Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin In London

Okyenhene Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin I has held discussions with Hon. Paul Boateng British Chief Secretary to the Treasury as part of working visit to the UK. The discussions centred on many issues which included good governance and the need for the Government to collaborate with the Traditional Sector for the development of the country. During the discussions Hon. Paul Boateng praised Ghana's track record on good governamce while Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin I pledged the determination of the Okyema Traditional Area to assist government in the development of the country.

Okyenhene Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin I, has commended the Prince of Wales, HRH Prince Charles for the good work he is undertaking as patron of various charitable organisations. He expressed the hope that such laudable works could be replicated in Ghana. The Okyenhene made the commendation during interaction with the Prince of Wales at St. James' Palace in London, as part of a 15-day working official visit to the UK. Present at the meeting were his wife, Mrs.Elizabeth Ofori Atta, Mr. Kwabena Baah-Duodu, Deputy High Commissioner of Ghana and Nana Darkwa Woe II, Gyaasehene of Akyem Abuakwa.

During the meeting, which lasted for almost one hour, an indication of the good-working chemistry between the two, Prince Charles briefed the delegation about the Prince's Trust which, he said, was meant to provide hope and skills to needy youth. He expressed his delight that more and more offshoots were springing up in different parts of the world, especially in India where it was growing stronger everyday. Prince Charles promised to put the Okyenhene in touch with some key personnel of the Trust and proposed that the Okyenhene should consider sending one or two personnel to study the Trust's operations so that this could be adapted to Ghanaian circumstances.

Prince Charles said that the Trust could also send one or two officials to Ghana to assist in the setting up of a similar organisation in the country. Prince Charles who had earlier indicated his love for Ghana expressed the hope that he would have the chance to visit the country very soon. Accepting the Prince's offer, Osagyefuo Ofori Panin I, said Ghana was prepared to team up with its development partners to tackle some of the problems confronting the youth such as poverty, illiteracy, drug abuse and HIV/AIDS.

On issues relating to organic farming, Prince Charles expressed concern on the threat to what remained of family farms and warned that if commercial farming was not controlled, a lot of countries would lose their landscapes. He spoke of the benefits of organic farming and how fast it was developing in Commonwealth countries. He said he could be of assistance in the enhancement of organic farming in Ghana and stressed that organic farming allowed nature to replenish itself. Osagyefuo spoke about the efforts he was making to bring about environmental awareness in the Akyem Abuakwa area in particular and Ghana as a whole. The two also stressed the importance of agro-forestry schemes to ensure sustainable development and the contribution of appropriate technology to enhance rural development.