The Chiefs and people of Amanokrom in the Akuapem North Municipality in the Eastern Region have held a durbar in honour of a 26-member delegation from Saginaw City in Michigan in the United States of America (USA) at the forecourt of the palace.

The visitors were led by Professor Dawn Hinton, the Associate Vice-President of Academic Affairs of Saginaw Valley State University, who is also the lead Coordinator for the Amanokrom Saginaw Sister City Relationship, and Dr Joseph Ofori-Dankwa of Harvey Randall Wickes Endowed Chair of International Business, a Professor of Management of Scott L. Carmona College of Business and an advisor for Amanokrom Saginaw Sister City Relationship.

Purpose of visit

The Advisor and Coordinator to the Amanokrom Saginaw Sister City Relationship, Oheneba Mercy Akosua Yeboah, said the visit was to strengthen the friendship and ties established between Amanokrom and Saginaw City since 2018.

She explained that it was also meant to cement the well-established relationship and also to exchange the rich culture between Amanokrom and Saginaw City, which was displayed at the durbar by the Atopani and Kete groups to the admiration of the visitors.

Amanokrom, one of the principal Twi-speaking towns in the Akuapem area, was established around 1742 by Nana Amanor Awuah of the Asona Clan, whose predecessors accompanied their relative King Safori to establish the Ofore stool dynasty and the Akuapem State, after the Akuapem War of Independence against the Akwamus in 1733.

Nana Amanor Awuah, whose name was given to the new Amanokrom (Amanor’s town), was a descendant of Nana Ahenkorase, an Asona Chief of Adanse Ofoase in Ashanti and shared common ancestry with King Kuntunkununku.

Addressing the durbar, the Amanokromhene and Akuapem Gyasehene, Okofrobour Osin Kwatia II, said five years ago in 2018, he had the pleasure of visiting Saginaw as a guest and he was deeply impressed by the hospitality and commitment exhibited to him and his team and he was confident that the two cities (Amanokrom and Saginaw City) had much to offer each other; hence, his excitement to explore the possibilities for cooperation.

“We believe that our sister city’s relationship with Saginaw City will be mutually beneficial.

We can learn from each other’s cultures, share our resources and work together to address common challenges,” the Amanokromhene said.

He stated that like many towns in the Eastern Region and the country at large, “We the people of Amanokrom continue to seek meaningful employment opportunities for the teeming youth and also enhance the quality of basic infrastructure within our communities.”

The leader of the delegates, Professor Hinton said the people of Saginaw City were very impressed with the visit by the Amanokromhene and his entourage in 2018.

That, she said, motivated them to also reciprocate the gesture with the visit to Amanokrom and for that matter Ghana.

Development challenges

The Akuapem North Municipal Chief Executive, Barima Asiedu-Larbi, said the development challenges of the municipality were enormous but not unsurmountable and the assembly was leaving no stone unturned, including learning from the experiences of developed cities like Saginaw City, to transform Akuapem North to a modern city.

He assured the delegates that the municipality had huge investment opportunities for investment and collaboration, especially in areas of agriculture, tourism, agro-processing, poultry and real estate, adding “The municipality is safe and you can invest without any problem.”

Both Amanokrom and Saginaw City exchanged gifts at the event.

SOURCE: GraphicOnline