Vice-President Commends Chiefs, People Of Effutu Tradional Area
The Tuafo Asafo company returning from their hunt early morning with the first catch of an entelope. The Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, has commended the chiefs and people of the Effutu Traditional Area in the Central Region for ironing out their differences which culminated in the organisation of this year’s Aboakyer festival.
Speaking at the Aboakyer festival at Winneba on Saturday, Mr Mahama noted that for many years the festival had been cancelled due to chieftaincy disputes and insecurity in the area.
“I am happy that the protracted Winneba chieftaincy dispute has abated. I am happy that under the Presidency of President Mills, we see the people come together to have the celebration in peace and security”, he stressed.
The week-long celebration is climaxed by the catching of a deer by two Asafo companies. The people believe that the festival brings along blessings, guards against calamities and foretells the future of the state during the ensuing year.
This year’s celebration was on the theme: “Peace and Unity – the Key to Development”. The Tuafo Asafo company made the first catch early in the morning while the Dentsifo Asafo company got its later in the day.
Sending the catch to the durbar grounds generated excitement with the young and old, men and women, dressed in red attires with red paintings on their bodies dancing around the animals.
The Vice-President asked the people of Winneba to continue to live in peace, since “there cannot be development without peace” and expressed the hope that the festival would be held in an atmosphere of peace and security every year.
On developments in the area, Mr Mahama said work on the landing site in the area to be funded from the $200 million from the $3 billion China Development Bank loan would commence soon.
He said the process for the selection of the contractors would be completed by the end of next month, and indicated that work would begin immediately after.
Besides, the Vice-President said, the government was to construct a Market Complex around the Winneba Junction, upgrade Winneba roads while plans were far danced for the upgrading of the Winneba Hospital.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture and Micro Finance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) were making arrangements to support fishermen with funds to procure fishing implements, he announced.
Mr Mahama said the Mills administration had achieved macro-economic stability and ensured an economic take-off in the last three years.
Therefore, he said, President Mills needed to be given another term as was done to former Presidents Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum Kufuor to complete the Better Ghana Agenda.
The Central Regional Minister, Ms Ama Benyiwa Doe, said Aboakyer was one of the major festivals in Ghana in terms of attraction to tourists, and stressed the need for the people in the area to continue to package it well to attract more tourists and investment to the area.
The Tufuhen of the Effutu Traditional Area and Head of the Asafo companies, Neenyi Otubua Siripi II, said this year’s celebration was a confirmation that the Effutus “are awakening from their slumber in deep chietaincy dispute into reconciliation, peace and ultimate development of our state”.
He, therefore, thanked the people who struggled to bring about the reconciliation which had paved way for the celebration in class, and asked them to let the spirit of the festival to prevail throughout the year.