Former President John Dramani Mahama, has asked Ghanaians to remain united and work towards the growth of the country.
He stated that Ghanaians were one people with one destiny and must avoid all tendencies that divided them.
He made the call when he addressed a durbar to commemorate the eighth Guan Congress, which marked the 40th Anniversary of Guan speaking people at Winneba.
The durbar commenced with cultural displays and traditional dancing by the various Guan communities with traditional drumming while Chiefs and Queen mothers were carried in palanquins.
The Guan Congress, initially arranged to be held biannually on rotation in one of their communities, was to serve as a platform to deliberate on matters concerning the Guan Community in Ghana and importantly, national issues of social and economic importance to them.
Unfortunately, the idea had not worked well for them, and for that reason, congresses have not been held regularly.
Former President Mahama who was the guest speaker, enumerated the many challenges Ghana was going through and urged the citizenry not to lose hope or give up because God had not given up on Ghana.
He stated that, while he was the Vice President in 2012, he had the privilege to address the 7th Guan Congress at Ketekrakyi where he advocated for alternate conflict resolution to prevent prolonged court cases which brought division among people.
He stated that since 2012 the fortunes of the Guan Congress, appeared to have declined following the death of the former National President of the Congress, Alhaji Abu-Jajah.
Former President Mahama expressed delight that Guan speaking people had been able to celebrate its 40th anniversary and that it was his fervent prayer that the revival of the unity among them would live forever.
History has it that Guan speaking people were the first to settle in Ghana, followed by other ethnic groupings who also came with their cultures, crafts and governance systems and in many cases some of the Guan communities, which outnumbered settler groups, assimilated them.
He stated that he was proud that many of the Guan communities managed to preserve their languages and rich cultures, adding that the rich culture displayed at the beginning of the event were testimonies of their ancestral heritage.
“My hope is that with the revival of the congress, we will continue to promote our heritage so that we can hand it over to our children and our grandchildren,” he noted.
Former President Mahama said modernisation and religion should not erode the Ghanaian culture and identity but some aspects that needed to be modified must be done to maintain the Ghanaian identity, he added.
He applauded Neenyi Ghartey VII, Paramount Chief of Effutu Traditional Area and Mr Alexzander Afenyo-Markin, Member of Parliament for Effutu for ensuring the event was held.
Neenyi Ghartey, who presided, said it was important Ghanaians adjusted themselves to emerging socio-economic and political issues confronting them.
Giving his view on the development framework for Guan communities, he noted that the areas were highly endowed and so they needed to collectively rope in their efforts for sustainable growth.
“We applaud the National Executive of the Congress and the Local organizing committee for their efforts which cane into fruition,” he stated.
He was of the hope that the congress will bring about a meaningful impact in the lives of Guan constituents and its communities.
GNA