Mr Benjamin Kpodo, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ho Central Constituency on Saturday urged traditional rulers in the Municipality to consider the celebration of a joint yam festival to be rotated yearly.

He said that was the only way, the yam festivals, celebrated by some 20 traditional areas, could attract international recognition to market the Municipal area.

Mr Kpodo said this when he launched this year’s Norvisi Development Union (NORDU) annual Yam festival in Ho, scheduled for Klave in November.

Almost all the about 20 traditional areas in the Ho Municipality celebrate yam festivals between August and November yearly.

Mr Kpodo said a “grand” yam festival for the whole Municipality would be more “economically viable” and demonstrate “greater unity”.

He commended NORDU for using the festival in the past 30 years to raise money for social amenities for member communities and pledged to help put up a teachers’ bungalow at Klave to climax this year’s celebration.

Mr Kpodo also pledged support for the construction of an Information Communication Technology (ICT) centre in the community.

Mr Isaac Kodobissah, Chairman, Local Planning Committee, for this year’s NORDU festival said the festival had moved from just drumming and dancing to undertaking landmark projects to enhance socio-economic development in the communities.

Togbe Kodobissah V, Paramount Chief of Klave Traditional area said Klave was ready for the festival.

NORDU constitutes 11 traditional areas in the Ho Municipality, which came together in 1985 to fight underdevelopment with the high point being the celebration of a joint yam festival, rotated among the traditional areas yearly.