Guaman (V/R), 29 Sept, GNA - Mr Henry Ford Kamel, Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, said government was soliciting external financial support to improve roads, including the Eastern Corridor Roads fo= r vigorous economic activities.

He said that President John Evans Atta Mills would deliver on his campaign promises to raise the living standards of the people. Mr Kamel was speaking at the Seventh Buem Annual Congress, organized b= y the Coalition for Peace and Development in Buem (COPADIB), on the theme: "Re-living the Cultural Heritage of Buem", at Guaman in the Jasikan District, to raise funds for development and to foster peace and unity amon= g the people. He said: 93government would initiate measures, including the distribution of cocoa seedlings to farmers in the district next year, to increase the production of the crop. Cocoa spraying machines have already been secured for use by farmers." Mr Kamel, who is also Member of Parliament for Buem Constituency, tasked the Coalition to transform the Buem Congress into a festival to unit= e the people and show case their rich cultural heritage for development. Mr Kamel said 93government alone cannot solve problems of the area an= d Buem citizens home and abroad should contribute to development of their communities."

He said the School Feeding Programme would be expanded in the district to encourage more children to enrol and remain in school. Mr Kamel appealed to the youth to take advantage of government's soc= ial and educational interventions to harness their potentials for national development. Professor Gao Wenzhi, representative of the Chinese Ambassador in Ghana, said the theme for the celebration was significant because any group of people who forgot their past, had lost their identity and were visionless.

"The past makes the present and you can capitalize on that to unearth the good things of your ancestors that you may have abandoned on your path to growth" he said.. Prof. Wenzhi noted that socio-cultural activities and habits kept people united while political systems ensured orderliness and a structured society, and economic activities addressed poverty. He said that 93in the enterprising of re-living the cultural heritage= of the community, the attraction of modernity and the unquestioning adoption o= f foreign cultures and values could undo whatever you set to achieve looking back unto your history". Prof. Wenzhi said the experience of China had been one of dedication and hard work and pledged that the Embassy would support the people of Buem to realize their development objectives.