Chiefs and people of Bolgatanga celebrate Adakoya festival

Bolgatanga (Upper East) 1 Feb. 2000

The chiefs and people of Bolgatanga Traditional Area have celebrated their annual Adakoya festival to give thanks to God for the end of a successful farming season.

The theme for this year's celebration is "Cultural modernisation as a contribution to development".

The Upper East Regional Minister, Alhaji Amidu Sulemana, told the durbar that a festival like the Adakoya, which is agricultural-related would only be meaningful if the people abandoned their negative environmental practices like bush burning, over-grazing and indiscriminate felling of trees which do not promote agricultural productivity.

He said the government is determined to improve food security in the region, and would soon launch the phase two of the Upper East Region Land Conservation and Smallholder Rehabilitation Project (LACOSREP Two) to institute credit schemes to assist farmers.

The project will also entail the rehabilitation of dams and dugouts within Bolgatanga and its environs to ensure water sufficiency throughout the year for irrigated agriculture and animal husbandry.

The Minister of Communications, Mr John Mahama, said 26 March has been designated census night and urged all chiefs, opinion leaders and assembly members to mobilise the people to remain in their homes for the exercise to enable the government to allocate adequate development projects to the region.

He asked the people to discard the wrong idea that census is being conducted for taxation purposes, adding that "it rather enables the government to plan the economy effectively".

The Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy, Mr Simon Abingya, who is also the Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga central, said fuel prices are determined by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and that Ghana, as a non-member country, has to periodically adjust its fuel prices to correspond with those of OPEC.

"This is the only way by which Ghana can continue to import fuel to serve the petroleum needs of the people".

The paramount chief of the Bolgatanga Traditional Council, Bolga-Naba Martin Abilba III, in a welcoming address said the Traditional Council and the District Assembly "will review the customary marriage processes (this year) to make it possible for the youth in particular to contract legitimate marriages".

Naba Abilba expressed the hope that this would bring down the rising incidence of promiscuity among young people in the area and help reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS.

He said despite the diverse ethnic and religious groups in the Bolgatanga area, peace continues to prevail.

"Evidence of this was exhibited during the just-ended Christmas and Eid-ul-fitr festivals when Christians joined their fellow Muslims brothers and sisters to worship."

An appeal for funds to sponsor the education of the "girl-child" in the area yielded four million cedis.

GRi../