The Adontenhene of the Akuapem Traditional Area and Aburihene, Otoobour Djan Kwasi II,
on Tuesday February 28, 2023 celebrated the 35th anniversary thanksgiving service of his installation, with a call on Ghanaians to preserve their cultural heritage for future generations.
As part of the celebration, the Paramount Chief of Aburi donated GH¢ 35,000 to support social center at Aburi
Addressing a colourful event at Aburi to mark the occasion, Otoobour Kwasi II thanked the almighty God for protecting the residents in the various communities within Akuapem Traditional Area and wished long life for each everyone in the area.
The Chief spoke extensively on how he wants the government to develop Aburi Botanical Gardens and reiterated the need for the privatisation of the Aburi Botanical Gardens to invite investment to the tourist facility.
He said private investment could revitalise the Gardens and enhance its tourism potential to improve business in the area.
Otoobuor Kwasi said the Gardens had lost its value and pride in recent years due to neglect by the government, lack of maintenance, and bureaucracy in its management.
He said the late former President Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings like the Aburi Botanical Gardens and sometimes when he comes to area he came to sit at garden.
The chief argued the Aburi Botanical Gardens
under the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development is making the facility losing its natural status, and propose that it is time for the government to put the Aburi garden under the The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
He pointed out that they didn’t supported the ideal of the government to put the garden under the local government, saying that the constitutional mandates of the local government are fast different from the Aburi garden facility.
He argument that can the local government come to cut the flowers to use for any tourism initiative no.”
Mincing no words, Otoobour Djan Kwasi blamed the former Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Alhaji Collins Dauda for the bad nature of the facility
According to the chief, during the former President John Dramani Mahama regime some potential local investors in the accompany by Daniel McKorley is a Ghanaian business magnate, founder and chief executive officer of McDan Group of Companies, Executive Chairman of the Joupong Group of Companies, Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong and Samuel Afari Dartey is the Founder, CEO, and owner of Aqua Safari Resort and Safari Valley Resort who developed interest of taken over of the garden.
He said they wanted to enter into a joint partnership agreement with these Ghanaian business moguls to develop the garden to its good shape and that they left with the cabinet for approval and that instead of Mr Dauda to push the documents to the cabinet to sign the agreement, he has made flimsy excuses to them.
“When we went to Alhaji Collins Dauda, he told them that there are going to conduct the national election and that they should wait for the election to be conducted before he pushes the the documents to the cabinet to sign and approved the agreement.
“So Aburi garden should be taken by these strategic local investors if Mr Daudu should have helped by that time but the garden development project is not coming on again,” the chief disclosed
He said the Deputy of Local Government and Rural Development who doubles Member of Parliament for Akwapim South Constituency, Mr Osei Bonsu Amoa is in-charge the area but he has doing doing well to ensure the development of the facility
He entreated the journalists to find out from their MP what is he doing to fix the old age problem of Aburi garden.
