Vice President Professor Jane Nana Opoku Agyemang has praised the chiefs and people of the Volta Region for their strong support in the 2024 general elections, which returned the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to power. She assured the gathering that the NDC government would continue to work with all Ghanaians, including the people of the Volta Region, to improve living conditions and promote development.
Her remarks were made at the fifth edition of the annual Vodza Easter Regatta festival in the Keta Municipality. The festival, instituted in 2022 by the chiefs and people of Vodza, was designed not only to showcase the area’s water tourism potential but also to foster unity, togetherness, and love among citizens both at home and abroad. Since its inception, the regatta has become a rallying point for promoting water tourism and preserving cultural traditions, with support from the Ghana Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Creative Arts.
Professor Opoku Agyemang commended the people of Vodza for highlighting their natural tourism assets and urged them to continue preserving their traditions and sporting talents. She expressed gratitude for the Volta Region’s overwhelming votes in 2024, declaring that the government could count on their continued support.
The Minister for Culture, Tourism and Creative Arts, Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie, who is also the Member of Parliament for Ketu South, spoke about the inspiration she has drawn from Vodza natives such as Professor Pascal Young and Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, who have supported her career and work. She emphasized that Ghana is rich in talent across all sectors but lacks visibility for these skills. She called for the Vodza regatta to be expanded into a larger event covering the coastline from Aflao to Anyanui, noting the shared characteristics of these communities, including their rivers, seas, and lagoons. Madam Gomashie appealed to the media to dedicate airtime to promoting local tourism and talents.
The regatta itself featured spirited competitions on the lagoon, with men’s and women’s groups from Vodza and neighboring communities paddling canoes to vie for trophies and cash prizes. In the male category, the Lions Football Club from Havedzi emerged victorious, while the Blood of Jesus team won the female contest. Among the female winners was 62-year-old Madam Atsufui Ahiafor from Tegbi, who explained that paddling canoes had been part of her life, making the victory a natural achievement.
The winning teams, led by Promise Seyram Ablakwa and Celestine Segbefia, expressed joy at their success and pledged to defend their titles at the sixth edition of the festival scheduled for April 2027.
