Dentaa Amoateng
The organizers of the annual Grow, Unite, Build, Africa (GUBA) Awards have announced that this year’s edition would be used to celebrate Nana Yaa Asantewaa, the influential warrior and queen mother of Ejisu, whose resilience led an Ashanti army against then colonial masters, the British.
According to the organizers, the two-day event would be held on November 7 and 8, 2021 in Kumasi and Accra, respectively and would provide an avenue for the guests, including four British Black female politicians and Members of Parliament (MPs) and the first Vice President of Costa Rica, an opportunity to look for business avenues in Ghana and build bilateral relations.
The founder of GUBA Awards, Dentaa Amoateng said the two-day ceremony would start at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital, with a cultural display and issuance of awards by the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, adding that the event is also expected to promote tourism and attract investors into the country.
She added that the event would honour two market women who have contributed their quota to food accessibility for the past 30 to 40 years in the country.
Mrs. Amoateng mentioned that Nana Yaa Asantewaa, whose 100th year of passing was celebrated on Sunday, October 17, 2021 would be the main focus of this year’s GUBA Awards to enlighten the world on her courage and resilience which remotely contributed to the independence of Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa.
She indicated that women of substance with the ‘Yaa Asantewaa spirit’ in them who have contributed in diverse ways to human and economic growth would travel to Ghana to be honoured at the awards ceremony.
Mrs. Amoateng appealed to the public to post the struggles and toils of Nana Yaa Asantewaa and her images on their social media platforms to remind Ghanaians and educate the world on the hard work of the heroine.
She also encouraged the youth to stand up to persevere and take steps over what seemed impossible to do if they wanted to excel.
“Sometimes you need to be bold, sometimes you need to be confident and other times you need to sit back and listen. These are all attributes of Nana Yaa Asantewaa that I want the youth to learn” she added.
Prince Anthony Bart, a Global Senior Executive of GUBA, said he was personally enthused about the ideal of Yaa Asantewaa, having led soldiers to a successful war, indicating that she deserves to be celebrated and honoured.