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Address on the Occasion of the Fundraising Gala
February 26, 2008
MR. CHAIRMAN THE PRESIDENT, MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
THE PRESIDENTS, GETHSEMANI CIRCLE OF FRIENDS
NKABOM ARTIST AND CRAFTS PEOPLE ASSOCIATION
FAMILY SERVICES RESEARCH CENTRE
DISTINGUISHED INVITED GUESTS
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
I am very happy and highly honoured to be invited to speak at an event as historic as this, especially so, when the event happens to concern a town in my area of jurisdiction, West Akyem District in Ghana.
Much as I would have liked to be physically present here to be a part of this gathering, I am unable to do so due to an equally pressing engagement back home.
His Excellency, the President John Agyekum Kufuor who will also be engaged at Oxford University as a guest speaker has indicated his interest in project Okurase and has promised his total support to whatever initiatives the three organizations would undertake to bring relief to the good people of Ghana, and requests to be duly briefed of the outcome of this Fund Raising Programme.
The President hopes however, that in future he would be informed of such important programme well in advance for him to include in his heavy schedule.
Okurase is a little town in Ghana located in the West Akyem District, as I have already indicated. It has quite a sizeable population, with the Younger men being predominantly wood carvers, farmers and petty cash and food crops traders.
It is of immense pleasure not only to me as the District Chief Executive but the whole of Okurase, the District and for that matter the country that such a remarkable and important project is to be sited at Okurase, to offer training and employment to the indigenes of the town, the district and even the whole of Ghana.
Indeed, Women and Children in our part of the world have been the most affected group of people with respect to adverse economic and social activities in the country. Poverty, absence of jobs, prevalence of diseases, hunger and other social problems continue to plague our Women and children, thus exposing them to a lot of hardships and social Vices such as prostitution, armed robbery, gambling, HIV/AIDS etc.
It is therefore a big relief that these three organizations, Gethsemani Circle Of Friends, Nkabom Artist And Crafts people Association of Accra and Family Services Research Centre have decided to come together to assist the people of Okurase and Ghana to learn different kinds of trade.
One of the biggest Challenges facing the Youth is the availability of jobs. Many young and enthusiastic men and women come out of school with the hope of securing jobs to earn a decent living only to find out later that the job opportunities are nonexistent.
I must confess that I am overwhelmed by the selflessness of the members of these organizations. Their desire to positively change the lives of people they have no direct blood linkage except the bond of friendship. It is deeply touching and, indeed worthy of emulation and praise.
Undoubtedly, this project when completed would have a rippling effect in all sectors of the economy by providing skills training and employment for the people as well as laying the foundation for accelerated economic and social growth for the district and mother Ghana.
Since the centre will also be used as a professional recording studio, there is a great future for our up and coming young musicians, who not only do lack resources and equipments to record their songs, but are also in dire need of dedicated and experienced personnel to manage them at the least cost.
It is also an avenue that will open up the creative skills of the Ghanaian musician and dancers, as well as enriching and exposing the rich musical culture of the people of Ghana to the outside world. I will therefore appeal to all those who are genuinely interested in empowering our women and children economically and politically to donate generously to support a cause as worthy as PROJECT OKURASE.
The District Assembly, on its own is making efforts at creating jobs for the youth. It is sourcing a loan facility of One billion, Five Hundred million Cedis (1.5b) which is equivalent to about One Hundred and Fifty Thousand U.S
Dollars ($150.000) to rehabilitate and turn an old rattan factory into a viable vegetable oil factory at Asamankese. The Assembly is also trying to complete the construction of a gari/oil Palm factory at a town called Topease. All these efforts are geared towards creating employment and decent living for our people, especially the youth and women. Raw materials are in abundance except that funding has always been the problem.
Government has also introduced the Youth Employment Programme which allows those who have completed their second cycle education to be temporarily engaged in gainful employment in the areas of Health, Education, Sanitation and farming. This has kept many of our young men and women from the streets and into productive ventures.
Additionally, government has established the Rural Enterprise Project Facility at Asamankese to offer Training to artisans in and around the district. It is therefore envisaged that the establishment of project Okurase will complement and greatly enhance the entrepreneurial skills of these artisans and further make the West Akyem District the employment hub of the country since the tremendous increase in economic and social activities will lead to unprecedented increase in developmental projects and programmes in the interest of the district and the nation as a whole.
Mr. Chairman, distinguished invited Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen. One of the most important activities that these organizations have decided to undertake, and which has gladdened the hearts of many people since news about this project leaked out is the issue of HIV/AIDS. The looming threat of the HIV/AIDS Pandemic cannot be taken lightly.
Even though there has been regular education and sensitization of the people about the dangers of the disease, the sexual lifestyles of our people continue to be a source of worry and concern. These lifestyles are in total disregard of the glaring dangers of the AIDS disease, especially our Women who, as a result of the absence of jobs often easily give in to the sexual demands of men in exchange for money so that they can make ends meet. The dangers of the disease therefore become secondary to their immediate needs.
I therefore consider the decision by the three organizations to establish this centre to offer real education and skills training to our youth at Okurase to make them productive and self-reliant as a bold and human-centred one. Clearly, this single project can greatly change the lives of the youth and women, empower them to resist all attempts to engage in prostitution and give hope, meaning and direction to their lives.
The project at Okurase, as said earlier, will offer essential services in the district such as caring for children at the risk of HIV/AIDS, and children rendered orphans by the disease. The Creation of jobs for the youth and women, as well as offering formal education to the people, especially the girl child.
I am happy to say that the project's objectives of women empowerment, community development, and sustainability is in perfect consonance with the objectives of the District Assembly which aims at undertaking activities geared towards ensuring the improvement in the lives of its people.
Let me therefore assure the group that, the District Assembly is prepared to assist them acquire more lands for the project if what they have already acquired is less than the needed land space.
It is my expectation that not only those of you who have attended this gala will give a sober reflection to the good and wonderful things that these three organizations want to achieve through project Okurase for the people of Ghana, but also all those in America and the United Kingdom, who will be touched by the plight of our brothers and sisters in Ghana, to contribute generously towards this fund so that PROJECT OKURASE and its lofty aims will become a reality and a showpiece not only in Ghana but in the rest of Africa.
God richly bless your efforts and sympathies.
Thank you.
