RESIDENTS OF the Brong-Ahafo Region want the newly established University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in Sunyani to be named after the late Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia, one of the eminent sons of the region.

Dr. Busia, who was Ghana’s Second Republic Prime Minister, has been described as a legend and a great son of Ghana and Africa who brought much honour to Brong-Ahafo and the nation as a whole.

The call came up on Sunday in Sunyani during the launch of two books authored by Nana Agyei-Kodie Anane-Agyei, a communication consultant.

Mr. Anane-Agyei who made the request on behalf of the chiefs and people of the region said, “Prof. Busia was not only a great politician and as such Prime Minister of the Second Republic, he was also the first Ghanaian to become a university professor on the Ghanaian soil.”

“I wish to appeal to the leadership of our region to concretize the attempt to immortalize the legends by naming after them public buildings and remarkable monuments. That, I am sure would encourage people to give out their best in their service to the motherland because they would be mindful that even in their deaths, they would be honoured,” he pointed out.

The event was attended by some prominent chiefs in the region as well as renowned business executives and people in academia, who hailed from the region.

One of the books entitled: ‘Champions Of The Centuries; Profile Of Eminent People From Ghana’s Brong-Ahafo Region,’ had profiled a number of eminent people from Brong-Ahafo Region who have reached the topmost part of their services to country and humanity.

The other book entitled, ‘Ghana’s Brong-Ahafo Region; Story Of An African Society In The Heart Of The World,’ focused on the history and culture of the people of Bono Ahafo, economic opportunities and investment potential in the region.

“The aim of the book is to brand the Bono Ahafo region by showcasing its rich culture, people and resources to the world,” the author explained.

Addressing the guests, Mr. Anane-Agyei noted that the abundant resources in the region such as agriculture, mining, pottery and tourism, put the region in an advantageous position to be an industrial hub of Ghana.

He called for addition of value to and processing of agricultural produce to maximize the gains from agriculture by establishing factories to process the raw materials.

Mr. Anane-Agyei called for the institution of a B/A Day to consolidate the region’s position as a centre of excellence, saying the region must reposition itself to utilize its abundant resources to better the lot of its citizens.

He mentioned that the B/A Day if adopted would be in the form of a festival that would be celebrated every five years in a grand style where illustrious citizens of the region would be honoured.

The author also appealed for the establishment of a Brong-Ahafo Scholarship Fund to promote education and development of the region.

The Chairman for the function, Osagyefo Oseadieyo Agyemang Badu II, the Dormaahene, regretted that not much books have been written to tell the rich culture and history of the Brong-Ahafo Region.

He therefore commended the author and urged citizens of the region to support him in his endeavour to encourage others to also come out with similar projects.

The Dormaahene said the people of Brong-Ahafo have a very rich culture which needed to be safeguarded for the benefits of generations unborn.

The President of the Brong-Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, Osahene Kwaku Aterkyi II, who was the guest speaker, noted that no nation could develop without inculcating its culture into its development agenda.

He called on Ghanaians to revisit their cultural values in their quest to develop the country and praised the writer for the painstaking research he conducted to come out with the two books.

The Dormaahene, the highest bidder, bought copies of the two books for GH¢13,000. He also bought 100 copies to be distributed to the President of the Republic and his Vice, the Chief Justice, Speaker of Parliament, Nana Akufo-Addo, and all the flagbearers in the 2012 elections in an effort to showcase the investment potentials in the region to the people who matter in the country.

Nana Aterkyi also bought 50 copies to be distributed to all the members of the house.