By Caleb Kuleke, GNA
Ho, Sept. 27, GNA – Togbe Koku Dzaga XI, the Paramount Chief of the Klefe Traditional Area, has called on Ghanaians to actively teach and embrace sustainable, eco-friendly practices, to safeguard the environment for future generations.
He said Ghana could not build a prosperous future on a degraded landscape, saying green technology and environmental mindfulness must be woven into every technical skill imparted to citizens.
Togbe Koku Dzaga made the remarks at a grand durbar to climax this year’s Yam Festival celebration of the chiefs and people of Klefe in the Ho Municipality of the Volta Region.
It was held on the theme: “Harnessing Skills Development of the Youth through Technical Education: The Role of Our Communities within Government’s Reset Agenda.”
Reflecting on traditional conservation, Togbe Dzaga reminded the gathering that “all natural resources were fiercely protected by our forebears.”
He explained that ancestral guidelines against the pollution of water bodies were deeply rooted in the belief that environmental degradation brought dire consequences upon the populace.
However, the Paramount Chief expressed worry that these core values were now under severe threat, stressing that the country’s development must never come at the expense of its natural ecosystem.
The Chief advised that as the nation continued to build, create, and innovate, it must remain conscious of the impacts of its actions and proceed with a profound sense of environmental responsibility.
Togbe Dzaga also condemned the rising rate of substance abuse among young people, expressing deep worry over the ease with which the youth accessed harmful substances.
“Never in our history have we witnessed a widespread desire for self-destruction at the expense of self-actualisation. The fact that these substances are readily available, begs the question of the level of power and influence behind the promulgators,” he said.
The Paramount Chief charged the youth to resist destructive influences, reject societal lies, and actively fight for their future, warning them that youthfulness was fleeting, and that regret could not reverse time and urged young people never to allow anyone to mortgage their potential.
“As a community, we need to strengthen our traditional systems of discipline, care, and shared responsibility. We must lookout for each other’s children. We must offer our youth a constructive alternative,” he said.
He said this could be done by deliberately guiding them toward technical skills development, to replace a path of destruction with a purpose, productivity, and self-worth,” he added.
The Paramount Chief highlighted that beyond cultural preservation, the Yam Festival served as a critical vehicle for resource mobilisation.
Togbe Dzaga disclosed that development funds generated from the festival over the past three years were utilised to construct a new five-unit boys’ dormitory block for the Klefe Technical Institute.
He noted that the school required urgent infrastructural expansion including an administration block, additional boys’ and girls’ dormitories, a dining hall with an attached kitchen, an assembly hall, a fully equipped technical workshop, a library, an ICT Laboratory/E-Learning Centre, a headmaster’s bungalow, and staff quarters.
He appealed to the government, corporate donors, and international development partners for strategic support, infrastructural investment, and partnerships to help transform Klefe into a premier hub of skilled, disciplined, and productive labor.
Togbe Dzaga challenged the youth not to view themselves as passive beneficiaries of the Government’s developmental initiatives, but rather as the primary drivers of the “Reset Agenda” by mastering trades, embracing technology, and building practical skills.
Mr Richmond Edem Kofi Kpotosu, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ho Central Constituency, urged parents to take an active and uncompromising interest in the education and moral upbringing of their children.
Mr Stephen Adom, the Ho Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), assured the chiefs and people that the Government was taking the necessary steps to ensure the Klefe Traditional Area received its fair share of development.
Mr Adom commended the traditional leadership and the community for leveraging their cultural festival to spearhead vital development projects, specifically praising the newly commissioned five-unit dormitory block.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/ Christabel Addo
27 Sept. 2026