ECO3 Concepts Launch Ghana International River Festival

This year’s Ghana International River Festival has been launched at a colourful and brief ceremony at Sogakope in the South Tongu District of the Volta Region.

The event, powered by Eco3 Concepts, a Sogakope-based environmental Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that is into water resources protection and advocacy, was under the theme, ‘Galamsey, A Threat To Our Freshwater Resources’, with the slogan, ‘Our Rivers, Our Future’.

The event brought together the media and some stakeholders who welcomed the Riverfest programme particularly the theme which focuses on illegal mining or what has become popularly known as ‘galamsey’ which has devastated the country’s water resources and the vegetation cover for some years now.

The mission of the Ghana International River Festival is, to among other things, produce a quality recreational, cultural, educational and family-oriented celebration of the visual and performing arts of the people for the benefit of the several communities along the Volta River.

It also offers an outstanding children’s area where every activity is free to the participant, an area focusing on young teens, to the International Village where festival-goers can travel the Volta to the numerous special tourism attractions dotted along the lower Volta Basin.

This year’s festival is aimed at raising funds to acquire an ambulance and a rescue boat to provide health support and emergency services along the Volta Lake/River. This is against the backdrop of the recent boat accident incidents on the Volta Lake which had claimed many lives including the lives of innocent school children. It is also geared towards changing the narrative and stressing the importance of these water bodies and the negative impact of human activities on the country’s water resources.

The event is expected to hold six major activities on Friday, the 27th and Saturday, the 28th of December 2024, all at Sogakope and its environs including Sokpoe. The line-up activities are Bridge Diving, River Gymnastics and Clams (Adordi) mining competitions on 27th December while Canoe Regatta, Grand Durbar of the Chiefs and Citizens of the area, region and beyond, in addition to a Motherland Musical Concert, are slated for the 28th of December, 2024 to climax the celebrations.

Speaking on the theme of the festival, Event Director of the Ghana International River Festival, Nufialaga Mawufemor Korbla Nornyibey noted that even though gold mining has long been part of the country’s culture and economy, the uncontrolled nature of ‘galamsey’ has wreaked havoc on the environment, particularly the country’s freshwater resources.

According to him, illegal mining activities, particularly the use of harmful chemicals like mercury and cyanide are poisoning the country’s water resources. ‘Rivers that once flowed clean and pure, are now tainted with sediment, toxins and heavy metals. This pollution makes our water unsafe for drinking, irrigation and fishing. It destroys aquatic life and disrupts the delicate balance of our ecosystems, Mr. Nornyibey emphasized.

The Event Director was of the view that the impact of illegal mining would not only be passed on to future generations but also destroy the country’s health and ecosystems. Mr. Nornyibey added his voice in calling for urgent decisive action to stop the canker in order to prevent the risk of leaving the country’s children and grandchildren with a legacy of contaminated rivers, polluted waters and a compromised environment.

Mr. Mawufemor Nornyibey noted that the challenge posed by ‘galamsey’ is great but it is insurmountable. He therefore called for effective collaboration among and between all stakeholders including the security agencies and government to make sure that the country’s water resources are protected and safe for the current and future generations.

A Sogakope-based businessman, Mr. Francis K. Ablor who co-chaired the function, lauded the organizers of the festival event for the initiative and called for support from all well-meaning Ghanaians and institutions to ensure its successful prosecution and execution.

Mr. Ablor was grateful to God that the Lower Volta River is currently safe from ‘galamsey’ activities and called on all citizens within and outside the region to protect this valuable resource from destruction. According to him, Voltaians would resist with their last blood any attempt by anybody or group(s) of persons to undertake any ‘galamsey’ business on the Volta River.

Mr. Ablor and his Co-Chair, Miss Amenuvor, jointly donated Two Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS 2,000.00) as their widow’s mite towards organizing the festival.

Handsome prizes will be given to all contestants and winners in all the competitions slated on Friday, 27th and Saturday, 28th December, 2024 to mark this year’s Ghana International River Festival.