Saltpond-based NGO honours former President Kufuor

Mankessim, April 14, GNA - FED KASTLE Promotion Awards Foundation, a non-governmental organization based at Saltpond, has honoured former President John Agyekum Kufuor for his contributions to the development of Mfantseman Municipality and Ghana as a whole.

The organisation also awarded 20 youths from the area for various contributions they had made to the Municipality in their distinct fields of endeavours such as education, sports, music, culture and entrepreneurship.

The former President was presented with a plaque and a citation on his achievements for Ghana and Africa.

The other award winners were presented with shields and certificates at the third Mfantseman Youth Achievers Award Day at Mankessim under the theme: "Raising Young Leaders of Integrity for Sustainable Development."

Speaking at the function, Mr Francis Ejaaku Donkoh, Executive Director of the NGO said the organization decided to institute the award to honour achievers in the Municipality following a national award he also received in 2006 for his leadership role in society.

"I was so motivated that I felt I must also encourage the youths in the area to achieve excellence in their various fields of endeavour," Mr Donkoh stated.

A society, he said, which did not award achievers was not worth dying for, and urged the recipients of the awards to continue to do their best.

Osagyefo Manfo Edu VI, Omanhene of Mankessim Traditional Area told the award winners that the greatest challenge they had to overcome was how to sustain standard.

He urged them to open up to others for them to learn from their achievements. "Sharing with others makes one to know more and helps to improve standards," the chief told them. He also urged them to bear in mind that humility, respect and law-abiding were fundamental to success in life.

Mr Peter Mensah, the Manager of the Mfantseman Community Bank expressed disappointment about the level of development in the area in spite of the fact that the place stood tall in the country's political history.

He urged the youth not to expect anyone from elsewhere to develop the area for them and advised them to channel their strength into developmental activities.

Mr Anthony Arthur, the Municipal Youth Coordinator expressed concern about the incidence of teenage pregnancy in the area and appealed to parents to exert some control over their children especially young females.

Alhaji Abubakar Saddique Boniface, the former Minister of Works, Housing and Water Resources, who received the award on behalf of the former President, called for the need to empower the youth to develop their entrepreneurial skills.

He said this must be done devoid of partisan politics and added that good achievers could only be gotten when people buried their ideological differences. "Politics must be done in the interest of the economy", the former minister said.