Daasebre Emeritus Oti Boateng, Omanhene of New Juaben Traditional Area, has appealed to government to elevate Koforidua to a metropolitan area.

He said statistically, Koforidua which had been divided into New Juaben North and South Municipalities had the required paramemters including population considered for the creation of a metropolis and therefore called on government to work towards elevating the area to that status.

He indicated that for an area to become a Metropolis, it should have a large population size together with many adjacent communities with good economic and social integration level, adding that "Koforidua has it all and so deserves to be a metropolitan area".

Daasebre Oti Boateng made the call when Mr Seth Acheampong, the newly appointed Eastern Regional Minister, paid a courtesy call on him.

He said elevating Koforidua to a metropolis was long overdue.

The former Government statistician who did not mince words said looking at the parameters used in creating a metropolis, Koforidua was far ahead of Cape Coast, yet it was a metropolitan area and stressed that "for Koforidua to remain at municipal status is a disservice to the people and is a minus to the many good things that President Akufo-Addo's government is doing".

He entreated the Regional Minister to spearhead his Root-Based Economic Development (r-BED) Model in all the traditional areas in the Region to propel development and the much needed economic transformation at the grassroots.

The Omanhene explained that the r-BED had been tried and tested in many emerging economies such as China and called on government to adopt the model as the basis of the national development agenda for the benefit of the people.

The Regional Minister, in his response, thanked the Omanhene and assured to cooperate with the traditional authorities in the region so that together with their rich experiences such as the r-BED model, the Eastern Region would become a model region in Ghana.

The Minister was accompanied by Mr Samuel Donkor, Chief Director at the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council (ERCC), Mr Isaac Appau-Gyasi, New Juaben South Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Ms Comfort Asante, New Juaben North MCE, Mr Seth Antwi Bosiako, Kwaebibirim MCE, and Mr Kwame Appiah Koduah, Regional Organizer of the NPP.