Kwahu Traditional Rulers Express Appreciation To The NDC Government

The chiefs, queenmothers and elders of the Kwahu traditional area have expressed their appreciation to the President Mahama led NDC governement for opening up the Afram Plains for development and promoting the total wellbeing of the people in the area at a durbar held on Saturday 12th March at the Sakora Park in Donkorkrom.

The appreciation was highlighted in a speech read on behalf of the chiefs and people by Nana Akyemfra Asare Aggyemang III, Abetifihene and current acting President of the Kwahu traditional council.

The chiefs and queenmothers and elders who have held a three - day pre Easter conference to deliberate on development projects and welfare issues affecting the people of the area, climaxed it with a colourful grand durbar on Saturday where the new regional minister, Hon Mavis Ama Frempong was introduced as the Special Guest of Honour.

Under the chairmanship of Nana Akyemfra Agyemang Asare III, he emphasised the gratitude of the people towards the development projects and varied forms of assistance that the NDC govt has over the years extended to the area.These included the creation of the two extra districts to facilitate rapid development, provision of educational and improved health facilities, and the choice of the area as one of two sites to welcome the new University of Sustainable Environmental Studies and Applied Research.

In particular, the Chief recalled how the Afram Plains have been transformed from an unknown and neglected zone into a fast growing agricultural community capable of becoming the food basket for the country, all to courtesy former President J J Rawlings, who recognised the vast and untapped agricultural potential and thus initiated a unique technology of extending electricity to the place through underwater electric cables and supervising the construction of tarred roads from Ekye Amanfrom through Tease to Donkorkrom.

But in order to unlock the full potential of the area, the chiefs catalogued a number of requests from the govt through the Regional Minister.

These included the reconstruction of the road from Ekye Amanfrom to Donkorkrom, a bridge across the lake from Adawso to Ekye Amanfrom, and at Bruben and Maame Krobo to ensure a 24 hour travel to and fro the Plains. Further, they appealed for nursing and teacher training colleges in the Kwahu Afram Plains to widen educational and health access, and to complement the new University to be constructed in the area.In addition, they also requested for a tractor pool to assist farmers to prepare their lands early for planting and to expand their farmholds.

Of serious concern to the chiefs and people were the grave emerging menace of illegal Fulani herdsmen and armed robbery in the area and pleaded for a permanent solution from the govt.

In response, the Regional Minister, expressed her appreciation and gratitude to the chiefs and people for their sense of unity, peaceful coexistence with all communities in their enclave and their insatiable appetite for business and development. She was highly elated with their willingness and openness to cooperate with the govt for development.

The Regional Minister assured nananom and the people that in recognition of the vast agricultural potential, the NDC govt will do all in her power to facilitate the acquisition of a tractor pool and farming inputs.She further intimated that it is the desire of the govt to nurture the district to assume it's full optimum in agric produce for the nation, agro - processing and for export . This will be done with a view to actively engaging the youth in agric and offering them viable employment.

She confirmed the dispatch of a speed boat to the district by His Excellency, President John Mahama in response to their request in order to ease movement from. .....to.......

On the issue of security, she reiterated that the presence of the joint police - military operation, cowleg is testimony of the govt to protect lives, farms and property of the people in the area but appealed to them.to be more accommodating and display tolerance as the govt seeks to find a permanent solution to the predicament.

Hon Mavis Ama Frempong promised to work hand in hand with the chiefs and people of Kwahu and that in order to attain improved conditions of living, she intimated to engage the wealthy citizens from Kwahu to consider entering into a PPP to accelerate growth and development in the Kwahu and Affram Plains.

In an earlier interaction with the staff and students of St Fidelis SHS at Tease in the Afram Plains South district, she challenged the students to take full advantage of the present amenities educational facilities in the area to focus primarily on their education to ensure they become responsible citizens who can eventually become lecturers administrators, etc for the new University and also to aspire to higher heights in life.

The Regional Minister thereafter attended a mini durbar at Tease to join the chiefs and people to perform a ground breaking ceremony for the construction of a 21 room Kwahu South Afram Plains district assembly office complex at Tease.

The Regional Minister was accompanied on her visits by the two dces of the Afram Plains North and South, Hon Affram and Ibrahim Issakar respectively.