The Bono Regional Minister, Joseph Addae Akwaboa (Esq), has called on the Bono Regional House of Chiefs to expedite the resolution of chieftaincy disputes, citing their detrimental impact on regional development.
Speaking at the Bono Regional Coordinating Council meeting on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, the minister highlighted the financial burden of deploying security personnel to maintain peace, diverting resources from vital development projects.
“It is worrying to note that chieftaincy disputes have remained a bane to the development and progress of our beloved region. Some chieftains and paramountcies across the region are involved in chieftaincy disputes,” he stressed.
Akwaboa appealed to citizens to prioritize peaceful resolution of chieftaincy disputes, using established channels to address grievances with a call for collective efforts to maintain peace and security in the region.
Sampa Chieftaincy Conflict
The minister vowed to work with security agencies to bring lasting peace to Sampa in Jaman North, where repeated chieftaincy conflicts have led to loss of lives and properties.
In an interview with the media while RESEC works to maintain peace and stability, some Sampa individuals have petitioned for his removal and tried to undermine his efforts.
“I’m determined to bring peace to the place. No matter how many petitions they write against me, I’m focused, I’m doing the right thing. I’m not perturbed at all about petitions; as a lawyer, there were a lot of petitions, but they were frivolous,” he insisted.
Despite facing opposition, Lawyer Joseph Akwaboa says he remains committed to achieving his goal, guided by the advice of security agencies.
“I don’t personally take decisions at RESEC. It’s the bodies that make decisions. The security capos come for RESEC meetings-we discuss issues passionately and make decisions.
“Whatever decisions that have been taken are as a result of RESEC-the discussions we had, individual views, and a collective view. So, I’m not perturbed at all,” the minister said.
Cattle invasion
The minister also expressed concerns over the activities of Fulani herdsmen destroying farms and other properties in the Bono region.
He revealed that he had previously funded operations to arrest the herdsmen, particularly in the Berekum area, but the efforts were unsuccessful due to tip-offs from some individuals, including police personnel to the herdsmen to evade arrest.
Hon. Akwaboa expressed frustrations about their situation, stating that he nearly called for the transfer of the police officers involved.
According to him, some locals who own the cattle have made the fight a challenging one. However, he hinted at launching new operations to tackle the menace in the region with a call on municipal and district chief executives to form collaboration to address the situation.
On Security Situation
The Bono Regional Minister indicated that the region remained relatively calm and peaceful throughout the year, even though there were some cases of some misdemeanour that were ably handled by the Security Agencies.
The regional minister commended the MUSECs/DISECs of the various Assemblies for their good work done with a call to continue to strengthen collaboration to address emerging security challenges, including chieftaincy disputes, land litigation, and cross-border threats, among others.
Joseph Addae Akwaboa urged security agencies to sustain the momentum in the coming years to ensure the peace and security in the region to become one of the best in the country.
But he laments that despite the region being relatively calm, some few robbery cases were recorded in isolated robbery incidents along some major roads, particularly the Drobo and Atronie roads.
According to him, these incidents, though limited demanded swift actions and REGSEC working closely with the Ghana Police Service has intensified high way patrols aimed in apprehending some suspects while others are on the run but vows for their arrest.
The Minister warned individuals in the region against the publication of fake news, particularly on security matters, in relation to a viral video alleging robbery attacks on some military personnel on the Berekum–Drobo Road on November 18.
The Bono Regional Minister dismissed the claims and revealed that efforts are underway to apprehend individuals behind the said circulating video.
Library infrastructure.
Responding to the concerns by the Bono Regional Librarian on poor library infrastructure, the minister pledged government commitment to completing the long-abandoned Bono Regional Library project in Sunyani and renovate other libraries across the Bono Region.
The Bono Regional Minister, Joseph Addae Akwaboa, expressed dismay over the stalled project, which began under former President Kufuor’s administration but remains unfinished despite multiple attempts by over four contractors.
Joseph Addae Akwaboa announced plans to visit Accra next week to terminate existing contracts and appoint a new contractor to finally complete the project.
He also addressed the abandoned library at the Sunyani Children’s Park, questioning its existence due to what he describes as nonexistent of infrastructure, but assured that the park will be redeveloped with a library potentially part of the plans.
Source: Kaakyire Kwasi Afari. Ark FM, Sunyani.
