I spent Saturday, September 19, 2026, at Akwamu-Adumasa with two senior officers of the Ghana Armed Forces, attending the celebration of the 15th Anniversary of the enstoolment of Oyiakekyire Nana Ansah Kwao IV (OAK @15).
What took us there?
Before that, thanks to Nana Ansah Kwao IV’s popularity from his radio programme, “This is my Opinion”, aired on Monday nights on Joy FM at 7pm, in which Nana always talks about his “Little Republic of Akwamu-Adumasa,” I did not have the questions I was asked in 2022 when I said I was going to Akwamu-Gyakiti, the next village after Adumasa.
Nana is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Burma Camp Redevelopment Project, an initiative of the CDS, Lt Gen William Agyapong, to modernise Burma Camp by replacing some old accommodation structures built in colonial times with modern ones.
The CDS, who was out of the country on duty, was ably represented by two Service Chiefs, the Army Commander, Maj. Gen. Lawrence Gbetanu and the Air Force Commander, Air Vice-Marshal Eric Agyen-Frempong.
For the Burma Camp Redevelopment Project Architect, Lt Col Gertrude Oppong-Ansah, if seeing the Akosombo Dam physically for the first time was an exciting experience, the drive up the peninsular to Adumasa was an eye-opener.
She reminded me of some of the questions I was asked about next-door Akwamu-Gyakiti in August 2022, published in my article “Gyakiti – The town beyond Akosombo” partly reproduced below.
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Some of the questions I was asked when I said I was travelling to Gyakiti on Saturday, July 30, 2022 were;
Where do you say you are going? Gya... what? Do you mean Jejeti? Is it in the Western Region? Do you mean Ekiti in Nigeria?
Many people I spoke with before and after my trip had never heard of Gyakiti as a town in Ghana. Indeed, when we got to Akosombo and I told my driver we still had about 30 kilometres to cover in one hour on a bad road, he was surprised.
In spite of all I told him before we set off, he took Gyakiti for a suburb of Akosombo, like Teshie/La are to Accra.
So, where is Gyakiti, and what took Accra to Gyakiti over the last weekend of July 2022?
Gyakiti
Gyakiti aka Akwamu-Gyakiti, is a peninsular village/small town about thirty kilometres north of Akosombo in the Eastern Region. It is surrounded to the north, east and west by the Volta Lake. Access to it, therefore, is only from the south, from Akosombo, meandering around the lake.
In a June 2020 Citi FM YouTube clip titled “Gyakiti Chief appeals for completion of stalled roads,” the chief made a passionate appeal for the completion of the only road linking Gyakiti to the country.
Unfortunately, as we say in the military, “Situation, no change,” as I saw it myself! The road remains bad and dusty!
Incidentally, the town before Gyakiti is Akwamu-Adumasa, hometown of Nana Ansah Kwao IV of Joy FM, where he is the Chief.
Gyakiti is one of six Area Councils that constitute the Asuogyaman District Assembly.
The six are Anum, Boso, Frankadua/Apeguso, Atimpoku, Gyakiti and Akosombo.
Interestingly, while Atimpoku, Akosombo and Gyakiti are on the west of the Volta River, one has to cross the Adomi Bridge to get to Anum, Boso and Frankadua/Apegusu to the east of the Volta River.
So, what took me and indeed a whole host of Ghanaians to Gyakiti on Saturday, July 30, 2022?
Mrs Mamphey
It was the funeral of Mrs Ofosua “A’fio” Mamphey, mother of Air Cdre Kwame Mamphey (Rtd) and his siblings, that took Accra to Gyakiti. A retired Air Force pilot, Air Cdre Mamphey has served as the Director-General, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, and also as Ghana’s representative at the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, Montreal, Canada.
Not surprisingly, Ghana’s Aviation industry was heavily represented. Led by the Chief of Air Staff (Air Force Commander) AVM Frank Hanson, former Chiefs of Air Staff were all there, as well as retired senior military officers. Retired Airline Captain Paul Forjoe led the civilian aviation group.
