Editorial of the Daily Searchlight of 19th January, 2024
Recently, an enterprise called Semanhyia Learning and Management Farms, a goat rearing and research centre, was ordered to be shut down by the Berekum Traditional Council.
Sometime in 2023, press reports gathered that the Traditional Council ordered livestock keepers rearing goats to either sell their animals or move them out of the Municipality.
Further checks revealed the order was given due to the expected ‘Doteyie’ (pre-burial funeral and interment) of the late Daasebre Dr Amankona Diawuo II, the Paramount Chief of the Berekum Traditional Area who died on Friday, June 9, 2023.
According to a ‘source ‘at the Berekum palace, the traditional deity (local god) of the Berekum people “forbids goats,” and it was therefore forbidden for anybody to rear goat on the Berekum soil, not only to preserve customs and traditions, but also in order not to attract the wrath of the deity.
The source who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed the traditional council met somewhere last year and gave all livestock keepers rearing goats to either sell their animals or move them from their soil.
Nonetheless, during a visit to the Semanhyia Learning and Management Farms at Senase in the Municipality, Mr Frederick Benneh Frimpong, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer confirmed the Council had officially informed them of the ultimatum which would expire next week.
So, “we are currently undertaking a vigorous social media campaign drive #savesemamhyiafarms# and we need the government’s intervention too,” he stated.
Throwing more light on the operations of the farms, Mr Frimpong said the Centre contained more than 250 breeds of goats, including imported ones, and employed about seven people, saying “because of the ultimatum we have started selling the animals”.
He explained the Center started operations in 2019 and had since invested over GhC500,000.00.00 into the farm which covered about 10 acres of land.
“We were even doing some expansion works when we received the ultimatum and as we speak now, we have invested additional GhC40,000 on the project and we can’t afford to lose it,” Mr Frimpong stated.
“In fact, it is a goat learning and research Centre for educational and learning purposes and we have the vision to build it to make it the largest research Centre in the West African sub-region.”
The Daily Searchlight says;
We are appalled that in the year 2024, a traditional council in Ghana can issue such a fiat. We believe that this fiat is a throwback to all that was worst under traditional governance, and which Ghana tried to do away with by education and constitutionality.
We believe that a practice is emerging in Ghana, where ‘traditional councils’ issue various fiats that have wide implications, particularly for society and business interests.
Of particular concern, is the arbitrary curfews that traditional councils impose on various metropolis in Ghana with the excuse of celebrating one funeral or the other?
With the advent of a lawyer with a constitutional background as the President of Ghana, we would have thought that effort would be made to limit backward traditional practices, but unfortunately, if anything, these practices have seen an emergence in recent times.
Another great concern, is the effect on business efficacy. When cities shut down, the flow of commerce is affected. It stalls, and money is lost. In the case of what is happening at Berekum, actual jobs will be lost in a nation battling with unemployment.
We call on central government to begin taking an interest and adopting a position that is progressive and constitutional. Ghana should be marching forward, and not backwards.
