AKYEM ABUAKWA TO RELEASE LAND TO INVESTORS (PAGE 23, OCT 1)

THE Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amotia Ofori Panin, has stated that the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council is prepared to release large tracts of land to investors interested in commercial farming.
He said the area was endowed with several hectares of land suitable for the cultivation of both cash and food crops, which investors could use for large-scale farming.
In a speech read on his behalf at the Ofori Panin Fie at Kyebi on Saturday, the Okyenhene gave the assurance that individuals or organisations interested in such a venture would be assisted by the traditional council to acquire the needed tracts of land for both crop and animal production.
That was when officials of the Ghana Tourists Board (GTB) led delegates from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), a number of travel writers, as well as tourists from Africa and Europe to pay a courtesy call on the Okyenhene at the Ofori Panin Fie.
The visit, which formed part of activities marking World Tourism Day, took the delegates to the Tetteh Quarshie Cocoa Farm at Mampong Akuapem, the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) at Tafo and the Bunso Arboretum.
It afforded the delegates the opportunity to meet and interact with the Okyenhene and members of the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council to learn about the culture and traditions of the area.
The Okyenhene said engaging in commercial farming would help the country not only to become self-sufficient in food production but also create employment for the people.
He stated that if Ghana wanted to strengthen its competitive advantage in the global economic arena, it must mainstream agriculture as the driving engine of its economy.
Besides the agriculture potential of the area, Osagyefo Ofori Panin further disclosed that the area was endowed with several tourist attractions that could be tapped to ensure the rapid socio-economic development of the area.
He stated that the Atiwa Forest alone had about 200 species of butterflies and several species of snakes, as well as timber that could never be found in other parts of the African continent or anywhere else in the world.
He called on tourism investors to take advantage of the natural serene environment in the area to develop it into one of the best tourist attractions in the country.
The Okyenhemaa, Nana Dokua Adutwumwaa, who sat in state for the Okyenhene, had earlier noted that tourism had the potential to change the fortunes of the country and called for a national policy that would encourage Ghanaians to consider tourism as a viable venture to invest in.
She said as part of his contribution to build on the legacy of his predecessors who built the first secondary school and a clinic in the country, the Okyenhene had also initiated the establishment of the Bunso University of Environment and Agriculture, which would provide access to tertiary education for the youth living in the area and the country as a whole.
The Chadian Tourism Minister, Mr Ahmaf Barkai Animi, who spoke on behalf of the delegates, thanked the Okyenhemaa for the opportunity provided them to learn about some of the traditional heritage of the area.