The annual “Morlu Za” Rice Festival in Dekpor, Ketu North Municipality of the Volta region was celebrated with a call on indigenes to unite for the development of the area.
The Chairman of the Dekpor Development Committee, Dumega Wilson Akey, emphasized the need for the community to work together to initiate self-help projects and programs towards the socio-economic transformation of the community.
Akey observed that government alone cannot fix all the development shortfalls in communities across the country and that “all hands must be on deck if we wish to see a change in our society.”
He further stressed that the people must pull together to take advantage of the resources and potential of the area.
Aspiring parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Ketu North, Gabriel Kwamigah-Atokple Tanko, who was present at the event, commended the people for their determination to champion their own cause.
He said that rice cultivation in the area was a viable venture that needed to be harnessed and expanded to create more job opportunities for the people of the area, especially the youth.
Tanko added that having been trained in Public Private Partnership (PPP), it was imperative to partner with the private sector to create more opportunities for the people. He urged the government to establish rice milling factories and out-grower schemes in the enclave to empower the people.
He cited the Weta Irrigation Scheme as one of the biggest in the country, producing thousands of tonnes of rice annually. Efforts must be made to ensure that more was done to establish factories and out-grower schemes to create more job opportunities for the people, he said.
Citations of honour were presented to deserving individuals for their dedication to improving the community during the week-long celebration. The festival was celebrated under the theme “Uniting for development.”
The people of Dekpor hope that the spirit of unity and self-help exhibited during the festival will translate into tangible development for the community.
