The Member of Parliament for Guan Constituency, Fred Kwasi Agbenyo, has called for renewed commitment to peace, unity and hard work to accelerate development in the newly created Guan District.

He said that although the district was relatively new, it possessed abundant natural and human resources and should not lag behind older districts in development.

Mr Agbenyo made the call at a grand durbar of chiefs and people of the Likpe Traditional Area (Bakpele) during this year’s Lekoryi Festival at Likpe-Mate in the Guan District.

The colourful festival brought together traditional leaders, queen mothers from Gbi, Alavanyo and Dambai, politicians, clergy, tourists and residents, celebrating unity, culture and peaceful coexistence.

Held on the theme “Unity in Action, Empowering the Youth for the Future”, the event highlighted the importance of collective effort in driving development across the district.

The festival, which was first celebrated in 1988 through the collaboration of the Paramount Chief, Otekple Nana Soglo Alloh IV, his council and political leaders, was revived after its last edition in 2018. The maiden event was attended by the late President Jerry John Rawlings.

Mr Agbenyo explained that proceeds from this year’s celebration would be used to rehabilitate and expand existing water supply systems to provide potable water to the four traditional areas and surrounding communities.

He described the festival as a symbol of shared identity and harmony among the Guan people, who, he said, had a long history of peaceful coexistence.

He further urged residents to work together to design and implement programmes aimed at addressing key development challenges such as illiteracy, poverty and poor sanitation.

In his remarks, Nana Soglo Alloh IV commended the government for including roads in the area under the Big Push programme and appealed for the upgrade of the local clinic at Bakua into a polyclinic.

He also expressed appreciation to the people for their participation, noting that the gathering provided an opportunity to mobilise resources for development.

The chief identified access to potable water as a major challenge facing the area and expressed hope that funds raised during the festival would help improve and expand water infrastructure.

The Chairman of the Lekoryi Planning Committee, Professor Vincent Yao Eziah, appealed to the government and development partners to support the development of the area’s eco-tourism potential as a means of generating revenue.

He cited attractions such as the Likpe ancestral caves beneath the Akwapim-Togo ranges, the Wadjakli Waterfalls and the Togo-Attakora mountain range as key tourism assets that could be developed to support local economic growth.