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2025 La Homowo Festival ends in triumph despite unsuccessful legal challenges
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In a spirited interview with the media, the La Shikitele, Nii Adjei Koofeh IV reflected on the successful conclusion of the Homowo Festival, marked by the sacred Kpleshwemor rite; a ceremony where the principal deity, La Kpa is given a bull in appreciation for its good works for the La State during the year.
The final ceremony, held with pageantry and reverence, drew widespread praise from town’s folk and traditional leaders alike.
The Kpleshwemor rite, which signals the end of Homowo, featured a vibrant performance by La’s revered priests and priestesses.
They danced to the rhythm of sacred drums, an ancient tradition culminating in the slaughter of a cow in honour of the town’s principal deity. “It’s not just the dancing,” the Shikitele explained. “It’s a spiritual offering, a cultural heartbeat that connects us with our ancestors.”
The La Shikitele emphasized that all attempts over the years to derail the festival in the law courts with the reason that it cannot be celebrated in the absence of a La Mantse have failed. He further said the festival was successful and the town’s folks were happy because they followed due process and upheld custom.
From May through to September, the festival unfolded with meticulous planning and adherence to tradition. “We put in place proper arrangements, not just for the rites but for the governance of the town, and the results are a manifestation.”
The Unshaken La Shikitele (Kingmaker) and Supreme Head of the Nmati Abonase Quarter of La also touched on the concessionary arrangement with the University of Ghana, which offers reduced cut-off points for La indigenes seeking admission. He said it’s not a scholarship arrangement but a concession.
As the Homowo Festival closes, the Kingmaker Nii Adjei Koofeh IV issued a firm message to detractors: “We shall continue to manage the La State in accordance with custom and law, and no amount of interference will distract us.”
He ended on a hopeful note, reaffirming his commitment to unity, tradition, and progress for the people of La.
The Parliamentary Select Committee on Energy has appealed to the Ministry of Finance to release GH¢5.6 million to the Petroleum Commission to enable it to establish and operate a world-class data centre.
According to the Committee, access to the funds will strengthen the Commission’s capacity to manage critical upstream petroleum data and improve its operations.
Speaking during the appeal, Chairman of the Committee, Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, said the move was crucial to efforts to revitalise Ghana’s upstream petroleum industry and increase oil production.
He noted that although investment and hydrocarbon production had declined in recent years, Parliament’s approval of an extension of the petroleum agreement to 2030 had attracted additional funding and contributed to an increase in production from about 80,000 to 120,000 barrels per day.
Meanwhile, concerns have been raised over repeated budget allocations for oil exploration in the Voltaian Basin.
Mr. Bedzrah stressed that funds approved for exploration must produce tangible results, adding that the Committee would require clear evidence of progress before supporting future budget allocations for the programme.
The appeal was made during a working visit to the Petroleum Commission as part of the Committee’s oversight activities to assess its operations and management procedures.
During the engagement, the Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Commission, Emeafa Hardcastle, took the Committee through the Commission’s working procedures and mandate, which includes regulating, managing and coordinating upstream petroleum activities.
She disclosed that since assuming office in 2025, government had pursued measures to reverse the decline in crude oil production, sustain output and reposition Ghana as an attractive destination for investment in Africa’s increasingly competitive petroleum sector.
In addition, she said government had secured fresh commitments of about US$35 billion to help revitalise the sector.
As part of the oversight exercise, the Committee is expected to conclude its monitoring visit with engagements at the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) and the Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL).
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
News
“No civilisation deserves to be annihilated” – Mahama calls for dialogue on global conflicts at UNGA 81
President John Dramani Mahama has called for solidarity and dialogue in resolving global conflicts, insisting that no civilisation deserves to be wiped out.
“No human civilisation deserves to be annihilated, certainly not a member state of the United Nations,” President Mahama stated in his address at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
He called for solidarity with nations facing terrorism, especially the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), and for a uniform approach to conflicts in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
On the Middle East, the President called for a return to negotiations, saying “The current Middle East crisis is having a deleterious effect on the world economy.”
“I believe that dialogue can resolve even the most intractable of problems,” he added.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
