{"id":4316,"date":"2025-10-29T05:04:21","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T05:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.easternregion.gov.gh\/?p=4316"},"modified":"2026-01-20T05:13:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T05:13:22","slug":"eastern-regional-minister-commends-okuapeman-for-preserving-cultural-values","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.easternregion.gov.gh\/index.php\/eastern-regional-minister-commends-okuapeman-for-preserving-cultural-values\/","title":{"rendered":"EASTERN REGIONAL MINISTER COMMENDS OKUAPEMAN FOR PRESERVING CULTURAL VALUES"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Eastern Regional Minister, Mrs. Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, joined the chiefs and people of Akuapem to celebrate this year’s Odwira Festival at Akropong. Odwira signifies spiritual cleansing, purification, and the renewal of covenants.<\/p>\n

The festival brought together citizens from home and abroad, as well as loved ones from all walks of life, for a joyous reunion and reacquaintance. Most of the traditional rulers were carried in palanquins amidst singing, drumming, and dancing to showcase the rich culture of Akuapem.
\nSpeaking on the theme \u201cPreserving Our Heritage, Securing Our Future,\u201d the Regional Minister, Mrs. Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, reminded the people that the values, traditions, and customs handed down by our forebears are not relics of the past but building blocks upon which we must continue to shape a prosperous future. She said the songs, dances, symbols, and oral traditions that define Odwira must be preserved for generations to come.
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\nAccording to her, education remains the most powerful tool for the transformation and socio-economic development of the country. She was optimistic that the government will continue to invest in the education sector with the aim of ensuring that every Ghanaian child, regardless of background, has access to quality education to ensure sustainable livelihoods.
\nMrs. Awatey commended the Akuapem Traditional Council for not allowing illegal mining activities in the area.<\/p>\n

The Okuapehene, Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo III, said traditional leaders are the vital link between the rich history and the aspirations of the youth. They must therefore engage with their communities, listen to their voices, and empower them to take pride in their heritage. He called for more investment in education that emphasizes cultural heritage and promotes the values that have sustained our traditions.<\/p>\n

The Okuapehene noted that the numerous challenges the country is confronted with today require a collective approach from all and sundry to tackle. It is against this background that Ghana\u2019s heritage must not be viewed as a relic of the past but as a dynamic source of strength that adapts and thrives in the modern context.<\/p>\n

The Overlord of the Gonja Kingdom, Yagbonwura Bii-Kunuto Jewu Soale I, commended the Akuapem Traditional Council for preserving Ghana\u2019s cultural heritage and fostering peace and unity among its people.<\/p>\n

He called on traditional rulers across the country to promote inter-ethnic cooperation, peacebuilding, and sustainable development, emphasizing that \u201cthe future of Ghana depends on how well we work together beyond our cultural boundaries.\u201d<\/p>\n

As part of his offer to mark the occasion, the Yagbonwura announced the lease of 100 acres of land for youth-focused agricultural projects aimed at improving food security and employment opportunities.<\/p>\n

He also offered full educational scholarships to ten brilliant but needy students, reaffirming his dedication to promoting education and investing in human capital development.
\nOther dignitaries who graced the occasion included former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Bernard Ahiafor, the MP for Akuapem North, Sammy Awuku, and the CEO of the Tree Crop Development Authority, Dr. Andy Osei Okrah.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Eastern Regional Minister, Mrs. Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, joined the chiefs and people of Akuapem to celebrate this year’s Odwira Festival at Akropong. Odwira signifies spiritual cleansing, purification, and the renewal of covenants. The festival brought together citizens from home and abroad, as well as loved ones from all walks of life, for a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4318,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easternregion.gov.gh\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4316"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easternregion.gov.gh\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easternregion.gov.gh\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternregion.gov.gh\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternregion.gov.gh\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4316"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternregion.gov.gh\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4316\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4321,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternregion.gov.gh\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4316\/revisions\/4321"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternregion.gov.gh\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easternregion.gov.gh\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternregion.gov.gh\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternregion.gov.gh\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}