THE BEST COMES FROM THE WEST

Very often, we hear people especially from the Western region of Ghana and also from the western parts of the world make a certain statement: ‘The Best Comes from the West’. Having heard this repeatedly, it has somewhat become a cliché. We say this without realizing the truth in it, even for the indigenous people of the Western region of Ghana.

The question now becomes: How true is this assertion? Is there at least one bit of truth in this? Have you ever thought about this?

The answer to the questions raised is a big YES! The best truly does come from the west, from the western region of Ghana for that matter. Proudly enough, Ghana is found in the western part of the African continent.

As a developing country, Ghana like most developing countries relies on certain basic resources for its growth and development. Let’s talk about our mineral resources and other natural resources including the human resources. The gold we talk so proudly about as Ghanaians are mainly mined in this region. The manganese, and other ores are just but a few of the minerals found within the rich soils of this region. A greater percentage of these minerals mined within this region forms part of the country’s major mineral exports and raw materials. Talk about the forest resources (forestry): timber, rubber plants, the palm trees, etc for construction and exportation. All these are found within the western region. Again let’s not forget one of our major exports; yes, our rich cocoa. All these thrive very well on the rich soils of the western region of Ghana. Let us not forget the latest; one of the major and best finds in the history of our great nation Ghana; the new hope for our development; the new stride into good times to come; our latest treasure – the oil. This is something that we currently talk about each day because we know what that means to the development of our dear nation, our economy and its people. What about the tourist attraction sites and golden beaches? It will be a crime to talk about all these without mentioning our harbor. This was once a major source of employment for a lot of people and was a major port for exports and imports. Let’s not forget about the fisheries. The railways were once also a pride of the region, providing a means of transportation for people and also carriage of goods. For the human resource contribution, there is one great name that always comes up: Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah! The father of the nation is just but one of several people from the region, whose contribution has brought honour to us all.

These are just a few classical examples of the resources that western region has contributed to our economy and development.

Sadly enough, with all that this region has got to offer, nothing much can be said about her terms of infrastructural development. This region has got everything and yet has nothing! It has absolutely nothing to show for all the contributions she has made to our economy. How many major towns can we boast of within the region? What major infrastructural development can we talk of?

One cannot overlook the individual contributions of the other regions of the country but if we are sincere enough, we can attest to the fact that nothing much is being done for the western region considering all that she has to offer.

In the past, the harbor was the main source of employment for most people. These days, things are different. A lot of the youth cannot gain employment in this sector. Job creation and availability is a major problem confronting the young people of the region. This has made a lot of the youth unemployed, somehow contributing to the urban drift into the already overpopulated national capital, Accra.

Most of the roads linking the food producing centers within the region to the regional capital and other cities within the country are all in deplorable conditions. The road network within the region is so bad that it discourages a lot of motorists prying these routes and hence makes business and movement difficult. The question is: what are the opinion leaders, chiefs, district and municipal chief executives doing about this? Were they not chosen to fight for the interests of their respective areas of jurisdiction? Clearly, the efforts being made by these responsible agents is nothing to write home about.

There are a number of mining activities within the region involving well-known mining companies. What are they doing as part of their social responsibilities? What is the government also doing about this? These companies pry these routes all the time with their huge vehicles and equipments. What is being done about these bad roads?

We always talk about our share of the national cake. Which cake are we talking about? We also say: ‘He who does not work must not eat’. Clearly, Western region is working and rather overworking itself but it’s not being fed at all. This region is supposed to be at the peak of its development in terms of infrastructure as compared to all the other regions considering its contribution but sadly enough, that cannot be seen at all. There are no jobs, the road networks are in bad shapes and it lacks a lot of major amenities.

This region is being treated unfairly. It is high time the government pays more attention to the needs of this region. We should not always act like parasites and suck up all that we can but should have a mutual relationship. From all that this region has got to offer, it must also receive in return. The region deserves a facelift. More jobs should be created to create employment. The road networks should be improved. The region needs good schools, hospitals and other social amenities.

The governmental agencies and other non-governmental agencies responsible should sit up and do their work. They should not only consider their personal interests but should consider the group. True development should be collective/holistic. We all have to take this matter seriously because the day we stop enjoying all the good things this region has to offer is the day our economy collapses. It is only fair that the region receives what it truly deserves for its contributions.

From now onwards, let us not just say it. We should truly mean, understand and realize that: The Best, indeed Comes from the West- the Western Region of Ghana!