Koforidua, (Eastern Region) 5 May ?99
Dasebre Dr. Oti Boateng, paramount chief of New Juabeng traditional area, said on Monday that measures are being taken to elevate the New Juabeng Municipality to the status of a metropolis.
At a durbar of chiefs and people of New Juabeng to mark the climax of the Akwantukese festival, which symbolises the migration of the ancestors of that state from Ashanti to their present location in the 1870s, Dasebre Boateng noted that New Juabeng is endowed with a rich culture and facilities that mandate its elevation from a municipality to a metropolis.
The nine-day long festival, jointly organised by the New Juabeng Traditional Municipal Assembly and the Eastern Regional Co-ordinating Council, was also used to mark the host nation day of the on-going WTO/ATA Africa conference and the convocation of African ministers of tourism.
Dasebre Boateng said, in addition to these features, the Lands, Town and Country Planning Departments had been taxed to demarcate land for heavy and light industries under the government's free zone's project.
He called for investments in the region's tourism, saying land acquisition for development projects had been made less cumbersome for investors.
The festival, he said, is used as an occasion to forge unity among the people for development and growth.
"It is the cherished hope of the chiefs and people of New Juabeng that its use as the host day celebration will open a big window of opportunity for sustainable development in this area."
Mr Mike Gizo, minister of Tourism, said: "I am glad to note that you spent over three million cedis to rehabilitate the site of the festival, Jackson Park, and the chief's palace to make the occasion grand".
He expressed the hope that the investment made would lead to sustainable development in tourism and attract foreign investment to the area.
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