go to bed and sleep because you are always scared that you will be called that some people have been killed.”
The former Volta Regional Minister further explained that there had to be a deliberate effort with the support of National Security, the president, the locals, the Peace Council and the opinion leaders from Nkonya and Alavanyo to bring the conflict under control.
In furtherance, he outlined that the Trans-Volta Togoland successionist group’s disturbances was another serious incident that was quite embarrassing, and they had to work on it, adding that the collaboration was great from the Regional House of Chiefs and the political parties.
He noted: “Thankfully, they (successionist group) did not have support among the citizens of the Volta Region. They did not have it at all. Most people were not interested in what they were doing. So, they helped us to bring that one also under control.”
Dr Letsa again stated that the issue of the eastern border was also critical in view of the terrorism, threats of terrorism in the sub-region because there were reports of terrorist activity in Togo which compelled us to work very hard to make sure the Region was secured and peaceful, and the security agencies were doing a good job.
Moreover, he said putting the Region on the map with regards to tourism was another success with the support of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) and tourism ambassadors with the Volta Fair initiative.
Dr Letsa also underlined that the 2021 edition of the Volta Trade and Investment Fair was a successful run by the Volta Regional Coordinating Council.
“It’s the biggest we have experienced so far. The people did not even want us to close,” he mentioned.
He emphasized that aside the fair boosting the local economy, it brought a lot of guests to the Region while tourists visit the Region almost every weekend to explore its beauty.
The former Minister said during his era, the Region won back the best (Regional Coordination Council (RCC) in the country for four consecutive times, spanning 2021 and 2024. —GNA
