It was a moment of reflection and renewed purpose as the Volta Regional Representative on the Council of State, Mr Gabriel Kwamigah Tanko Atokple, chaired the 25th Anniversary Celebration of Togbi Agbesi Awusu II, the Awadada (Warlord) of Anlo Dukor, in Anloga, Volta region.
The event, attended by His Royal Majesty Togbi Sri III, President of the Anlo Dukor Council, Dan Abodakpui, Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, Sylvester Mensah, and several dignitaries, was not only a celebration of traditional leadership but a clarion call for unity and transformation within the Anlo State.
Mr Atokple, in his capacity as Chair, delivered a passionate message urging the chiefs and people of Anlo to look beyond celebration and focus on collective progress.
He emphasised that while the wars of old were fought with spears and shields, the present battle lies in defeating poverty, disunity, and underdevelopment.
“If our communities can come together to build churches, why can we not unite with the same spirit to build schools, clinics, roads, and enterprises that give life to our people?” he challenged. “Evɔa, adidi be ha mɛ ɣɛ wo nɔ na hafi tsɔa kpe, divided hands cannot lift a heavy load.”
He called on traditional authorities, elders, and the youth to rise as one Anlo people, not fragmented by disputes, but focused on development.
“The wars of our ancestors gave us land, dignity, and survival,” he said. “The war of today must give us unity, progress, and a future for our children.”
Highlighting the transformation of leadership in modern times, Mr Atokple urged the Awadada to lead a new kind of battle — one for peace, education, industrialisation, and opportunity. He stressed that Anlo’s strength lies not in the past but in its ability to channel cultural pride into tangible development outcomes.
“Culture alone cannot build hospitals. Pride alone cannot put food on the table. Resilience alone cannot give jobs to our youth,” he stated. “We must take our unity and channel it into visible development.”
The Council of State member called for a 10-year development vision for Anlo, proposing that every community should have a vocational centre and every town a well-equipped clinic.
He also urged greater support for agriculture, the region’s economic backbone, advocating collaboration with government initiatives such as the Feed Ghana and AgriNext programmes to boost food security and industrialisation.
He reaffirmed his personal commitment as a young political leader and farmer to push for partnerships that align traditional leadership with national development strategies.
“Let us not be remembered for endless disputes about land or succession,” he appealed. “Let us instead be remembered for uniting to build.”
Mr Atokple concluded his speech with a rallying message of hope and determination: “Unity is our greatest weapon. Poverty can be defeated. Unemployment can be defeated. Division can be defeated. Together, we will rise again as a strong and visionary people.”
The event drew traditional leaders, political figures, and community members from across Anlo State, all paying tribute to the enduring leadership of Togbi Agbesi Awusu II, whose 25-year reign has been marked by stability, discipline, and cultural pride.
As the celebration marked a silver jubilee for the Awadada, it also served as a symbolic moment, a call for the next 25 years to be remembered as the era when Anlo rose again, united, progressive, and future-focused.
