By Elizabeth Larkwor Baah, GNA
Tema, June 04, GNA — The Tema Traditional Council has renewed its appeal to Ms Ebi Bright, the Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), to institute measures that would enable industries operating within the metropolis to contribute to revenue generation for the Tema Stool.
The council noted that enhanced support from industries would strengthen the stool’s financial capacity to undertake community development projects, preserve cultural heritage, and finance traditional activities that promote social cohesion and local development.
Nii Armarh Soumponu, the Tema Stool Secretary, and Shipi said the council often has to rely on public appeals for funds to organise festivals and undertake projects that benefit the traditional area.
He called for a more structured partnership with the assembly to ensure sustained support for initiatives aimed at preserving culture and promoting development within Tema.
Speaking at the First Ordinary Meeting of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly, Nii Soumponu expressed concern over the financial challenges facing the stool despite Tema’s position as one of Ghana’s leading industrial and commercial centres.
According to him, the rapid growth of industries in Tema came at a significant cost to the indigenous community, whose main occupation was farming.
He noted that large portions of farmlands were lost to make way for industrial and infrastructural development following the establishment of the Tema Harbour and the expansion of the city.
He stated that the government acquired about 32 square miles of land belonging to the Tema people for development purposes with no compensation paid to the stool for the acquisition saying that it had been left without a reliable source of income and continues to struggle to fund its activities and maintain its institutions.
Nii Soumponu highlighted also the social changes that have accompanied Tema’s development, explaining that the city had become a highly diverse and multi-ethnic society, creating challenges for the preservation of the customs and traditions of the indigenous people.
He said significant resources were now required to sustain cultural activities and protect the heritage of the Tema people, questioning the direct benefits that industries operating within the metropolis provide to the traditional authority, stressing that despite the large number of companies in Tema, the stool receives little support.
He noted that maintaining and improving the traditional palace had become difficult due to financial constraints and called on industries and other organisations operating in Tema to consider the needs of the stool as part of their corporate and social responsibilities.
He urged stakeholders to recognise the contribution of the indigenous community to Tema’s development and support efforts aimed at preserving its culture and strengthening its traditional institutions.
GNA
Edited by Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo/Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Elizabeth Larkwor Baah
Reporter’s email: elizabeth.baah.gna.org.gh
