Okyehene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, the overlord of the Akyem Abuakwa State, has reiterated calls for the development of the Atewa Forest Reserve into a National Park.
The Okyehene, who expressed shock about the failure of successive governments to establish a National Park in the Atewa Forest, said the establishment of the park will create long-term investment which will create meaningful income for citizens.
He made this call when the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Awal, paid a courtesy call on him at the Ofori Panin Fie in Kyebi.
“We have written several papers to government after government that we should develop a national park through the Atewa forest. The species that God has given in the Atewa forest are phenomenal, and everyone knows this… Since we are a kingdom of history, we also need to build a serious museum in this park to showcase to people who will come here to know what our history is, and what artefacts we have in the museum”.
“We have to be a country that thinks about the future, a country that believes in equity for generations, and a country that believes in creating opportunity. No country has ever developed without making sure that there’s an investment in their nature or things that God has given us”.
Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin further indicated that gold and timber are not renewable resources, and called on Ghanaians to respect nature and preserve the environment.
“The gold and timber will go away, gold is not a renewable resource. The timber being fell recklessly, we have to preserve our nature, and that is what our forefathers did, and that is what all of us are going to be asking our government and our people to do. Respect for nature, the rule of nature, is more important than anything else I can think of”.
The Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Awal, who indicated that his ministry’s objective is to move tourism from the county’s 4th GDP earner to 1st, called on Okyehene and the traditional state to identify two iconic sites to be developed to international tourism standards to create jobs and wealth.
