By J. K. Nabary
Winneba (C/R), Jan. 12, GNA- President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged Ghanaians to dedicate themselves towards the service of Mother Ghana.
Mr Dan Botwe, the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, made the call in a message he delivered on behalf of the President at a durbar of Guan speaking communities in Ghana at Winneba.
The durbar was to climax activities of their 8th Congress and 40 years anniversary celebration on the theme: “40 years of promoting unity among the Guan people; overcoming challenges and sustaining growth and development.”
It was hosted by Neenyi Ghartey VII, the Effutu Oma Odefe with former President John Dramani Mahama as the Guest Speaker.
The Guan Congress, an Association of Guan speaking people of Ghana, was formed after various activities in the early 1970s, which culminated into five delegate conferences from 1981, to champion the socio cultural and political revival of the Guans.
The President said the theme for the celebration was apt because it emphasised the promotion of unity, overcoming challenges and sustaining growth and development.
He appealed to all to contribute their quota to help overcome challenges they encountered and work towards sustainable growth and development.
Mr Botwe, who is also a Guan, said it was indisputable that Guans were the first settlers of Ghanaland, and applauded the planners, including Mr Gyadu Nkansa, the National President, Neenyi Ghartey and Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Member of Parliament for Effutu, for their encouragement and support for a successful event.
He stated that they deserved commendation for bringing Eminent Chiefs, Queen Mothers and several Guan speaking people together to celebrate their cultural heritage.
He urged Guans to promote their Heritage for future generations, as earlier stated by former President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, in his address.
“Promoting unity in diversity is very important and to realise such dreams, we must all exhibit our rich culture and devise means to preserve it,” he said.
Mr Gyadu Nkansa, the National President, explained that the idea to create a platform for total unification of all Guan speaking people in Ghana was conceived by one Anyenum Kwame Apene in November, 1981.
He said the theme for the occasion, would be meaningful, effective and viable if the Guan Congress was resourced and strengthened, which was achievable, however they needed to first tackle the stumbling blocks.
“We need to broaden our membership to include brothers and sisters in the Western part of the country, as well as pockets of the communities in some parts of Central Region, despite the fact that some of them have lost the Guan identity through assimilation and influence by neighbouring non-Guan communities,” he noted.
He encouraged all members to unite in keeping the touch burning and rightfully place the Guan Congress and for that matter the Guan people rightly in contemporary Ghana.
GNA