Asante Development Initiative (ADI), an emerging umbrella Asantegroup, has called on stakeholders to be assertive and champion the development of Asanteman.
ADI intends to form Committees of Development and Economics, Politics, Security, Education, Health, Youth and Women Empowerment and Development, as well as promote ideals and values of Asante indigenes.
It also includes instilling beliefs and practices such as allegiance to the Golden Stool and the preparedness to protect and preserve it,perseverance in pursuit of unity of purpose, honesty and sacrifice.
It also wants to champion the economic emancipation of the people,particularly the youth and women and the general development of the region.
At a stakeholders meeting last Sunday, ADI adopted strategies to encourage the various groups to champion the development agenda of the region as a whole.
The stakeholders included representatives of Asante Students Union(ASU), Asante Students Union Alumni (ASUA), Asante Youth Association(AYA), Asante Professionals Club (APC), Asante Watch, Asante United Front, Asanteman Pepeeye ye Amanone (GH) and Asante Kotoko Society.
Speakers at the meeting included Dr. Kwame Bawuah Edusei, Dr. Baffour Asafo Adjei, Mr Charles Wilberforce Nuako, Teacher Osei Bonsu Sarfo Kantanka, Nana Ama Achiaa and Nana Kwasi Konadu.
They called on all Asante groups to be selfless and united to demand its fair share of the national cake, in line with ADI’s resolve to restructure andrestrategise ideals of the various Asante groups for development in the Ashanti region.
ADI’s position is premised on the seeming marginalisation of the Ashanti region in terms of development in the face of its contribution to the national economy.
The alleged marginalisation and strange attitude that seeks tobelittle Asante Traditional Authorities emanate from a suspected secret anti-Ashanti agenda being pursued by the government which theADI has been condemned in no uncertain terms.
ADI bemoaned the marginalisation of the people who brought the government into power by way of votes, yet cannot boast of a single major project.
It said the government has reneged on its election promise to construct five interchanges, even though the resources from the region have gone into the completion of two such interchanges at Tema and four in Accra, when one in Kumasi is yet to be completed.
It also mentioned the lack of a Regional Hospital in Ashanti region and the Sewua hospital project and the Military hospital at Afari, which could pass for regional health facilities, as well as the Boankra Inland Port project which have stalled, allegedly to spite Ashantis.
The group indicated that the original design for the Kumasi Airport and the Kumasi Accra dual carriage road have been altered in an attempt by the government to discriminate against the people of the region.
Last Sunday’s meeting also referred to concerns raised by Asante Kotoko Society, comprising about 23 other Asante groups, with regards to natural resources from Asanteman, which have contributed immensely towards the development of Ghana over a century, yet diseases
squalor, poverty, death traps and incidence of unemployment, coupled with low rates of education for the people, poor infrastructure, bad road network, low levels of social amenities and absence of employment opportunities have been their lot.
The Asante Kotoko Society had previously in 2020 opposed the development modules and investment plan of the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) which seeks to give investors 70% and 30% for Ghana, out of which GIADEC owns 2% and the proposed siting of are finery at Kyebi, which has less 10% of bauxite deposit for bauxite to
be conveyed in trucks to Kyebi from Nyinahin, at the expense of our roads.
ADI observed that though the Ashanti Parliamentary caucus, said to be dormant, is a minority against the rest of the House, even though it formed the majority of MPs in Parliament of having failed to champion the aspirations of the people it represents.
It would, therefore, want to see the government reciprocate the gesture by the people in the region, stressing the refrain “one good turn deserves another”.
Incensed by the prevailing situation in the region, ADI has given the government an ultimatum to ensure that all projects it (government)penciled for the region are completed within the next two years, else it would advise itself against ever treating the government with kids’
gloves.
