The Chiefs and people of Gomoa Amoanda in the Gomoa East District in the Central Region have rounded off their Annual Akwanbo Festival with a grand durbar.
Held on the theme “Unity, peace and development,” the Akwanbo festival, which also serves as a major boost for tourism, brought together citizens at home and abroad, as well as other guests, to celebrate their heritage and foster unity.
The occasion was also used for the coronation of their newly enstooled Odzikro, Nana Kofi Budu Sersah IV, and the Odzikrohemaa, Nana Ekua Essumanba I, known in private life as Esther Sersah-Johnson.
The durbar started with the parading of the Odikro and Odikrohemaa in palanquins through the principal streets of Amoanda with pageantry amid traditional music and cheering from the citizens of the town and visitors alike.
Urgent needs
Addressing the durbar, Nana Budu Sersah IV expressed his gratitude to the people of the town for coming together to celebrate the festival after several years, which, to him, was an indication of the unity and peace badly needed for the development of the town.
He pledged to lead with integrity, work for the steady development of the community and urged all citizens to also put their shoulders to the wheel in support.
The Odikro also appealed to the government and corporate bodies to come to the aid of Amoandaman with the provision of a CHPS Compound and safe drinking water, both of which remain critical to the health of the people, in addition to the enhancement of educational facilities in the town.
Support, collaboration
The Central Regional Minister, Ekow Panyin Okyere Eduamoah, who was represented by the Gomoa East District Chief Executive, Margaret Naana Ackom, said the government was aware of the developmental challenges facing Amoanda and gave an assurance that there were plans to resolve them.
The DCE said the District Assembly was in the process of improving the communication network with the installation of a satellite system to strengthen social and economic life, as well as promoting communal unity to make life worth living for the residents of Amoanda and adjoining communities.
Ms Ackom said the Assembly was ready to provide the people of Amoanda with a CHPS Compound as soon as the community was ready with land suitable for its construction.
The Central Regional Director of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Charles Buabin, who represented both the Minister of Tourism and Creative Arts and the Chief Executive of the Ghana Tourism Authority, as special guests for the durbar, commended the Chiefs and people of Amoanda for the festival, which embodies tradition, culture and heritage.
He emphasised that the continued existence of any group of people depended on their adherence to their culture and traditions and thus stressed the need for the sustenance of activities and practices that preserved Ghana’s culture.
The Chairman of the function, the Akyempemhemaa of Asebu Traditional Area in the Central Region, Nana Abotar Okorba, appealed to the youth of the town to work hand in hand with the chiefs and the elders for the rapid and accelerated development of the area.
Source:
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