The second edition of the Volta Heroes Awards will take place on November 15 in the Volta Regional Capital Ho. The awards, organised by the Volta Heroes Foundation is to recognize people who have contributed to the growth of the Region, as well as motivate people in active service to work hard to support the growth of the country in general, knowing they would be recognize for their hard work.

Unlike the first edition which was restricted to consultations with various interest groups to arrive at the list of awardees, this time there was a call for nomination from the public, which was advertised in the media. The list of prospective awardees for this year’s edition, is therefore based on public nomination.

The Chairman of the Criteria and Selection Committee, Rev. Dr. Cyril Fayose, who is also the President of the EP University College, explained that the list of nominations submitted by the public was thoroughly vetted to arrive at the final list. He said it is the aim of the organsers to ensure that only people truly deserving of the award are honoured. He said the public response to the call for nomination suggest that they see the importance of recognizing and rewarding people who are committed to advancing the wellbeing of humanity in their various fields  of endeavour.

Seven people were awarded last year. They were the Late Retired Col. Augustine Kabore, former Regional Commissioner, Rt. Rev. Francis Lodonu, Bishop of Ho Dioceses of the Catholic Church, H.E. Sir James Bebaako-Mensah, Ghana’s Ambassador to the Vatican, and Mr. W. K. Kemevor, Head of Civil Service.

The rest were Dr. Uma Sen, a renowned gynaecologist from India, Dr. Frank Nyonator, former Acting Director General of Ghana Health Service, and Dr. George Afeti, former Rector of Ho Poly.

The list of awardees for this year’s edition is expected to be made public later this month. Dr.Fayose urged the public to show interest in the awards and turn up for the ceremony which is less than two weeks away.

Chairman of the Organising Committee, Rockson Dogbegah, said the success of last year’s event was a motivating factor for the extra effort being put into this year’s edition. He said the fact that over 600 people that attended the awards was heartwarming and a clear message that “we need to honour our heroes”.

Mr. Dogbegah said this year’s event promises to even be more exciting, explaining that besides awarding the “heroes,” it will also provide a rare opportunity to network. According to him the event attracts ‘crème de la crème’ from both the private and public sectors from across the country and emphasized that the awards is not to reward people from the Region but people who have contributed towards the growth of the Region as demonstrated by last year’s event.

Mr. Dogbegah said the Region boasts of several business opportunities and urged the investor community to also attend and get firsthand information on the potentials of the region by “interacting with those that matter”.

He said the respect that society had for people who are hardworking was waning while wealth was now being worship. This change in value, he stressed was dangerous, saying that he was hopeful that the Volta Heroes Awards will contribute to reversing the trend.