The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Member of Parliament for Akatsi South, Bernard Ahiafor, has commended the Dagbamate community for its exceptional commitment to self-help development.

Speaking at the 2025 edition of the Apetorku Gbordzi Festival, the MP lauded the community for setting a national benchmark in grassroots development, cultural preservation, and integrity.

“This is not my first visit to Dagbamate, but it is my first in my capacity as First Deputy Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament. I am deeply honoured to be here,” he said. “Dagbamate is a community that thrives on self-reliance. In fact, 99% of its development projects are community-led.

This spirit is admirable and should be emulated by other communities within and beyond the Akatsi South Municipality.”

Mr. Ahiafor cited several examples of the community’s initiatives, including the commissioning of a Vocational Training Centre aimed at equipping young people—particularly tailors, hairdressers, and dressmakers—with employable skills. He also announced the sod-cutting for a new dormitory block for the centre, another self-funded project.

“This community has built its own school, its own clinic, and is now constructing a dormitory for the vocational centre—all without waiting for government assistance. If the only thing they ask from the government is a motorable road, why has that road been left to deteriorate?” he questioned.

He criticised the abandonment of road projects awarded under the previous NDC administration before 2016. Following the change of government, he noted, the contractor withdrew from the site and removed all machinery.

“If you go to Avakpedome, where the contractor once operated, the blocks and mortar are still there—left behind,” he said. “But now that the NDC is back in power, I am engaging the Ministry of Roads and Highways to ensure the contractor returns to complete the project.”

In a show of solidarity, Mr. Ahiafor donated GHS 10,000 to the Dagbamate Development Committee to support its ongoing projects.

Touching on the community’s religious and cultural life, the MP praised the Apetorku Shrine and its followers for upholding values such as honesty, transparency, unity, and truthfulness.

“I have never encountered a community that preserves Ghanaian culture and heritage as diligently as Dagbamate. Their commitment to traditional worship—worshipping God with ‘small letters,’ as they describe it—is deeply rooted and remarkable. In this community, if money falls on the ground, it can remain untouched for months. That is the level of moral integrity that exists here.”

He added that those who adhere to traditional values are often among the most honest and committed to righteousness.

“Such integrity is rare and must be celebrated,” he stated.

Addressing calls by traditional worshippers for a national holiday to honour African Traditional Religion, Mr. Ahiafor acknowledged the importance of the request but urged a united, national approach.

“Public holidays are declared for observances that are widely practised across the country, such as Christianity and Islam. But if traditional believers and leaders across Ghana unite in advocating for such a holiday, the proposal could gain the national attention it deserves.”

Mr. Ahiafor also took the opportunity to thank the people of Dagbamate for their overwhelming support during the 2024 general elections, where the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its flagbearer, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, secured a strong mandate in the area.

“I want to express my heartfelt gratitude on behalf of President Mahama, myself, and the entire NDC family. Your loyalty and commitment were clearly demonstrated, and we do not take it for granted.”

Meanwhile, the Custodian of the Apetorku Shrine, Ngorgbea Kofi Davor, reaffirmed the shrine’s core values of unity, love, truthfulness, and transparency. He encouraged followers to remain steadfast in their beliefs and continue upholding the values that define the Dagbamate community.

The Apetorku Gbordzi Festival, held annually in Dagbamate, remains a vibrant celebration of cultural preservation and traditional religious identity in the Volta Region. It attracts hundreds of worshippers, cultural enthusiasts, and visitors from across the country and the diaspora, offering a platform to honour African spirituality, heritage, and unity.