President urges Ghanaians to preserve rich cultural values

• Togbega Abutia Kodzo Gidi (seated) with NPP Vice Presidential Candidate, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh (third from left), Ms Elizabeth Ohene (fourth from right)

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has called on Ghanaians to hold fast to the rich cultural values of the country, while embracing modernity and development, since the country’s strength is in its diverse cultural heritage.

The President observed that the Ghanaian culture could not only be used to promote tourism which would provide revenue for the development of the country but also protect and preserve the cultural values for the benefit of the present and future generations.

President Akufo-Addo who said this in a speech read for him at the 25th anniversary celebration of the Paramount chief of Abutia Traditional Area, Togbega Abutia Kodzo Gidi V, on the throne, over the weekend commended him for the promotion of the rich culture of the people and conserving the Kalakpa forest game and wildlife reserve which served as a major tourist attraction site in the Volta Region.

Touching on the theme: “Projecting Abutia as a prime tourism destination for a sustainable development”, the President said Abutia Traditional Area, had the potential of becoming a key tourism area in Ghana as tourism had become a central pillar in the Abutia Traditional Area, contributing to local economic growth, job creation and cultural preservation.

President Nana Akufo-Addo said the Abutia Traditional Area, had seen a significant growth in tourism in the last five years of his two terms in office, saying tourism had made strides from 2000 tourists who visited the area in 2018 to 10,000 tourists in 2023.

He said the achievement became possible through the promotion of eco-tourism in the area of Abutia caves, Kalakpa game and forest reserve as well as cultural promotion, which generated approximately GH¢500, 000 revenue which benefitted local businesses.

The President said the government recognised the potential of culture tourism in job creation and fostering community development, therefore the government through the Ministry of Arts and Culture would work closely with traditional authorities to accelerate development.

The Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng, said the Ministry would soon establish a development fund for chiefs, which would be equivalent to the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) to support growth and development of traditional areas.

Mr Asamoah Boateng stressed the need for traditional rulers to leverage on festivals to unite and promote peace, which he said was a pre-requisite for development, and urged chiefs to create the needed platform to educate the youth on the cultural values of their areas, to reduce the impact of foreign culture on them.

He announced that the Ministry would shortly amend the Chieftaincy Act 2008 and Act 755 to return adjudication powers of chiefs on some cases that would ensure that not all cases would be sent to the law court, and asked chiefs to make use of such powers judiciously when the time comes to promote peace and development of the country.

The Paramount Chief of Abutia Traditional Area, Togbega Abutia Kodzo Gidi V, commended government for the many development activities it brought to the traditional area, which had improved on the living conditions of the people, and assured that the chiefs and people of Abutia would continue to promote peace