Deputy Transport Minister honoured…as Development Queenmother of Abutia

“This country needs people with high leadership qualities, and the commitment to serve the people in a manner that will help bring the much needed development, and I must confess that my Deputy, Mrs. Dzifa Ativor, and your daughter, is endowed with these virtues, which made me feel like the most fortunate Minister of this country.

“Mrs. Ativor, with her exemplary leadership skills exhibited within this few period that she is my Deputy at the Transport Ministry, has demonstrated the qualities in her ,which made work at my Ministry less stressful, and this is the type of person the country needs in its development efforts.”

The Transport Minister, Mr. Mike Hammah, who could no longer hide his feelings about his Deputy, burst out at a grand durbar to honour the Deputy Transport Minister, Mrs. Ativor, as the Development Queenmother, by the chiefs and people of Abutia, under the stool name, Mama Dezor I.

The occasion marked the climax of the week-long joint “Yorviawo” festival of the chiefs and people of Abutia in the Ho Municipality, and the Fodome traditional area in the Hohoe Municipality.

Mr. Hammer, who was highly elated at the function, said it was appropriate that the Abutia traditional area honour Mrs. Ativor, noting that she had been able to achieve success in life, as well as her credible performance at the Ministry, due to her high level of education.

The Transport Minister therefore asked the people to see education as key to development, and be committed to the education of their wards, saying that was the only legacy they could leave behind, and parents should develop an interest in the activities of their children, to guide them against negative practices like computer fraud.

Mr. Hammah stressed that education ought to be seen as a collaborative effort between the government and other stakeholders because it was clear that the government alone could not afford to provide quality education to the increasing number of youth.

The Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr. Albert Abongo, said the government was aware of the water problem facing the Abutia traditional area, and assured the people of the government's commitment to ensuring sustainable improvement in the delivery of safe and adequate supply of water and sanitation to communities.

He said a feasibility study carried out in 2004 by his outfit, into how potable water could be provided for the five Abutia communities, with a population of over 10,000, revealed that tapping water from the Ghana Water Company line running from Kpeve to Ho at Sokode-Gborgame to Abutia, would cost government about $850,000.

Mr. Abongo continued that the government could not raise the amount for the water project, but managed to construct some boreholes as a temporary measure, because water supply from the boreholes could not satisfy the high demand.

The Minister said his outfit was holding discussions with Rotary International and USAID, in conjunction with the Ghana Water and Sanitation Agency, to have a small town water supply system developed for Abutia, which would start next year, while the Ministry still explored sources of funding to enable it to go back to the original project of tapping water from Sokode-Gborgame to Abutia.

The Queenmother of the area, Mamaga Maname Adzoa II, said the Deputy Transport Minister had showed commitment towards development activities of the area, therefore the traditional area decided to honour her, particularly for her hard work that earned her the current position, as a way of encouraging young girls to study hard to assume similar positions in future.

The Deputy Transport Minister, Mrs. Dzifa Ativor (Mama Dezor I), thanked the President for her appointment, which led to the honour by her traditional area, and promised not to fail the government and the traditional area.

Mama Dezor I demonstrated her love for the community immediately, as she donated ten computers and accessories to the Abutia Senior High Technical School, to promote the study of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the school.