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President John Dramani Mahama on Sunday joined Asanteman to celebrate the first Akwasidae festival in the year 2025, at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi.
Akwasidae is a sacred traditional festival celebrated by the Ashanti people of Ghana where they honour their ancestors, seek their blessings while the Asantehene sits in state to receive homage from the people.
President Mahama’s presence at the festival marked his first official visit to the Ashanti Region after a decisive victory in the 2024 elections that has seen his non-consecutive second term in office as Head of State.
An atmosphere often charged with vibrant traditional drumming and dancing, showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the Ashanti people saw the Asantehene perform customary rites to promote the well-being and prosperity of his people.
As usual, kente was in vogue capturing the attention of some foreigners who were attending the highly patronised festival for the first time.
Delivering his speech, President Mahama, bemoaned the dire economic crisis Ghana was currently facing which required collective efforts to salvage the situation.
According to him, “this particular crisis is characterised by a high rate of inflation, macroeconomic instability, a depreciating currency, and a debt default which has shut us out of the international credit market.”
The President thus appealed to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, to leverage his influence in supporting efforts to address the economic challenges of the country.
Praising the Asantehene for his pivotal role in fostering economic growth in his previous administration, President Mahama described the current situation as “more daunting challenge than we have ever experienced in our history.”
“Your Royal Majesty, as a former president between 2013 and 2017, we faced macroeconomic instability and I remember some of the times we had obstacles in our way of bringing stability to our economy and restoring economic growth.
I had the privilege of calling on you to use your influence and diplomacy to smoothen the path so that it could open up the path towards prosperity and progress and anytime I called on you, you didn’t hesitate. And I would like to thank you for your cooperation I enjoyed with you at that time.”
“As we have inherited a difficult economic situation, I will be calling on you again from time to time. And I know that anytime I call on you, you will not hesitate so that we work together to put our nation back on its feet.”
President Mahama reaffirmed his commitment to advancing development in the Ashanti Region, pledging to complete stalled and abandoned infrastructure projects, particularly in the healthcare sector.
On his part, Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, urged President Mahama to fulfil all promises made to Ghanaians.
The Paramount Chief of Mampong Traditional Area, Dasebre Osei Bonsu II, speaking on behalf of the Asantehene, stated; “We would like you to please remember always the undertakings and promises you have made. I implore you to fulfil all your promises to us in the great Asante Kingdom.
“We have absolute trust in you that you shall not let us down. All ongoing developmental projects within the kingdom and across all kingdoms, you will fulfil them.”
FROM KINGSLEY E.HOPE, KUMASI
