John Dramani Mahama, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, has unveiled plans to establish a new region from the Upper East Region if he is elected.

During his visit to the Bawku Naba’s palace, Mahama announced that a proposal has been submitted to the Speaker of Parliament through Bawku's Member of Parliament, Mahama Ayariga.

Mahama argued that forming a new region would address critical issues, including the ongoing security crisis in Bawku and the creation of more job opportunities.

He pointed out that the Bawku area’s land size and population are comparable to or even exceed those of the North East Region, making a compelling case for a new region.

He stressed that the aim of creating new regions and districts is to decentralize governance and enhance security.

“I discussed something with him. Your Member of Parliament, I’m aware he has written a letter to the Speaker requesting that another region should be created out of the Upper East Region to cover the six constituencies in the Bawku area,” Mahama said.

“Bawku Naba raised it with me, and I told him in principle I think it’s a good idea for two reasons. One, for the reason of bringing government closer to the people.”

He continued, “That’s the principal reason for which we create new regions and new districts. And then the second reason is for security. Bawku is a special security zone because of the issues that have been happening here. And so it would be a good proposal to have a region so that it can be a focus to make sure that we deal with the security issues as well as we can.”

Mahama further elaborated, “And so, I don’t think it’s out of place because the criteria are dependent on population, they are dependent on land size, and they are dependent on economic viability.”