Chiefs and People of Bolgatanga Celebrates ‘Adakoya” Festival

15-02-2010 Chiefs and People of Bolgatanga Celebrates ‘Adakoya” Festival

Narration: The annual Adakoya festival celebrated by the chiefs and people of Bolgatanga Traditional Area and its environs has taken place at Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region with an urgent call on parents and traditional leaders to place premium on the education of the girl child since the role of education in the development of our communities and the country at large cannot be over-emphasized. The Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive, Epsona Ayamga who made the call said the promotion of girl child education aims at women empowerment which also serve as a means of strengthening the family, providing economic security as well as encouraging savings for the enhancement of social life. Isaac Asare has filed this report for Radio Ghana.

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Report

The ‘Adakoya’ Festival celebrated by the chiefs and people in the Bolgatanga municipality marks a period of thanksgiving to the ancestral spirits of the land for good harvest, peace, good health and for the general development. It is also an occasion for renewing and strengthening the unifying bond among the people of the land. The festival which was celebrated amidst drumming and dancing brought together sons and daughters of the area, some government officials, opinion and religious leaders as well revered chiefs and elders of the area. The Municipal Chief Executive, Epsona Ayamga touched on the promotion of girl child education which he said forms as an instrument for the maintenance of social order and satisfying needs in the promotion of socio-economic and political development of the society. Mr. Epsona urged the people to contribute their quota towards the development of the Bolgatanga Traditional Area-Girl-Child Education Fund in order to assist brilliant but needy student’s, particularly girls to enhance the level of education among girls in the municipality and the region in general. Mr. Epsona used the occasion to denounce some of the socio cultural and dehumanizing practices on women and children such as excision and widowhood rites and formation of tribal marks and appealed to the traditional leaders to partner with government to reform some of these antiquated customs and cultural norms which impede economic progress. He outlined a number of interventional policies and programmes instituted by the government towards the development of the region and called on the traditional leaders to help release land for the government to undertake some developmental projects to better the lot of the people. The Paramount Chief of the Bolgatanga Traditional Area, Naba Martin Abilba on his part, commended the government for the level high of development it has brought to the region and appealed to the government to exploit the region’s local resources, including the Northern Star tomato factory, the small scale mining sites, handicrafts, the Shea- nut processing industries among others. This, according to him, will generate job opportunities for the teeming unemployment youth in the region. Naba Abilba also urged the government to ensure that, appropriate royalties are paid to land owners in order to meet the challenges relating to land issues.
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