The Akuapim North Constituency Youth Wing of the New Patriotic Party in the Eastern Region led by its youth organizer, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie together with dozens of residents on Saturday, September 19, 2020 defied a heavy downpour to undertake a clean-up exercise at various areas of the Mampong community.

The clean-up exercise which formed part of activities to mark the celebration of the 2020 Ohum/Odwira festival by the chiefs and people of Mampong-Akuapim and started at about 600 hours, gave the party youth and community members opportunity to clean the Mampong Goil filling station, the Y-junction, the Mampong District Police Headquarters, the market and ended at the forecourts of the chief’s palace.

Explaining the motive behind the clean-up exercise, constituency youth organizer of the NPP, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie explained that the exercise was organized as an opener to the Ohum/Odwira festival which is being celebrated between September 20th and 27th, 2020.

The festival, he added, would unite the youth and all indigenes of Okuapeman during the period.

“All the youth in Akuapem-North are supposed to come together in unity to celebrate the festivities in peace,” he said.

Expressing his satisfaction at the outcome of Saturday’s activity, the youth organizer who could not hide his satisfaction at the turnout of residents was happy that the people defied the early morning downpour in their numbers to partake in the exercise.

According to him, this was ample demonstration of their commitment to the development of their community.

He enumerated a number of activities including games, walks, live band performances, etc. which he said the party had lined up to propagate the agenda of the NPP government in the constituency.

The District Chief Executive of Akuapim-North who joined the exercise, said governance is a continuous process and his administration would continue with the sanitation drive in the Akuapem-North municipality began by previous governments together with the traditional authorities, by maintaining the awareness campaign.

Barima Asiedu Larbi Awuah Sarpong during his confirmation in August, 2020 identified sanitation as one of his utmost priorities during his tenure of office and resolved to institute pragmatic measures to deal with the menace in line with the President’s vision of making Ghana a clean country.

He said sanitation was one of the areas that the assembly was tackling to ensure that the municipality improved in its ranking of the sanitation league table.

The exercise was in support of the sanitation system we want to put in place to ensure that Okuapeman is clean reminiscent of the earlier times, he said.

Though he said the Ohum/Odwira festival would be observed without the usual durbar of chiefs and people in observance of the ban on public gatherings, the assembly chief nevertheless cautioned the people to observe the festivities in strict observance of the COVID-19 protocols.

This, he added would ensure that residents live healthy lifestyles devoid of sicknesses and ailments including malaria and cholera.

Constituency Women’s Organizer, Madam Awo Boatemaa Aboagye Darkwa expressed her gratitude to the party members who turned up in their numbers for the exercise, adding that she supported the exercise due to its significance to the preparations towards the celebrations of the festivities.

She commended the President, Nana Akuffo Addo and the Ministry of Sanitation for their resilience in ensuring that the sanitation situation in the country is improved upon.

The women organizer commended the people for their continuous contributions to help rid the area of filth, and urged them to keep it up, indicating that the NPP appreciated their contributions in keeping the community neat.

Madam Awo Boatemaa thanked the Chiefs and people, the youth wing of the NPP and the community members for coming out in their numbers to support the exercise and advised them to keep such attitude to make Mampong and Okuapeman a desired place for visitors among her neighbours.

Mankralo of the Mampong Traditional Area, Nana Owura Ansah III commended the people for turning up in their numbers to observe the clean-up exercise as a prelude to the festival.

Detailing the activities lined up for the festival, he said the celebrations will begin on Sunday, September 20, 2020 with the Asafo Nsa, mourning the dead on Monday, feasting on Tuesday, fetish rite performances on Wednesday, purification of ancestral stools on Thursday, palace sitting by the Mamponghene, Nana Out Darte III and the Queen Mother, Nana Akua Perbea I on Saturday and ended with a church service on Sunday, September 27, 2020.

In respect of the observance of the COVID-19 protocols, the Mankralo said the 2020 Ohum festival will be observed in a unique manner devoid of the usual durbar of chiefs and people.