Columbus, Ohio (USA) is in the news again! Gargantuan preparations are being made to welcome all Brong Ahafo Associations and citizens in the United States and Canada on September 1, 2012.

The Brong Ahafo Association of Columbus, Ohio, in collaboration with the Council of Brong Ahafo Associations of North America (COBAANA) will be hosting the three-day mammoth Conference at the prestigious Aladdin Shriners, 3850 Stelzer Road, Columbus, Ohio 43219. It will be the third annual conference since COBAANA was formed and inaugurated in Toronto, Canada, in May 2010.

The September 2012 Conference will be under the theme: “Way Back Home.” Among other things, the convention will seek to reinforce the need for Diasporas to identify strongly with their roots. It will redefine the inevitable role that Diasporas have in the reconstruction of the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. Interacting with this reporter, the Chairman of the Conference Planning Committee, Nana Odeneho Osei Kwabena summed it up so well by saying: “Efie ne fie. There is no place like home.” He continued to say that we need to be constantly reminded of where we came from and help better conditions there for ourselves and generations to come. Nana Odeneho hopes that this historical gathering in Columbus would pave a unique and sure way for all Ghanaians to connect with their roots.

COBAANA-Columbus is expected to attract over eight hundred participants from several cities in the United States and Canada. Observers from Ghana and as far away as Norway, England and Germany would also be in attendance. “All Ghanaians and others who are sympathetic to our noble objectives,” according to Daniel Kofi Asante, “are welcome.” Mr. Asante is the Chairman of the Brong Ahafo Association of Columbus, Ohio. Ghanaian cultural extravaganza will be displayed. As usual, food and music will be in abundance.

An appeal for funds would be launched to support the Sunyani General Hospital. Registration information will be available soon. However, people who plan to attend may call for more information from Nana Odeneho at (614) 260-6687 or Daniel Asante at (215) 990-2791 or email him at danielasante@sbcglobal.net.