Swedruman council of chiefs honours two women

The Swedruman Council of chiefs has honoured two distinguished women for their immeasurable contributions towards the growth and development of the town.

The two women, who were remembered posthumously, were recognised for rendering selfless services to the area which had culminated in the development of the Agona area in the Central Region.

The two were the late Mrs Breid Mary Amamoo, a British citizen and  psychologist by profession who passed away on January 11, 2017. She was the wife of a former Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Dr J.G. Amamoo.

The other was Madam Agnes Otoo who also died in November 1997 and was also the mother of Dr Amamoo.

The Chief of Agona Swedru, Ogidigram Okrupi Asiedu Botwe II(2nd left) in a handshake with Dr J.G. Amamoo (right)

The two women

The two women, due to their contributions to the progress of the town, were later enstooled queenmothers with Mrs Amamoo enstooled as the Dompimhemaa of Agona Swedru with the stool name Obaahemaa Efua Buamaa (II) who happened to be the first white woman to be honoured in the area. Dr Amamoo’s mother was enstooled with the stool name Obaahemaa Ekua Buamaa Otoo I, a position they both held until their death.

Contributions

 Mrs Amamoo was honoured for empowering women in the town to acquire skills to set up their respective trades in order to become self-sufficient to support their families.

Through her efforts, most women she encountered were able to establish their own businesses or trades to engage in profitable ventures to improve their living standards.

Again, she was remembered for championing girl-child education in the town.

She encouraged parents to send their girl-child to school so they could become responsible adults.

For her part, Madam Otoo played an instrumental role in 2005 when she secured an $80,000 grant from the Japan Embassy through the then Japanese Ambassador in Ghana, Mrs Wako Asai, for the construction of a male ward at the Swedru Government Hospital.

The hospital, which had existed for many years, did not have a male ward which made it very difficult for male patients to be admitted.

Her intervention brought huge relief to the hospital as it improved health care at the facility.

Commendation

Addressing the council’s meeting during which the two women were honoured, the Chief of Agona Swedru, Ogidigram Okrupi Nana Kobina Asiedu Botwe II, thanked the two for defying all odds to support the progress of the town.

According to him, the good works of the two went a long way to propel the growth of the town, adding that “their individual contributions have been a contributory factor to the present state of the town”.

He stated that it was important that the two were recognised though dead so that it would encourage both the indigenes and non-indigenes of the town to make meaningful contributions to the development of the town.

“These two women have made significant contributions to the town and deserve honour and recognition,” he pointed out.

He disclosed that the chiefs would identify two major streets in the town and name them after the two women.

He said due to the cosmopolitan nature of the town, it was developing at a faster rate and, therefore, called on investors and other business entities to take advantage of the economic potential of the town to invest in the area.

Gratitude

Dr Amamoo, who was a Deputy Minister of Health in the Busia Administration, thanked the chiefs for honouring his wife and his mother for their contributions to the growth of the area.

He used the occasion to admonish parents to prioritise the education of their children, particularly the girl-child, so as to make them responsible adults in future.

He called for continuous self- sacrifice from the citizenry towards the growth of the nation and further urged them to support the government to fulfil its mandate to the electorate.