The Chief of Agona Asafo in the Central Region, Nana Yamfo Asuako V has called on the government to provide financial and logistical support to youth in agriculture to entice more youth to go into the venture, and also help curtail the migration of youth from the rural areas to urban centers to seek for none-existent jobs.
Speaking to Ghananews.com at a meeting with Chiefs of the town ahead of the celebration of this year’s Annual Akwambo festival, Nana Yamfo Asuako who is also the Nimfahen of the Agona Nyakrom Traditional Area hinted that lack of support for farmers has compelled most of the youth in the town who are predominantly vegetable growers, especially cabbage to join the exodus train to larger cities like Accra and Tema to do menial jobs.
He said the situation remains a great source of worry to the elders of the town and has therefore appealed to the government to support such youth o help reduce the problem of mass exodus of youth in rural areas to urban centers, which he noted is becoming a major phenomenon in the country.
The Kyidomhen of the town, Nana Kwaw Ponsi also disclosed that this year’s Akwambo festival will be used as a Home Coming to raise funds for the construction of a multi-purpose community centre in the town.
He hinted that as part of the celebration, a symposium would be held to educate the youth on drug abuse and leadership qualities.
The Akwambo festival which has now become the events of celebration for most towns in the Central Region is said to be a time where all paths leading to town are cleared a week ahead of the celebration of the Yam Festival which was the major festival of the people, as a way of paving the way for the gods and ancestral spirits to come home and participate in the celebration.
The Akwamuhen and Chairman of the festival’s Planning Committee, Nana Kofi Nkum I in turn mentioned Candle light procession, football gala between the various suburbs of the town, clean-up exercise, quiz competition among schools, health screening and durbar as some of the programmes outlines for the celebration.
He said trophies and special prizes would be awarded to winners of the football gala and the quiz competition respectively.