7 Honoured as Volta Heroes
Seven personalities became the first recipients of the Volta Heroes awards at a well patronised event held in the Volta Regional capital, Ho, last Saturday.
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The seven personalities include an Indian obstetrician and gynaecologist, Dr Uma Sen, who has worked for 40 years in the region; Most Rev.
Bishop Francis Lodonu, Bishop of the Ho Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church; Sir James Bebaako-Mensah, Ghana’s Ambassador to the Vatican, and the late Col. John Augustine Kabore, who served as a Regional Commissioner during the regime of the Supreme Military Council (SMC).
The other recipients were Mr Woeli Kemevor, who is the Head of the Civil Service, Dr Frank Nyonator, who is currently the Dean of Public Health at the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ho and former acting Director General of the Ghana Health Services, and Dr George Afeti, who is the Executive Secretary of the National Inspectorate Board and former Rector of the Ho Polytechnic.
Awards ceremony
The awards night and dinner dance, which is to also serve as a rallying point to discuss matters affecting the growth of the region, was attended by about 600 people including the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations Nii Armah Ashitey, Members of Parliament from the region and other dignitaries.The next edition of the Volta Heroes Awards will be held in the last quarter of 2014 and will be preceded by a business and investment exposition.
Volta Heroes Awards
The Volta Heroes Awards ceremony, which was held for the first time, was instituted to recognise and reward people who have contributed significantly to the growth of the region and to serve as a motivating factor for others to put in their best, knowing that they could be honoured for their hard work. It was organised by the Volta Heroes Foundation, a non-profit-making organisation formed by some prominent citizens of the region.
Speaking at the awards night and dinner dance held at the auditorium of OLA Senior High School, the Volta Regional Minister, Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, said region-based awards schemes such as the Volta Heroes Awards could lead to accelerated growth and development, as they could influence the youth to be dedicated and work to grow the region.
He, therefore, urged other regions to roll out a similar scheme.
The minister also challenged the awardees to continue to live lives worthy of emulation, as they would now be seen as role models in society. He commended the organisers and urged them to remain sincere with the selection criteria so that the integrity of the awards would remain intact.
A founder member of the Volta Heroes Foundation, Rockson Dogbegah, said it was about time the region was revitalised by unearthing its potentials.
He expressed optimism about the future and urged traditional leaders not to limit themselves to socio-cultural issues but to begin to pay serious attention to the economic fortunes of their traditional areas and work to harness them.
Speaking on behalf of the recipients, the Catholic Bishop of the Ho Diocese, Most Rev. Francis Lodonu, said people’s desire to antagonise others who were successful, instead of supporting or learning from them, was adversely affecting the progress of the region.
Bishop Lodonu was grateful for the honour done them and was hopeful that it would motivate others to even do better.
