Ho, July 24, GNA - About 500 people, including traditional rulers, entrepreneurs and professionals, would converge in Ho for a 10-day convention under the aegis of the Council of Ewe Associations of North America (CEANA) to discuss the state of development of Ewe communities across Africa.

The convention, under the theme "Educational Development in Ewe Land; Focusing on Infrastructure Improvement," would also brainstorm on ways of speeding up integrated development of the communities through collaboration with development partners.

CEANA is a non-profit making umbrella organization, which oversees fourteen Ewe associations in North America, Europe and Canada. According to a programme released by the Convention Secretariat in Ho, the official opening ceremony is scheduled for July 31 at which a critique on the state of development of the Volta Region would be delivered by Major Courage Quashigah, (retd), Minister of Health. Other papers to be presented on that day include the impact of dropout rate in junior and senior secondary schools in the region. The programme said CEANA had decided to build a school at Sovie in the Kpando District and Tanyigbe in the Ho Municipality to replace dilapidated structures there.

Other activities on the programme include excursions to historical sites such as the slave monuments at Atorkor in the Keta District, tourist destinations and the Keta Sea Defence site.

CEANA, besides its development advocacy in the past, had made substantial material donations to institutions in Ghana including 3.4 million dollars medical equipment to nine hospitals in the Volta Region and the Republic of Togo and an electro-cardiogram to Cardiology Centre at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

The operates a scholarship programme for students pursuing secondary education in the Volta Region with plans afoot for a similar scheme in Togo. 24 July 07