Sunyani, Techiman municipalities sign MoU with US’ Tuscaloosa City
The Sunyani and Techiman Municipal Assemblies in Brong-Ahafo Region on Wednesday sealed their sister-city relationship with Tuscaloosa Sister Cities International (TSCI) of Alabama State, USA with of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Sunyani.
Mr Kwasi Oppong-Ababio, Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) and Mr Alex Kyeremeh, Techiman Municipal Chief Executive signed on behalf of their assemblies, whilst Mrs Lisa Keyes, Executive Director of TSCI, appended his signature on behalf of Tuscaloosa City.
This was after the 15-member delegation from Tuscaloosa City had been hosted by Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, Regional Minister, and attended by officials from the Regional Coordinating Council and traditional rulers.
The MoU, an affirmation of an earlier agreement signed in August 2011, sought among other benefits to explore educational opportunities in the interest of the people within the two municipalities and Tuscaloosa city, deepen and enhance their cultural relationships, promote tourism and world peace.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo, tracing the genesis of the relationship, said he led a nine-member delegation in October 2010 to Tuscaloosa to begin discussion on the relationship which was followed up by another delegation jointly led by the two MCEs in August 2011.
He said in addition to correspondence and telephone discussions between the municipalities and the city, the August 2011 trip provided a platform for further negotiation to sign the agreement that culminated in the MoU.
The Regional Minister commended Dr Seth Appiah-Opoku, an Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Alabama and a member of the delegation who initiated the relationship.
He is an indigene of Chiraa in the Sunyani-West District.
Mr Nyamekye-Marfo noted that the MoU was not time bound as it extended beyond the tenure of office of governments and their political parties.
He expressed the hope that irrespective of the personalities who would be in charge of the municipalities in future, the relationship would be maintained and sustained.
He said the Region had enormous investment potentials, saying it was the best place to invest in the country and therefore invited investors to come and establish businesses particularly in the agricultural sector for the mutual benefit of the people and Tuscaloosa.
Mrs Keyes described their trip to the country and especially to the Region as incredible and memorable, adding that members of his delegation were looking forward for fruitful cooperation.
She expressed the hope that the relationship would be a success just as they had had with Naroshima city of Japan for the past 25 years and Schondorf city of Germany since the last decade.
Meanwhile, the delegation had visited the Elmina Castle and Assin Manso in the Central Region and paid a courtesy call on the Sunyani, Dormaa Traditional Councils.
They would be in Techiman on Thursday to tour the Techiman market and Ghana Nuts Limited, an agro-processing company known for manufacturing of edible oil and other products for both local market and export.
Source: GNA