On Saturday July 8, 2023, Mr. Moses Agbesi was installed as the new chief of Amedzofe and Right Wing chief of the Avatime Paramountcy with the title, Okusie Akyem Foli VI.
Below is his inaugural address.
“INAUGURAL SPEECH DELIVERED BY OKUSIE AKYEM FOLI VI
APPELLATIONS
Akpadzawiakpa
Ogbagbla3udza
Bahluimi`a
Bia teni kpasamle ni kudekenime
APPRECIATION
Ayamap4 (God), Bakaba (Ancestors), Bekusiba(Chiefs/Queen mothers), Kedanema (Avatime people), Omatsitsilo(Council of Elders), Soheba(Youth), Akpadzawione, Akpadzawidze, Akpadzawiobie………………………….
I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the almighty God for giving us this day. Indeed, it is a day He the Lord has made.
Jeremiah 1:5 says “I know you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations”.
I also thank all who made this day possible your prayers, gifts, presence and councils will highly be rewarded by the almighty God.
My Kinsmen, ladies and gentlemen, I wish to pay glowing tributes to my predecessors who protected the Ancestral Heritage till today. Amedzofe is a Sovereign Community with its customary laws. We have to preserve it for our generations yet unborn.
The Community called Amedzofe is our home. God has blessed it so much with numerous resources-human and material. These resources and potentials are needed to be developed to benefit the present and future generations. This could not happen if there is no unity and peace.
Indeed, development trives in peace and unity. It is based on this that I call on all and sundry citizens of Amedzofe to come together to fight the greatest enemies that are pursing us-poverty, disease, unemployment, School dropout, ignorance, teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, and under development.
Let us set aside our personal interests and hatred and pursue the ultimate that would secure the present and the future for our children. Let us remember that Amedzofe is bigger than every individual, group or family. Let us also not forget that Amedzofe was here before we come and it would be here after we are gone. What is important to do now, is to work hard and leave the community better than we met it for the benefit of the generations yet unborn.
DEVELOPMENT AGENDA
The development of Amedzofe seemed to have delayed. It is therefore important to put robust measures in place to accelerate its systematic development.
The Four Years Development Plan of Amedzofe would expire this 2023. I wish to call on all stake holders to review it as quickly as possible to reflect our current situations. It is important for us to put pragmatic measures in place to ensure its implementation. It is based on this that I call on all citizens to make themselves and their know-how available to strengthen Amedzofe Development Association (ADA) that has been mandated to champion the development agenda of the community. ADA should collaborate with the Assembly member, unit committee, Amedzofe Eco- Tourism Board, NGO’s among others to give meaning to our development by harnessing the necessary resources to address our myriad challenges as a community.
TOURISM
Amedzofe abounds in numerous tourism potentials both natural and manmade. Amedzofe is the highest human habitable place in Ghana (2400ft above sea level). It has the second highest mountain in Ghana-Mt. Gemi (640m). it records the lowest temperature in Ghana especially during the raining season. It also has caves, waterfall, ancestral heritages, historical heritages, rich culture and tradition and the canopy walkway.
Agriculture is the vocation of its people. Organic food production-vegetable, fruits, tree crops among others produced here. It is my desire to see Amedzofe again producing the Irish potato, cocoa among others to support the economy of Amedzofe. Tourism is a fast growing economy worldwide. To be able to leverage on it, we must be sufficient in food producing, hospitality, industry, improve sanitation systems and roads. I am therefore, challenging the Tourism Board of Amedzofe to live up to the task to help develop the potentials by attracting investors but with the carefulness of not destroying our vegetation and the eco-system. We must effectively link our tourism potentials with our cultural heritages in Amedzofe which should inure to the benefit of the community hence my endorsement of the Adoption of the Tourism Day which would be observed in October this year. We should also strive to build a Chief’s Palace to support, promote and preserve the chieftaincy institution and also support our tourism.
EDUCATION
Amedzofe is a harp of education. It has basic through tertiary institutions. It is therefore unacceptable at this era and age not to educate our people to attain their fullest potentials. We, therefore have to look at the various challenges that impede the progress of our children education and provide the needed support to complement the efforts of the parents and the government. The call to institute a Vocational and Educational Endowment Fund to support this venture is now than never. We need to develop a scheme to establish the fund as early as possible. My vision is to lead the establishment of the Education and Vocational Endowment Fund to support our children. I call on all, both home and abroad to support this venture for our homeland Amedzofe.
ISSUES WITH OSIE
The concerns raised by our Youth and ADA in petitions to Osie are very critical and must be re- visited. Now that all our Chiefs and Queen Mothers and the chieftaincy set up of Amedzofe is fully in place, we would study and discuss the issues and take the necessary steps to resolve the matter to the best interest of the chieftaincy of Amedzofe and its people.
AMEDZOFE TOWN ROADS
I wish to remind the president of the republic of Ghana of the promise to construct the town roads in Amedzofe.
PEACE AND UNITY
For any society to develop, it needs an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity. I acknowledge that the peace and unity of Amedzofe is being threatened by some factors and misunderstandings among us and neighbouring community.
I call on the Ayisalu Clan of Amedzofe to unite to provide the necessary leadership to the community. We are brothers and our Chieftaincy is inherited in rotation between the two sections (gates)-Djokoto and Asamani. Let’s respect the status quo and allow peace, unity and understanding to prevail among us. I, hereby, invite my brothers to join hands with us to move this community forward.
I further call upon all other Clans to do away with the differences prevailing among us and give peace a chance in Amedzofe. Let us tolerate each other and live in unity for an accelerated development of the community. Let us revisit our chieftaincy set up and respect the laydown structures in a mutual manner.
On behalf of the Chief/Queen mothers, Kingmakers, Stool Elders and Council of Elders and the entire Amedzofe Community thank you for your prayers presents and presences. God bless you and restore back to you your time and resources spent to ensure the success of this occasion.
Mle wa lixoe popoopo Akpena mi
Thank you.”
