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Claim: An X user claims Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo rejected a proposal by the Ga Mantse to rename the Greater Accra region as the Ga-Adangme region.
Verdict: This is false! The Ghanaian leader did not reject the proposal made by the Ga Mantse as alleged. In a video of the interaction between President Nana Akufo-Addo and the Ga ruler two years ago, the Ghanaian leader said he would consult his Cabinet about the proposed name change.
Full Text
The Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Tsuru II, had appealed to President Nana Akufo-Addo to support their quest to change the name of the Greater Accra region to the Ga-Adangme region.
The engagement between the Ga ruler and the Ghanaian leader was reported by various media houses in the West African country here, here, here, and here.
The appeal by the Ga Mantse came six years after a group calling itself the Ga Adangbe Concerned Citizens made a similar request to the previous government.
The Greater Accra region is the second most populated one in Ghana after the Ashanti region, with a population size of 5,455,692, according to the 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC) conducted by the Ghana Statistical Service.
The region was created on July 23, 1982, with the enactment of the Greater Accra Region Law (PNDCL 26) as a separate region.
Nearly 41 years later, there is a growing call for the region to be renamed the Ga-Adangme region.
Explaining the rationale for the proposed change of name two years ago, the Ga ruler said the campaign is part of the effort towards the “unification and consolidation of Ga-Adangme state. Your assistance in this regard will be appreciated by us.”
See the video of the interaction, starting from minutes 0:00 to 0:23 posted on YouTube by Accra-based Ablade TV.
However, two years after the Ga Mantse made the appeal, an X user claims President Akufo-Addo rejected the proposal to rename the Greater Accra region.
“I support his rejection of the proposal [because] it wouldn’t make sense…,” the X user, Father Anthony wrote, referring to the interaction between the Ga Mantse and the President.
The video has been watched 52.9k times and recorded over 3.3k engagements with some of the comments being highly critical and explosive.
Due to its virality, DUBAWA decided to probe the claim as part of its campaign against misinformation and disinformation in the West African country.
Verification
President Nana Akufo-Addo did not reject the proposal by the Ga Mantse to rename the Greater Accra region as alleged.
In a video of the interaction between President Nana Akufo-Addo and the Ga ruler two years ago, the Ghanaian leader said he would consult his Cabinet about the proposed name change.
“For Greater Accra’s name to be changed to Ga-Adangme with respect, that one is not your responsibility. It is mine [and] I will consult my Cabinet and the Council of State,” the President said.
Watch the video of the President’s response here, from 2:32 to 3:00 posted on YouTube.
Also, a Google keyword search conducted by DUBAWA on the subject showed no media house in Ghana has published a story about the alleged rejection of the proposed name change by the Ghanaian leader.
The 1992 Constitution of Ghana clothes the Ghanaian President in Article 5(1) (a-c) with the power to create a new region, alter the boundaries of a region; or provide for the merger of two or more regions.
In Clause 2 of Article 5, the Constitution provides that the decision of the President on the creation of a new region, alteration of the boundaries of a region, and the merger of two or more regions will need to be taken on the advice of the Council of State.
Since the proposed name change of the Greater Accra region will require something more than administrative duties, President Akufo-Addo assured the Ga ruler that he would conduct the necessary consultation on the matter.
“I cannot commit myself to that, and you cannot do it without me,” the President advised.
The President’s response to Ga Mantse’s request does not amount to rejecting the proposed name change, as alleged.
Conclusion
President Akufo-Addo did not reject the proposal by the Ga Mantse to change the name of the Greater Accra region to the Ga-Adangme region. The Ghanaian leader said he would consult the relevant bodies on the subject.
