GHANA’s culture of mutual respect and tolerance was on display at a grand durbar of chiefs and people of the Asogli traditional area to climax their Yam festival here in the Volta Region on Saturday.
The country’s unity in diversity was conspicuous as chiefs from other regions or their representatives were in attendance. The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu, was represented by Daasebre Osei Bonsu, Mamponghene, while the Ga Traditional Council was represented by Nii Doudu Nsaki, Otublohum Mantse.
Obviously pleased with what he saw while addressing the durbar, Vice-President John Mahama commended the chiefs for their maturity and leadership by example.
He urged Ghanaians to emulate the chiefs and to strive to consolidate their unity in diversity, saying “the country continues to be an oasis of peace in the sub-region because we are united in our diversity.”
Themed, “Development, a shared responsibility,” the annual yam festival of the Asogli state provides a platform for the chiefs and people to give thanks to God, and also to the gods and ancestors for a bumper harvest.
It is also to foster unity through forgiveness and reconciliation; a stock taking event for all occupational endeavours, especially farming; and to mobilize both human and material resources of the Asogli State for job and wealth creation.
Amid drumming and pageantry, the Agbogbomefia, Togbe Afede XIV, resplendent in his regalia, sat in state to receive homage from the chiefs and their subjects in the Asogli traditional area, as a re-affirmation of allegiance to the Agbogbome stool. Also in attendance was King Agokoli of Notsie in Togo.
Vice-President Mahama stressed the need for unity among Ghanaians, advising against allowing partisan politics to divide the citizenry.
Noting that the Volta region has a comparative advantage in agriculture and agricultural processing, he expressed the government’s commitment to developing the region to become a food basket in the country.
He said the massive investments in agriculture had led to an increase in food production, adding, the food basket index was one of the major factors driving the downward trend of inflation.
Vice-President Mahama said plans were far advanced for the commencement of the Eastern Corridor road project, which he said, would change the face of the region by making it a major transit region for goods and services from Tema to Peki, Hohoe, Kpasa, Bawku and to Burkina Faso.
“Work on several key projects like the Akatsi-Aflao road, Worawora-Dambai-Adidome-Fume roads,” he said, adding that the establishment of a public university in the region was also far advanced.
Vice-President Mahama described the theme of the festival as apt and lauded the efforts of Togbe Afede in bringing development to the region and to the country as a whole.
At a time the nation was going through a crippling energy crisis, he said, it was Togbe Afede, who through his selflessness and patriotism, brought into fruition, the 300 MW Sunon Asogli Power Plant.
Vice-President Mahama said there were many Ghanaians capable of also making valuable contributions to socio-economic development and urged them to take advantage of the public-private partnership opportunities to attract investments to the country.
In his address, Togbe Afede asked traditional and political leaders to account for their stewardship, saying people did not place their destinies into their hands only for them to develop predatory tendencies on assumption of power.
According to him, the causes of the country’s problems had to do with selfishness and greed, short-term orientation and limited ambition, pre-occupation with trivialities, inability to accept responsibility for our situation, and general apathy on the part of political leaders.
Commending the government for the multi-billion dollar package it negotiated with the Chinese government to tackle the infrastructural bottleneck, he suggested the planning and implementation of an inter-regional highway system to link regional and district capitals.
“A similar programme to ensure the availability and uninterrupted supply of electricity throughout the country will help the cause of development,” he said, adding, “It makes sense to leverage our natural resource endowments to provide funds for these infrastructural programmes now, rather than from piecemeal budgetary allocations.”
The country’s unity in diversity was conspicuous as chiefs from other regions or their representatives were in attendance. The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu, was represented by Daasebre Osei Bonsu, Mamponghene, while the Ga Traditional Council was represented by Nii Doudu Nsaki, Otublohum Mantse.
Obviously pleased with what he saw while addressing the durbar, Vice-President John Mahama commended the chiefs for their maturity and leadership by example.
He urged Ghanaians to emulate the chiefs and to strive to consolidate their unity in diversity, saying “the country continues to be an oasis of peace in the sub-region because we are united in our diversity.”
Themed, “Development, a shared responsibility,” the annual yam festival of the Asogli state provides a platform for the chiefs and people to give thanks to God, and also to the gods and ancestors for a bumper harvest.
It is also to foster unity through forgiveness and reconciliation; a stock taking event for all occupational endeavours, especially farming; and to mobilize both human and material resources of the Asogli State for job and wealth creation.
Amid drumming and pageantry, the Agbogbomefia, Togbe Afede XIV, resplendent in his regalia, sat in state to receive homage from the chiefs and their subjects in the Asogli traditional area, as a re-affirmation of allegiance to the Agbogbome stool. Also in attendance was King Agokoli of Notsie in Togo.
Vice-President Mahama stressed the need for unity among Ghanaians, advising against allowing partisan politics to divide the citizenry.
Noting that the Volta region has a comparative advantage in agriculture and agricultural processing, he expressed the government’s commitment to developing the region to become a food basket in the country.
He said the massive investments in agriculture had led to an increase in food production, adding, the food basket index was one of the major factors driving the downward trend of inflation.
Vice-President Mahama said plans were far advanced for the commencement of the Eastern Corridor road project, which he said, would change the face of the region by making it a major transit region for goods and services from Tema to Peki, Hohoe, Kpasa, Bawku and to Burkina Faso.
“Work on several key projects like the Akatsi-Aflao road, Worawora-Dambai-Adidome-Fume roads,” he said, adding that the establishment of a public university in the region was also far advanced.
Vice-President Mahama described the theme of the festival as apt and lauded the efforts of Togbe Afede in bringing development to the region and to the country as a whole.
At a time the nation was going through a crippling energy crisis, he said, it was Togbe Afede, who through his selflessness and patriotism, brought into fruition, the 300 MW Sunon Asogli Power Plant.
Vice-President Mahama said there were many Ghanaians capable of also making valuable contributions to socio-economic development and urged them to take advantage of the public-private partnership opportunities to attract investments to the country.
In his address, Togbe Afede asked traditional and political leaders to account for their stewardship, saying people did not place their destinies into their hands only for them to develop predatory tendencies on assumption of power.
According to him, the causes of the country’s problems had to do with selfishness and greed, short-term orientation and limited ambition, pre-occupation with trivialities, inability to accept responsibility for our situation, and general apathy on the part of political leaders.
Commending the government for the multi-billion dollar package it negotiated with the Chinese government to tackle the infrastructural bottleneck, he suggested the planning and implementation of an inter-regional highway system to link regional and district capitals.
“A similar programme to ensure the availability and uninterrupted supply of electricity throughout the country will help the cause of development,” he said, adding, “It makes sense to leverage our natural resource endowments to provide funds for these infrastructural programmes now, rather than from piecemeal budgetary allocations.”
