By Evans Worlanyo Ameamu
Keta/Anloga (V/R), Aug. 20, GNA – Mrs Ndiyakupi Nghituwamata, the Namibian High Commissioner to Ghana, has visited Keta, Anloga and Ketu South in the Volta Region as part of her three-day familiarisation tour aimed at deepening ties between Namibia and Ghana.
The visit forms part of the High Commissioner’s tour of the region following the presentation of her credentials to President John Dramani Mahama and is intended to explore opportunities for strengthening bilateral relations in the areas of economic, educational, people-to-people and cultural diplomacy.
Mrs Nghituwamata, told the Ghana News Agency, in an interview during the tour that culture was deeply intertwined with history, which was why she found it important to visit the Slave Market Memorial and other historical sites in Keta, Anloga and Ketu South as part of understanding Africa’s shared past.
“Just as Christians consider it important to visit Jerusalem to connect with their faith’s history, Africans similarly needed to visit places such as Keta Fort, Anloga Lighthouse, Xedranawo slave museum among others to learn and see how their ancestors behaved and were taken away from the continent,” she said.
The High Commissioner described her visit to the Keta fort and other historical sites as a memorable and deeply connecting experience that would help bring to life what many had only previously read about in books.
She stressed that after the engagement in Keta, the team continued and visited Anloga District, where the District Chief Executive, Madam Sandra Seyram Kpedor, together with fellow Municipal Chief Executives from Keta and Ketu South, and the first-tier management staff of the Anloga District Assembly, took them to various recreational places.
“The Anloga District Assembly officials accompanied the us on a tour of the Woe Cape St Paul Lighthouse, where we had the opportunity to experience the historic site firsthand,” she said.
Mrs Nghituwamata said she found the visit surprising and interesting, noting that the lighthouse structure, built in the 1800s, still stands strong to till presence day which once served as a guide to ships safely to shore.
Beyond the historical sites, the High Commissioner said she was also impressed by the agricultural sector in the area, particularly the self-reliance of farmers in tomato production, some of whom export their produce beyond their towns and districts.
She observed that some farmers in the district had progressed from cultivating small plots to acquiring larger inland farmlands and described the development as a positive sign of growth within the local agricultural sector.
Mr Wisdom Seade, the Keta Municipal Chief Executive, together with other stakeholders, also took the High Commissioner on a tour of the historic Fort Prinzenstein, where they were guided on how enslaved Africans were sold to the British at the very site.
Mr Seade used the occasion and mentioned that the site needed urgent rehabilitate the Keta Fort, and disclosed that the Keta Municipal Assembly, together with other organisations, were mobilising resources to support the restoration of the historic structure.
The High Commissioner’s visit to Keta and Anloga was described by officials as very successful, with both districts expressing hope that the engagement would open avenues for further cooperation between Namibia and the Volta Region.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/ Christabel Addo