The Akuapem Mamponghene, Osabarima Kwame Otu Darteh, has called on the government to consider expanding the Center for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine and incorporate it into the 1D1F programme.
This will enable the center to do more research and produce local medicines in large quantities to serve the entire nation.
Osabarima Otu Darteh made the call at a durbar of Chiefs and People of Mampong Akuapem in the Akuapem North Municipality of the Eastern Region to mark the 2021 Ohum festival.
He appealed to the government to rehabilitate the abandoned Millennium farms project to create employment for the youth.
The Minister of Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, noted that his Ministry is committed to the President’s vision of improving Iives through innovative and focused leadership grounded on solid direction.
“We have made and continue to make sound investments in the energy transmission and distribution systems through GRIDCO and ECG to ensure that our transmission lines are able to handle the expansion of demand for power. These include Bulk Supply Points (BSPs) and upgrading of transmission lines, among others,” he noted.
He assured the people that the government will continue to work with Nananom as partners in development to ensure the collective well-being of the citizenry.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Kwame Acheampong, said the government’s developmental agenda cannot be achieved without the support of traditional institutions hence the need to safeguard and protect our revered traditional authority to steer and drive the county’s development.
He hinted that the government was undertaking rehabilitation and expansion on the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital and continues to support the Center for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine as well as the Mampong school for the deaf.
Mr Acheampong noted that the Mampong township is known for its historical heritage and urged the people to market it well to attract more tourists
“Culture is seen as a powerful economic driver for the tourism sector and with such rich and beautiful heritage including traditional artefacts, clothing and language, you have an advantage to develop the industry”.
He expressed regret that over the years we have ignored such potentials in developing our areas and gradually we are losing important bits of our heritage to foreign cultures and practices which need to be looked at.
The occasion was also used to honour some distinguished personalities including the Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh; the Director-General of the National Lottery Authority who is also the National Organizer of the NPP, Sammy Awuku; Director-General of NADMO, Nana Agyemang Prempeh; the Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Kwame Acheampong; former Deputy Minister of Transport who has been enstooled as Asomkwahene of Mampong, Titus Glover; and the MP for Afigya-Asokore-Mampong in the Ashanti region, Dr Ayew Afriyie.
They were presented with citations of honour and a plaque in recognition of their diverse roles played towards the development of Mampong and the nation as a whole.
This year’s Ohum was on the theme, “A charge to move Mampong Akuapem forward; a collective effort”.
