Mr Jacob Saah, Secretary to the Commission, at a media briefing after the hearings said the Commission was met by some 3,500 people at Dambai, 3,000 at Kete Krachi, 5,000 at Nkwanta, 3,000 at Kpassa, and over 8,000 at Jasikan.

He said the Commission also engaged over 300 traditional leaders to “observe at first hand, the issues that had been raised” and asked interested parties and individuals to forward formal petitions to the Commission’s office because, “consultations will be broadened and all submissions will be considered.”

Mr Saah said the high patronage of the public hearings at northern Volta was an indication that they were ready for a new region.

“The people seem ready. There is a lot of mobilisation everywhere and they told us their story. What is left for us to do is to go back, analyse their story, record our observations and present it in a report to the President of the Republic”,  he stated.

Mr Saah said the Commission, following a petition by a Joint Consultative Committee on the creation of the Oti Region, was tasked to interact with the people to seek opinions and establish whether there was a “substantial demand for the creation of a new region.”

He said the Commission would hold a final public engagement in Accra to give a final opportunity to people who were not able to make submissions during the public hearings in the Region.