A GRAND durbar to mark this year’s Odwira Festival of the chiefs and people of Akuapem has been held at Mpaniase, the forecourt of the Akropong palace of the Okuapehene, Oseadeoyo Addo Dankwa III.
The event, which had the theme “A Peaceful Environment is a Fulcrum for Growth and Development”, was attended by thousands of people from all walks of life, including chiefs and dignitaries such as the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Others were the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Affram Asiedu; some ministers of state and the District Chief Executive for Akuapem North, Mr Edward Adu Aboagye.
Addressing the gathering, the guest speaker, Mr Asiedu, reiterated the call on the people of Akuapem to resolve their chieftaincy problems as well as ethnic rivalry and ethnocentrism which had continued to create serious misunderstanding among the people in the area.
He said the situation where security personnel had to be deployed from other places to maintain peace at an annual celebration with resources that could have otherwise gone into development projects, did not give the people in the area good image. He therefore asked them to bury their differences and smoke the peace pipe.
With regard to the achievements of the NPP Government since it assumed power in 2001, he stated that it had endeavoured to create the necessary enabling environment for human resource development, private sector competitiveness and civil responsibility, which, according to him, had been the pillars of its development agenda.
He said such good governance had made it possible to provide classroom blocks and health facilities as well as other poverty alleviation packages such as the Micro and Small Loans Scheme that had improved the lot of the people in all parts of the country. He cited the Akuapem North District as one of the districts that had benefited tremendously in that respect.
The National Youth Employment Programme, he also stated, had provided jobs for 451 people in the Akuapem area and added that these initiatives had gone a long way to improve the living standards of the people.
Nana Akufo-Addo, for his part, said despite belonging to different tribes, Ghanaians were one people and, therefore, should not consider the forthcoming general elections as a fight but rather as an event to select leaders capable of administering the country.
He, therefore, called for peaceful elections to prove to the outside world that Ghanaians were capable of electing their leaders peacefully through the ballot box.
The NPP flag bearer pledged to continue with the good work of President Kufuor and called on the people to support the party to retain power.
He also asked Akuapems to unite.
Oseadeeyo Addo Dankwa whose speech was read on his behalf, acknowledged with satisfaction the relative peace the country was enjoying under the NPP Administration, which he said had facilitated the provision of many development projects in all parts of the country.
He further stated that since Akuapems were peaceful people they would adhere to that principle to resolve their internal chieftaincy disputes to help bring development to the area.
“We in this traditional area are noted for our proverbial peaceful attributes and we endeavour to maintain the respect accorded us by all and sundry while trying to resolve our internal chieftaincy disputes.
On education, the Okuapehene said the Akuapem Community Foundation initiated by Nana Oye Mansa Yeboaa, Dompimhene of the area, was addressing some of the challenges at the basic level.
Oseadeeyo Addo Dankwa stated that two tertiary educational institutions, the Akrofi-Christaller Memorial Institute of Theology, Missions and Culture, and the Presbyterian University College were currently operating in the area and the North-eastern University would start enrolling students in August 2009. He also indicated that the traditional council would embrace any programme that would further enhance education in the area.
He expressed his gratitude to President Kufuor and the government for the numerous development projects executed in the area, especially the Adenta-Mamfe Road, which according to him had become one of the best highways in West Africa.
He also thanked the President for honouring some citizens of Akuapem for their invaluable contribution to the development of the country.
Those honoured included Nana Akufo-Addo, Mr Dan Botwe, one-time General Secretary of the NPP, who also was the Minister of Information; Mr Kwaku Sakyi-Addo, a journalist; Professor Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa and Mrs Mercy Bampoe Addo, a Minister of State.
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