The Garrison-Methodist Presbyterian Church (GMPC), Burma Camp, where Air Cdre Mamphey worships, had a big delegation led by the Director of Religious Affairs (Chaplain-General) of the Ghana Armed Forces, Cdre Paul Adjei-Djan.
Discussion
When my generation, aged “70-plus-or-minus-five”, was young, we never understood why our parents spent most weekends attending funerals.
They patiently told us we would understand them when we got to their age.
With poetic justice operating, our children, the younger generation, do not understand why funerals should dominate our lives so much!
In my January 2017 article titled “Bring back History and Civics,” I concluded by saying, “Ghana Education Service, please rescue Ghana from ignorance and deliberate distortion of facts.”
Going to Gyakiti convinces me the more that, in addition to calling for the return of History and Civics, Geography must also come back!
Akwamu-Gyakiti is part of Ghana’s ancient Akwamu kingdom, with its capital at Akwamufie, with a rich history Ghanaians must know about, among many more!
The fact that many people I spoke to before and after my trip had never heard of Gyakiti reinforces my conviction about Geography.
In secondary school, Geography ensured we did not only know about Ghana, but about the Canadian prairies, the Argentine pampas and the Russian/Ukrainian steppes etc.
In our current situation, where secondary education discussions emphasising STEM swing between two and a half years and four years, bright young students arrive at the university deficient in basic general knowledge, taken for granted in the past.
As Dr Samuel Johnson, credited with writing the first English dictionary in 1755, said, “The supreme end of Education is expert discernment in all things….” not only in some things. For education to be effective, it must be holistic!
Finally, the only road to Gyakiti needs to be fixed urgently.
This is fertile agricultural land on the banks of the Volta Lake where lots of cassava, plantains, yams/cocoyams etc are produced only to rot because of inaccessibility.
As the woman continued packing the twenty cedis corn I had asked for into my pick-up, my driver at one point told her, “Madame, it’s enough!”
And yet, my favourite fresh corn sells for two cedis in Accra.
The potential for fishing from the lake cannot be overemphasised.
My driver summarised the trip, saying, “Sir, going to Gyakiti has been a good education for me!
Now, I know that, beyond Akosombo, there are towns like Ajena, Adumasa and Gyakiti!”
Comments
The function was attended by dignitaries including Odenehu Kwafo Akoto III, Paramount Chief of Akwamu and other sub-chiefs, as well as the MP for Asuogyaman, Mr Thomas Nyarko Ampem and Mr Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, who read a speech on behalf of the Chief of Staff at the Presidency, Dr Julius Debrah.
The Chief of Osu, Professor Nii Nortey Owuo IV, and the Queenmother of Adumasa Nana Afia Serwaa Brakatu also graced the occasion.
Speaking as a relative of Nana Ansah Kwao, Ms Obuobia Darko Opoku, Administrator of the Ghana Medical Fund, cut the sod on behalf of the family for a new clinic for Adumasa to be completed in one year.
Similarly, a representative of the Safe Water organisation promised the immediate extension of pipe-borne water to Adumasa.
Mr Francis Biney, the CEO of Imperial Homes, was also present.
Oheneyere Gifty Anti, wife of Nana and relatives also graced the occasion.
The impressive ceremony, which showcased our culture in rich kente, traditional drumming/dancing and pure/unadulterated Twi by the two MCs, ended with a lunch.
An impressive observation was how green and clean Adumasa is.
In his address, Nana thanked all present for their support over the past fifteen years, and looked forward to their support for the next fifteen years.
He expressed optimism that the road from Akosombo to Adumasa would be completed next year.
As we drove back, we observed that such a pristine area, untouched by galamsey, holds great potential for Ghana in terms of food production, fish production as evidenced by the tilapia farms we saw, as well as the huge reservoir of the Volta Lake!
Leadership, lead by example/integrity/humility! Fellow Ghanaians, wake up!
The writer is a former CEO, African Peace Support Trainers Association, Nairobi, Kenya; Council Chairman, Family Health University, Teshie, Accra. E-mail:
