Akatakyies Assemble In Gaithersburg, Maryland

Members of Akatakyie USA will descend on Gaithersburg, MD within August 29 and 30, 2014 for this year’s annual meeting at the Holiday Inn (2 Montgomery Village Avenue, Gaithersburg MD).

In the age of massive, free-wheeling corruption that is breaking the back of Ghana’s economy, infrastructure capital for maintaining secondary schools is virtually non-existent. Across Ghana, the infrastructure of our educational institutions is rapidly deteriorating. Dormitories and classrooms are in debilitating conditions, and the schools are overcrowded because facilities built for 500 students are now being used by over 1500 students. While headmasters helplessly look on this alarming trend in their schools, PTAs and old students are stepping up to the plate in few fortunate institutions with relatively well organized support groups. No doubt Opoku Ware School is one of such privileged institutions – backed by the powerful Catholic Church, its PTA and a flourishing alumni spread across the globe, including in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada.

It is in this spirit of organizing to support their alma mater that Opoku Ware old students in the United States ought to be commended for the ability to convene every year in the past two decades in a major U.S. city to reunite and raise funds for their esteemed institution. Began in the early 90s, these high octane Akatakyie conventions have helped the alumni body in the US to raise funds to support the school in a manner that makes Opoku Ware one of the schools with the best, well-maintained infrastructure in Ghana. The school boasts of a beautiful, sprawling and expansive campus that requires a lot of resources to maintain.

The date for this year’s convention (August 29 – 30) coincides with the US Labor Day holiday weekend, strategically chosen to allow ample time for members to travel long distances to attend the meeting. The theme for this year’s annual meeting, Health and Wellness, will focus members’ attention to fitness and dieting to maintain strength and energy within healthy bodies. Medical specialists, health practitioners and nutritional scientists will lead several sessions to provide relevant information to members to promote healthy lifestyles. The Dinner-Dance and fund raising event on Saturday, August 30, will provide a fitting conclusion to the 2014 Annual Meeting of Akatakyie USA. Her Excellency, Ma Seretse, Botswana’s Ambassador to the United States, will be the featured Keynote Speaker. Her Excellency will speak on the topic, “Africa Renaissance: The Leadership of the Diaspora”, and challenge members to understand and take up the challenge of leading the continent through economic development, education, peace and security for posterity. Members will dance the night away with music provided by our own DJ Albert (AV 252) with fundraising to support Opoku Ware School.

Overall, the uniqueness of this year’s Akatakyie conference is the eclectic nature of the schedule which has been designed to be practical, productive, self-enriching and to have a broad appeal to Opoku Ware Old Students and the Ghanaian fraternity and sorority at large. Special invitation has been extended to our sister schools St Louis, Prempeh College, St Monica’s, Amass, and Mfantsipim and the Ghanaian community in Washington, DC at large. We encourage maximum patronage for all to experience a rare and unique Ghanaian event at the Holiday Inn Gaithersburg on 2 Montgomery Village Avenue, Gaithersburg MD 20879 come Saturday August 30.

For more details, email jowusu@gmail.com;baba.agenda@yahoo.com; koforia@att.net or dial 703 499 6222, 773 610-1112 and 410 9606322.