THE national tourism development aspiration drive is on and continue to new stakeholders, players and new innovations especially among development proactive Municipal, Metropolitan and District Assemblies (MMDAs) across the country, which give fresh impetus, resurgence and energies which feed and promote the overall dynamic and evergreen burgeoning national tourism development vision.
Effutu Municipal Assembly
Winneba the Municipal Capital of Effutu Municipality in the Central Region (C/R) is one of the country’s two hundred and sixty-one (261) key and frontline national political Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) political administrative divisions, strategic and prominent players in the country’s Local Governance scene and practice in the country.
Winneba is an ancient coastal fishing settlement, which received the pioneer settlers and forebears of Effutu indigenes way back in the 14th Century , indigenes of Winneba are traditionally known and called Effutus, a division of the Fante tribes of the larger Akan ethnic groups of West Africa and elsewhere. Winneba the Municipal Capital is traditionally known as Simpa, whilst Winneba’s political authority is formal and official identity is called Efutu Municipal Assembly (EMA), whilst its host traditional authority is also called Effutuman and or Effutu Traditional Council (ETC).
Leadership
Mr. Zubairu Kassim is the current Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Effutu Municipal Assembly, whilst Neenyi Nana Ghartey V11 is the Paramount Chief of Effutu Traditional Council (ETC) and its Member of Parliament (MP) is Mr. Alexander Afenyo-Markin, these leaders are the three key major players and stakeholders, is an indispensable development team and also doubled as the area’s frontline tourism sector and industry stakeholders, partners and players that are in the forefront and have formed a very formidable solid team that is actively involved in the trenches with an innovate homegrown tourism development strategy that has effectively repositioned Effutuman as pacesetters in tourism development and general development as a whole that has repositioned and is gradually transforming the ancient coastal community into an attractive and competitive modern metropolis and a national model cultural, conference and heritage tourism destination address in the country and beyond.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin, the MP for Effutu, who is also the Deputy Majority Leader in Parliament as well as a Member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament in Abuja, Nigeria, has bided and hosted a number of high powered and strategic important ECOWAS Parliament Meetings in the Municipality, which has carved an inch, repositioned and rebranded Effutuman as an outstanding and emerging modern conference destination address nationally and beyond.
University of Education
The University of Education, Winneba (UEW) is an evergreen, modern and dynamic public tertiary education, stakeholder, frontline player, training and tertiary education provider, which is at the forefront of modern tertiary education provision to Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians alike with and in cutting edge modern tertiary education specializations including the various arts, sciences, sports, physical education,, vocational, and other liberal arts education. The University has also repositioned Effutuman as an attractive and competitive educational destination in the country and beyond.
Aboakyer Festival
Deer a wild life animal is a respected and a rare cultural identity for Effutuman, it is traditionally known as Aboakyer, the Effutus and Effutuman have and celebrate a very rich and attractive indigenous heritage pastime, an annual cultural festival called the Aboakyer festival by and for the chiefs and people of Effutuman. Aboakyer Festival a prominent cultural festival which attracts a lot of cultural and tourism enthusiasts from home and abroad to Effutuman.
The evergreen and colourful festival is celebrated with a number cultural activities and rituals including clean-ups, stool cleansing, reconciliation, arts and artifacts, traditional and modern music and dance and general fun and merry-making, it is climaxed with an intensive live deer catching competition , from the wild among native and indigenous asafo companies of Effutuman and rounded off with pomp and pageantry and an attractive rich cultural grand debar by the overlord and people of Effutuman on the first Saturday in May, where rare, well preserved and best of Effutu Culture and Heritage is displayed is savored by indigenes and non-indigenes alike.
2022 Aboakyer
The Omanhen of Effutu sits in State during the Grand Debar to receive homage from both subjects and visitors.
Sources close to Neenyi Nana Ghartey V11, the Paramount Chief of Effutuman have confirmed to Business and Financial Times tourism desk intelligence and scouts that barring any last minute unforeseen circumstances, advice and clearance from the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service and other health and security experts among other stakeholders, Aboakyer 2022 would be bigger and better after two years hiatus as result of the corona virus (covid-19) pandemic scourge and scare.
Iconic Landmarks
Business and Financial Times (BFT) scouts at Winneba/ Simpa the political and administrative municipal capital (MC) of the EMA which also doubled as the traditional capital (TC) of Effutuman (ETC) has recently added three rare resources to its tourism assets collections, it is made-up of three (3) outstanding historic imposing tangible landmarks ,namely an Effutu Heritage Square, Unity Square and Reconciliation Roundabout all funded by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutuman, Mr. Alexander Afenyo-Markin/, who also doubled as the Deputy Majority Leader at the National Legislature.
Other strategic landmarks that contribute in diverse ways to reposition Effutuman as an attractive destination include the University of Education Winneba, National Sports College, National Police Detective Training Academy and the Community Health Nursing Training College. The rest are Radio Peace, an outstanding pacesetter and player, a United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated Centre of reference on Effutu Culture and Heritage, excellence in Community Radio, Communication and Broadcasting, Windy Bay FM, Simpa FM.
MCE
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Effutu, Mr.Zubairu Kassim told BFT tourism scouts in an exclusive interview that the assembly has taken inventory of its tourism resources and also identified its tourism strengths and has begun formalities for technical assistance and support from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts (MOTAC) and the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), to reposition and promote Effutuman into the tourism limelight both nationally and internationally.
The MCE’s assertion was corroborated by the Municipal Planning Officer (MPO) for the Effutu Municipal Assembly, Mr. F. Kankam-Boadu, who summed it in these few words, “ Effutu Municipality has enormous tourism resources with immense competitive advantage but laid unharnessed as a sleeping tourism giant, however the new MCE assumed office with renewed priority for tourism development and general development as a whole and so watch-out for Effutman’s tourism development exploits soon”, the energetic and unassuming MPO confided in BFT tourism scouts in an interview yesterday.
The Writer is Tourism, Brands & Branding, Communication & Marketing Consultant, Practitioner, Analyst, Advocate & Activist
