Bono Manso (B/A), April 5, GNA - Mr. Ignatius Baffour Awuah, Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, on Monday said Ghana would welcome genuine foreign investments, but not cultures that are inimical to national progress.

"Much as we appreciate the decision of foreign businesses to come and invest in our economy, we will and should not tolerate certain cultures that are at variance with our determination to develop as a sovereign people," he said.

Mr. Baffour-Awuah was speaking at a funeral service to commemorate the 37th Anniversary of the death of Dr Martin Luther King Junior, a pivotal figure in African-American Civil Rights Movement, at Bono Manso, an ancient slave marketplace in the Nkoranza district.

The service was jointly organised by the Centre for Savanna Art and Civilization, and the chiefs and people of the area, who all attended the ceremony in mourning clothes.

Mr Awuah said Ghana would not accept the foreign practice of males wearing earrings and turbans, "which is quite alien to us and could be detrimental to our advancement in life".

He advised the youth to desist from literally copying foreign lifestyle, saying as a sovereign people, "we need to protect and cherish what makes us stand out among other peoples of the world".

Mr. Baffour-Awuah praised the late Dr King as a leader who stood for the truth, transparency and for the disadvantaged in society and expressed the hope that Ghanaians would continue to offer support in the development of a Martin Luther King Village, which was established at Bono Manso into a viable tourist centre.

He urged Africans in the Diaspora to take up the challenge and emulate Jews in the Diaspora, "who are building Israel with their resources and strengths", to help Africa to develop to the desired levels.

Nana Yaa Adutwumwaa Dadaa Kani 11, Queenmother of Nkoranza Traditional Area, said the death of Dr King was being marked with a mixed feeling of sadness and happiness.

"As we brood over the extent that the slave trade depleted our land of human and natural resources, it is refreshing to note that we have regained what we lost", by the return of the descendants of the slaves back to Africa, she said.

The Queen mother urged Africans in the Diaspora not to hesitate to come and invest in Ghana, adding that the country is currently, enjoying a peaceful and tranquil environment ideal for viable economic ventures. Nana Asante Nyarko, Odikro of Bono Manso, urged the people to avoid violence and unite to help speed up the development of the area. He called on the regional administration to assist to develop tourist potentials in the area.

Ms Maisie Howell, President of the Ghana Caribbean Association, expressed satisfaction with the people's efforts to continue and sustain the struggle to make Dr King's dream a reality.

"We need to continue this way to forge communities", she added and called on all Africans in the Diaspora to work to make the late civil rights leader's dream of a world devoid of discrimination because of race, creed or colour.