He explained that, the plan being put together by the inter-ministerial committee would ensure that any future spillage would not result in the destruction of lives and property.

President Akufo-Addo (middle), with members of the Oti Regional House of Chiefs after the meeting at the Jubilee House

“I am particularly concerned about the problem with the spillage and its effects on the people. The inter-ministerial committee have been established to look into the problem evolving with the spillage,” he added.

President Akufo-Addo was speaking in Accra, yesterday, when a delegation from the Oti Regional House of Chiefs paid a courtesy call on him at the Jubilee House.

Led by the President of the Oti Regional House of Chiefs, Nana Mprah Besemuna, the delegation in­cluded Nana Letsebi II, Paramount Chief of Santrokofi, Nana Obom­bom Lepowura II, Paramount Chief of Atwidie Traditional Area, Nana Okujiaman Kwasi Asiedu KuranII, Paramount Chief of Apesekubi, Nana Dasebre Oduro Kwanim I, Paramount Chief of Dodo and Nana Odam Gyemfi III, Paramount Chief of Akroso.

The rest were Nana Tidibomwu­ra II, Paramount Chief of Ntrobo, Nana Frimpong Ware III, Para­mount Chief for Ampeyoo, Nana Akoto Basetsi III, Paramount Chief of Lolobi, Nana Soglo Aloe, Nana Kwadwo Asiakwa II, Paramount Chief of Nkonya Wre­pong, and Nana Okufrobo Kwame Asante.

President Akufo-Addo assured the traditional leaders of his com­mitment to tackling the challenges that was impacting negatively on the people of Oti as well as Gha­naians in general.

He expressed his appreciation to the Regional House of Chiefs for recognising the importance and the development the creation of the Oti Region had brought to the people of the area.

In terms of development infrastructure and development in general, the President said his administration had built 445km of roads in the Oti Region, saying that the government would continue to work for the development of the area.

Earlier, Nana Mprah Besemuna III appealed to the President to help construct a new secretariat for the Regional House of Chiefs.

According to him, the house was currently using a rented four bedroom private apartment for its activities and this was hampering the smooth operations of the activities.

“Currently, the Oti Regional House of Chiefs is hosted in a rented four room building at Dam­bai and the said facility though a temporary structure is unable to meet the demands of the works of the house, as the conference room which is supposed to be the meeting room of the house for the purpose of carrying out its mandate is not conducive for that purpose,” he emphasised.

Nana Besemuna III noted that the inauguration of the Regional House of Chiefs had seen the house fully undertaking it con­stitutional and statutory mandate by holding regular meetings to consider the state of health of chieftaincy in the region, and make appropriate recommendations where necessary.

In addition to this, he said the house had also fully inaugurated its functional committees made up of the finance committee, legal and governance committee, research committee, standing committee and judicial committee.

He noted that, the establishment of the committees which had been working expeditiously on chieftain­cy matters had aided in the reduc­tion of some violent clashes that may have resurrected in the region as a result of chieftaincy disputes.

Nana Besemuna III, who is also the Krachiewura and Paramount Chief of the Krachie Traditional Area, said even though the creation of the region over the last four years had brought appreciable levels of development to the area, the region was still confronted with a number of challenges including poor road network and devastating effect of floods as a result of the spillage of the Akosombo Dam by the Volta River Authority (VRA).

He therefore appealed to the President to consider their request in the 2024 budget and act expe­ditiously to address some of these challenges