Volta Regional Minister Urges Chiefs to Leverage Festivals for Development

Volta Regional Minister James Gunu has urged chiefs to shift their annual festivals from mere celebrations to platforms for mobilising community resources toward tangible development projects, particularly in school infrastructure and social amenities. At a durbar held for the Klefe Traditional Area’s Annual Yam Festival, themed "Harnessing Skills Development of the Youth Through Technical Education: The Role of Our Communities Within Government's Reset Agenda," Gunu stressed that self-help initiatives must complement government efforts to accelerate progress in traditional areas. He noted that some communities celebrate festivals without executing projects, a trend he said undermines the nobility of chieftaincy. The minister commended the Klefe Traditional Area under Paramount Chief Togbe Koku Dzaga XI for using festival proceeds to fund boys’ and girls’ dormitories and a teachers’ bungalow at Klefe Technical Institute over the past three years, pledging the Volta Regional Coordinating Council’s support to sustain the initiative. Togbe Dzaga XI, the festival’s host, reiterated that the Yam Festival transcends cultural preservation and merry‑making, serving as a conduit for raising funds to upgrade the Technical Institute, including plans for an additional administration block, dining hall, assembly hall, library and a fully equipped practical workshop. He highlighted contributions from home and abroad that have enabled the institute’s growth and urged youth to cultivate strong ethical discipline to resist drug abuse and become responsible leaders. The festival planning committee chairman, Evans Kuami Buami, appealed to NGOs, public‑spirited organisations and education stakeholders to assist in upgrading the institute, while Ho Municipal Chief Executive Stephen Adom assured that GETFund projects would extend to the area, affirming the assembly’s commitment to inclusive development.