Foundation in memory of Berekum Omanhene
Arku Jasmine
An Accra-based entrepreneur, Dr Francis Kwabena Boateng, and 14 other siblings have established a foundation to primarily assist brilliant needy pupils and students in the Berekum Municipality in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The foundation, which is in memory of their late father, Nana Akuamoa Boateng, who was the Omanhene of the Berekum Traditional Area and the first two-term President of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, will also be supported by other family relations and some public-spirited citizens from Berekum.
Apart from catering for poor families, the foundation, which has a five-member board of trustees, chaired by Dr Boateng, will also consider health-related and other social issues which had become burdensome to some families in the municipality.
At its official launch at the Freeman Methodist Church at Berekum, which was graced by the Bantamahene, Baffour Asare Owusu Amankwatia VI, Nana Atta Nyamekye, one of the sons of the late chief, contributed $1,000 to the foundation while the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Berekum West Constituency, Mr Kwaku Agyenim Boateng, also contributed GH¢ 5, 000.00.
The Very Rev. Yaw Acheampong, in-charge of the church, performed the ceremony, which coincided with the 10th anniversary celebration of the demise of the late Omanhene, at which the family offered GH¢3, 000 to thank God for His mercies and loving kindness.
The minister said the late Nana Boateng led an unblemished and selfless life and was again committed to the welfare of not only his immediate children but also the larger community.
The Very Rev Acheampong underscored the importance of education to the development of every nation and, therefore, urged the family to sustain the legacy of their late father.
He advised the people not to allow politics to divide them, observing that Ghanaians had been noted for politicisation of every issue, saying that politics was gradually stalling effective development in the society.
Dr Boateng said the purpose of the foundation was to reduce poverty levels of the people, since the beneficiaries of scholarships from the foundation would hopefully come back to assist other family members to also obtain better education, adding that the lack of comprehensive education had been a stumbling block to the prosperity of the larger community.
The MP, Mr Agyekum, also noted that the forefathers struggled hard to send some of their children and other extended family members to school, adding that education was the greatest legacy anyone could offer to a child and that without education, Berekum and other areas could not see any meaningful development.
Nana Nyamekye expressed regret that despite the immense contribution his father made to the creation of the Brong Ahafo Region and the development of Berekum, no fitting burial ceremony had been performed after his death.
By Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah/The Mirror/Ghana
The foundation, which is in memory of their late father, Nana Akuamoa Boateng, who was the Omanhene of the Berekum Traditional Area and the first two-term President of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, will also be supported by other family relations and some public-spirited citizens from Berekum.
Apart from catering for poor families, the foundation, which has a five-member board of trustees, chaired by Dr Boateng, will also consider health-related and other social issues which had become burdensome to some families in the municipality.
At its official launch at the Freeman Methodist Church at Berekum, which was graced by the Bantamahene, Baffour Asare Owusu Amankwatia VI, Nana Atta Nyamekye, one of the sons of the late chief, contributed $1,000 to the foundation while the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Berekum West Constituency, Mr Kwaku Agyenim Boateng, also contributed GH¢ 5, 000.00.
The Very Rev. Yaw Acheampong, in-charge of the church, performed the ceremony, which coincided with the 10th anniversary celebration of the demise of the late Omanhene, at which the family offered GH¢3, 000 to thank God for His mercies and loving kindness.
The minister said the late Nana Boateng led an unblemished and selfless life and was again committed to the welfare of not only his immediate children but also the larger community.
The Very Rev Acheampong underscored the importance of education to the development of every nation and, therefore, urged the family to sustain the legacy of their late father.
He advised the people not to allow politics to divide them, observing that Ghanaians had been noted for politicisation of every issue, saying that politics was gradually stalling effective development in the society.
Dr Boateng said the purpose of the foundation was to reduce poverty levels of the people, since the beneficiaries of scholarships from the foundation would hopefully come back to assist other family members to also obtain better education, adding that the lack of comprehensive education had been a stumbling block to the prosperity of the larger community.
The MP, Mr Agyekum, also noted that the forefathers struggled hard to send some of their children and other extended family members to school, adding that education was the greatest legacy anyone could offer to a child and that without education, Berekum and other areas could not see any meaningful development.
Nana Nyamekye expressed regret that despite the immense contribution his father made to the creation of the Brong Ahafo Region and the development of Berekum, no fitting burial ceremony had been performed after his death.
By Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah/The Mirror/Ghana