Mampong Akuapem, Sept. 22, GNA - The chiefs and people of Akuapem Mampong on Wednesday began their annual Ohum Festival with a call for unity to accelerate development in the area. Osabarima Otu Darteh III, chief of Mampong, who made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, expressed worry about the disunity that had rocked the people of Akuapem over the past 15 years. He appealed to the people both home and abroad to let the spirit and tenets of Ohum and Odwira Festivals unite them as one people with a common destiny to accelerate development. "Without unity there is nothing we can do to achieve positive results" he emphasized.

Osabarima Darteh, who was celebrating his first Ohum Festival since he was installed chief of Mampong Akuapem in April this year, said his main aim was to see his people united.

He said the poor academic performance of school children in the area would be given more attention by establishing an education endowment fund to help brilliant but needy children. Osabarima Darteh said one major problem facing the people was how to get potable water and appealed to government to provide the area with a small water system to ease the perennial water problem. He also appealed to the Ministry of Roads and Highways to complete the six-kilometre road from Mampong to Mampong Nkwanta to make it easy for travellers using the Koforidua-Aburi-Accra road.

Osabarima Darteh cautioned the youth to avoid drinking and smoking and other activities that could negatively affect their future. He observed that cocoa, which had been the economic backbone of the country over the years, was fist planted at Mampong Akuapem by Tetteh Quarshie before it was sent to other parts of the country but the area had not benefited from it.

Osabarima Darteh said the only hospital which was built in honour of Tetteh Quarshie at Mampong was in a bad state and therefore appealed to government to rehabilitate it.

He also appealed to the Ghana Cocoa Board to set aside a small percentage of their profits to support development agenda of the area as a sign of honour to their contribution towards the cocoa industry in Ghana. This year's festival, which is under the theme; "Unity and Development" has attracted people from all walks of life.