The Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has lauded the growing peaceful co-existence and unity of the chiefs and people of the Bono Region.

She asked the Bonos to strengthen and preserve their rich culture and tradition, harnessing it to create job opportunities for the youth.

Speaking at a durbar of chiefs to climax the 2026 celebration of the “Meko Bono” festival of the Bono people at Atebubu in the Bono East Region, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said that the “Bonoman” held important place in the narration of the country’s rich history.

She said that, “Festival of this nature should be treated as an important platform for tourism, investment, enterprise and local economic development.”

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang commended organisers, and the chief and people of the Bono Region, for instituting the annual festival which would deepen the bond of peace of the Bonos.

She urged the people to share ideas and explore investment opportunities to enhance job creation and poverty reduction.

The Vice President indicated that: “The celebration should be a reminder in preservation of history, languages, traditional institutions, cultural sites and wisdom passed down through generations”.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang pledged the government’s continued dedication to engage chiefs and queens to advance agriculture and infrastructural development as well as protecting the environment, judicious land use, and community development.

She highlighted the economic prospects and opportunities in the execution of the government’s 24-hour economy and the Feed Ghana programme.

Prof Opoku-Agyemang said that enhancing agro-processing, transport and logistics as well as adding value to agriculture produce and investments in road infrastructure, would spur rapid socio-economic growth and development.

She explained that implementing the “Big Push” road infrastructure programme would advance economic growth by connecting farming communities to urban market centres.

The Vice President was accompanied by Mrs Abla Dzifa Gomashie, the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, and Mr Francis Owusu Antwi, the Bono East Regional Minister, and Mr Sanja Nanja, the Member of Parliament for Atebubu Amantin constituency.