Stephen Asamoah Boateng
The Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Stephen Asamoah Boateng has hinted of plans by his Ministry to amend parts of the Chieftaincy Act to allow traditional rulers to deal with their subjects who flout the rules and regulations or break laws.
“Traditional rulers must be given some powers or authority to operate in their various localities to bring back the revered spirit of Chiefs” he disclosed.
Asamoah Boateng vowed to transform the Chieftaincy Act to make it attractive to help traditional rulers regain the reverence and honour of their subjects.
The Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs also highlighted the importance of traditional rulers in the development efforts of government and called for unity and teamwork to support the Chieftaincy Ministry.
Asamoah Boateng gave the hint at a durbar of Chiefs and People of the Effutu Traditional Area (Winneba) to mark the celebration of this year’s Aboakyir festival.
This year’s Aboakyir festival celebration was celebrated under the theme “Your Participation Makes a Difference for Development”.
Mr. Asamoah Boateng who was also the guest of honour observed that the theme for the celebration was apt and charged the youth to reorient themselves to support the leadership of the country to bring about development.
Touching on the contribution of the traditional authorities in national development, the Minister stressed the need for the country to reach a point where local government becomes the focus of development and not the Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Stephen Asamoah Boateng has hinted of plans by his Ministry to amend parts of the Chieftaincy central government.
He pledged to work with the appropriate state institutions to stop encroachment and indiscriminate cattle grazing at the Winneba Ramsar site which houses the sacred forest to protect the cultural heritage of the Effutu people.
On his part, the Paramount Chief of the Effutu Traditional Area, Neenyi Ghartey VII, bemoaned the levels of encroachment and grazing at the Winneba Ramsar site which houses the sacred forest crucial in the continuous celebration of the Aboakyir Festival.
He expressed disappointment that the human activities there pose a danger to the traditions of the Effutu people who depend on the sacred forest for the hunting of deer in order to hold the festival annually.
Neenyi Ghartey appealed to the appropriate state institutions to be proactive so as to protect the forest to save the cultural values and traditions that bind the people together.
The Central Regional Minister, Justina Marigold Assan popularly known as Central Gold praised the chiefs and people of Winneba for the peaceful organization and celebration of the 2023 Aboakyir festival, a development, she said would boost investor confidence and bring more development to the area.
There were spontaneous scenes of joy and wild jubilations when the Tuafo Number One Asafo Company made the first appearance to present the first catch of a deer to the durbar grounds.
Prior to the presentation, the two Asafo companies (Tuafo and Dentsefo) embarked on a hunting expedition in search of a live deer from the sacred forest and presented the first catch to the Oma Odefe (Paramount Chief) at the durbar grounds for him to step on it three times as tradition demands.
