Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, the First Lady, on Tuesday presented assorted food items to the Ga Mantse stool house and palaces in Ga Mashie namely Gbese, Abola, Sempe, Akumanjen and Otublohum towards this year’s Homowo Festival scheduled for Saturday, August 15.

 The items include gallons of cooking oil, bags of maize and palm nuts, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, packs of bottled water and an undisclosed amount of money.

The First Lady was accompanied, Mr Mohammed Adjei Sowah, Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey (MP), Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, the District Assembly's Common Fund (DACF)  Administrator, Irene Naa Torshie Addo, Deputy Greater Accra Regional Minister, Elizabeth Sackey, Municipal Chief Executives for Korle Klottey and Ablekuma Central,  Hon. Samuel Nii Adjei Tawiah, Hon. Mariama Karley Amui respectively,Chief Executive Officer of Coastal Development Authority, Mr Jerry Ahmed Shaib as well as the Chairman of the PREMIX Committee and the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Ododiodiodio constituency, Nii Lante Bannerman. 

The First Lady urged the chiefs to limit the sprinkling of the spiritual food known as  “ kpokpoi” to homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as ensure that the people of Ga Mashie adhere to all the preventive protocols by wearing a nose mask in public, washing their hands frequently with soap under running water and practice social distancing. 

She also expressed the government's commitment and readiness to support the development of Ga Mashie citing the ongoing construction of the Jamestown, fishing harbour, Salaga market, Bukom and Jamestown astroturfs as evidence of the many developmental projects being undertaken.

She also urged them to support the government to bring development to the people of Ga Mashie. 

 The Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, known in private life as Dr Kelvin Nii Tackie, thanked the First Lady for the kind gesture and appealed to her to support the “Ga Girl Child Education” an initiative being promoted by the Ga Traditional Council, aimed at specifically tackling and promoting the development of the girls in the Ga communities.

Other places where similar presentations were to be made include Nii Tetteh Ankamah We, Nae We, Korle We, Sakumo We, Asafoatse Mankattah and the Chorkor Mantse.

The Homowo Festival is celebrated by the Ga people to remind themselves of their long battle against famine years ago and how the rains finally came to ease their burden.