Akim-Achiase (Eastern Region) - The Eastern Regional Minister, Dr Francis Osafo-Mensah has expressed concern about numerous chieftaincies, land, ethnic, communal and religious conflicts in the region, which, he said, is hampering the smooth development of the region.

"Obviously these destructive occurrences are counter-productive and have contributed to the mass poverty, which have engulfed the people of the region", he said.

Dr Osafo-Mensah expressed these sentiments at a durbar of the chiefs and people of Akim-Achiase in the Birim South District on Saturday to climax their week-long Ahontan festival.

He appealed to both chiefs and people of Akim Achiase to embrace some of the President's Special Initiative such as the cassava and palm oil initiatives to create employment for the youth and also accelerate development in the area.

On the HIV/Aids pandemic, the Regional Minister called for concerted efforts to fight the deadly disease, which he said, has now become a developmental problem.

In an address read on his behalf, Mr. Felix Owusu-Agyapong, Minister of Communication and Technology and MP for Akim Swedru, assured the people that telecommunication services would be improved in the area to facilitate the promotion of viable economic ventures.

"In this connection, the Akim Oda telephone exchange would be commissioned to enable the facilities to be extended to Akim Achiase and the Jungle Warfare Training School", he said.

Mr Owusu Agyapong said government is determined to complement the efforts of farmers by making agro-processing equipment affordable to them.

In a welcome address, the Chief of Akim-Achiase, Osabarima Darko Frempong, II, said even though pipelines have been laid and a water reservoir constructed, no water has flowed, for sometime now and appealed to the Minister for Works and Housing to come to their aid.

He also appealed to the District Assembly to assist them to extend electricity to the newly developed areas of the town and also to complete their outstanding construction works on the bungalows for the medical officers. Osabarima Frempong appealed to the Valco Trust Fund to donate a bus/truck to the Akim Senior Secondary School.