The Commission of Inquiry into the Creation of New Regions has said it would embark on its third and final phase of consultation work from April 5 to 10, 2018 in Accra after completing the public hearings in the regions.

It said the public hearings would be held at the Accra International Conference Centre.

This was announced in a statement signed by Jacob Saah, the Secretary to the Commission and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Saturday.

It said on Thursday April 5, the Commission would hear the petition from the chiefs and people of the Northern part of the Western Region at 1000 hours and on the same day handle the petition from the chiefs and people of the Northern part of the Volta Region at 1400 hours.

The statement said on Friday, April 6, the petition from the chiefs and people of the Ahafo in the Brong-Ahafo Region would be heard at 1000 hours whilst the petition from the chiefs and people of Bono East in the Brong-Ahafo Region would be taken at 1400 hours on the same day.  

On Tuesday, April 10, the Commission would sit on the petition from the Overlord and people of the Gonja Traditional Area in the Northern Region at 1000 hours and on the same day the petition from the Overlord and people of Mamprugu Traditional Area in the Northern Region would be heard at 1400 hours, it said.

The statement said these hearings were to afford those who were unable to appear at the regional public hearings but who would still want to make submissions to the Commission an opportunity to do so.

It said in addition, any member of the public who wished to do so may submit memoranda to the Commission by forwarding hard and soft copies to the Secretary, Commission of Inquiry Into The Creation Of New Regions, Castle-Osu, Accra or via email: commission@oop.gov.gh on or before close of work, Friday, April 13, 2018.

The Commission of Inquiry into the Creation of New Regions commenced work after its inauguration by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, Thursday, October 19, 2017.

It was tasked to establish whether there was a need and substantial demand for the creation of new Regions based on petitions received by the President and advice from the Council of State as required by Article 5 of the 1992 Constitution.

The Commission took the view that need and substantial demand can only be established through consultations with the public and consequently adopted an approach which separated the consultations into three broad phases.

The first phase involved consultations with the Chiefs and Opinion Leaders who had submitted petitions to the President and consultations in the regions from which the petitions had come thus the second phase.