Kpando Association of North America successfully holds 1st Annual Convention

The Kpando Association of North America successfully held their 1st Annual Convention from July 28th to July 30th, 2023 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Silver Spring, Maryland. The theme was “Unity and Development in Akpiniland".

At the 2023 Convention, there were an estimated 100-150 guests in attendance, comprising families and friends of Kpando from the USA, Canada, and Ghana.

The Convention officially opened on Friday, the 28th with the arrival of guests and an evening program dubbed “toli” and “borborbor” night. The Friday event ended with quizzes and a ‘borborbor” competition among the youth present. The aim was to keep the children of Akpini, who were born outside of Ghana, engaged and educated about the heritage and values of their people.

On Saturday, July 29th, the Convention activities started with a meeting chaired by Professor Alorbi. Recognition and appreciation were awarded to the Kpando Traditional Council under the leadership of Okpekpewuokpe Torgbui Dagadu IX for all the steps being taken to reclaim the historical reputation of Kpando as the leading place in the region for academic, economic, and cultural activities. The meeting particularly focused on the efforts to eradicate marijuana farming by some of the youth in the community. A call was made to investors to come to the Kpando Municipality to take advantage of the abundant natural resources available to create jobs.

A part of the resolution was the call on the Akpini Traditional Council to consider taking steps to bring a branch of the Goethe Institute to Kpando. This is to re-establish the cultural bonds between Germany and the Akpini state.

Their resolution also urged the Akpini Traditional Council to establish a committee to contact the appropriate authorities to work towards the relocation of the existing Kpando Prison to newer facilities in the municipality. This is to pave the way for steps towards the renovation of the historic German administration blocks into a German-African museum to boost tourism in Kpando.

After successfully passing the necessary resolutions, guests were treated to a grand picnic at the Wheaton Regional Park, Silver Spring. Every possible Ghanaian local dish was made available for participants to feast and enjoy. The Saturday afternoon program was crowned by a football match between KANA men and women. The women proudly won the game and earned the cup at stake at the Convention Dinner.

The Convention Dinner was held at the Knights of Columbus Rosenteel Hall, Silver Spring MD, with a grand showcase of Ghanaian fashion, food and music. Awards were given to deserving individuals who have worked in various ways to promote the development of the Akpini State and KANA, both at home and abroad.

The Chairperson of the Fund-Raising Committee, Rev. Vanessa Mensah Adu, called for support and donations from members and corporate bodies, to provide medical supplies to the Margaret Marquart Hospital at Kpando. The President of KANA, Mr. Stephen Agbettoh, delivered the keynote address. He emphasized the focus on the Convention theme and the key objectives of KANA, which are all centred around unity, love, and development among all Akpinis and the Akpini State.

The weekend-long program was finalized with a Thanksgiving Church Service at the E.P. Church, Silver Spring, MD. The President, in a short speech, used the opportunity to thank God and all KANA members for a successful convention.

The following resolutions were adopted:

1. “That the Kpando Association of North America (KANA) appeal to the Akpini Traditional Council to consider taking steps to invite the Goethe Institute to open a branch in Kpando to re-establish the cultural bonds between Germany and the Akpini state.”



2. “That KANA appeal to and support the Akpini Traditional Council to set up a committee to contact the relevant authorities to relocate the current Kpando Prison to newer facilities in the municipality; thereby paving the way for steps towards the renovation of the vacated historic German administration blocks into a German- African museum to boost tourism in Kpando; that the committee should also explore the possibility of working with German foundations and agencies such as the German Technical Cooperation Agency (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit) (GTZ) to fund and oversee the conversion of the old prison facility into the proposed German – African Museum and Research Library.