Likpe, April 4, GNA - Togbe Afede XIV, Agbogbomefia of Asogli State, on Saturday called on relevant authorities to plan and implement an inter-regional highway system that would link all regional and district capitals within a 10-year period.

Similarly, he called for programmes to ensure availability of uninterrupted power supply throughout the country, which he added, would help facilitate the cause of development.

Togbe Afede, also the President of Volta Regional House of Chiefs made this requests at the celebration of Lekoryi (Unity) festival of the Chiefs and People of Likpe Traditional Area in the Hohoe Municipality. The festival, which attracted citizens from far and near was on the theme: "Tourism for Sustainable Development and Wealth Creation". Togbe Afede said a new economic model that is christened on regional integration for accelerated development of Africa, which is still considered as the 'Dark Continent'.

He noted that colonial masters, who championed the division of the continent, have themselves found reason to unite as economic bloc. Togbe prayed Ghana takes up its leadership mantle again by renegotiating and concluding open-border agreement with its neighbours. "Starting a process that may lead to rapid integration of Africa would create one of the biggest markets in the world and benefits accruing to nations economically were enormous," he said.

On tourism, Togbe Afede said the Volta Region, a culturally diverse region, was highly ranked in the sector, endowed with attractions including caves, mountains, rivers and missionary architecture.

He called for public private approaches in harnessing and developing these potentials to international standards.

Nana Soglo Alloh IV, Paramount Chief of Likpe Traditional Area said this year's festival was to garner support for a project to electrically wire all basic schools in the traditional area, a prelude towards making all schools compliant for ICT and E-learning regimes.

He announced that Nexans Cable Metal Ghana Limited has made positive gestures by pledging 50,000 cedis to support the project, which is to cost 95,000 cedis.

Nana Alloh therefore entreated citizens both home and abroad to contribute their quota to the project, and urged corporate institutions and NGOs to support the course.

On Chieftaincy, he said the institution was still relevant in contemporary times, insisting that Chiefs eschew partisan politics as enshrined in the Constitution.

Nana Barima Owusu Afare, President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) called on the Likpe Traditional Council to liaise with the Ministry of Tourism to repackage the tourism potentials in the area including the Likpe language to attract investment and patronage. He appealed to traditional areas without festivals to identify themselves with one, saying, it has become a rallying point for socio-economic advancement.

Nana Afare urged the Traditional Council to institute an Education Committee to oversee the development of education in the area and appealed to parents to invest in their children's education. Mr Victor-Hermann Condobrey, Hohoe Municipal Chief Executive assured the people that the Likpe-Hohoe segment of road network has been awarded on contract.

He said government was aware of the potentials of the tourism sector and was working assiduously to partner with the private sector to develop the sites.