President Akufo-Addo
President Akufo-Addo has described the late paramount chief of the Navrongo traditional area, Navro-Pio, Pe Asagpaare I, as a shining example who brought peace and development to his people and led them towards the path of agricultural revolution and formal education.
He commended the late paramount chief for introducing large scale and commercial farming; a legacy which led many people within and around Navrongo traditional area to invest in large scale farming, taking advantage of the presence of the Tono irrigation dam and other sources of water.
“I must confess that I was relieved to hear the news of his final funeral rites because all of us have heard about his death years ago, but somehow, the family had not been able to perform his rites. … Today, I am here in fulfillment of my promise to the family; the man we are celebrating today was a remarkable Ghanaian: a farmer, doctor, scientist, educationist and a modern chief. He brought fame and reputation to the Navrongo and Kassena-Nankana area. He was a Ghanaian patriot who gave a lot of himself to the development of his area and the development of our country,” President Akufo-Addo noted.
According to the President, people with remarkable achievements and selfless contributions to their communities and Ghana, like the late Navro-Pio, Pe Asagpaare I, should be remembered and celebrated even when they pass on. This would help motivate the living to also serve their communities in humility and selflessness.
The President was speaking at the final funeral rites of the Navro-Pio, Pe Asagpaare I, at Navrongo in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality in the Upper East Region over the weekend.
The late Navro-Pio, Pe Asagpaare I, known in private life as Dr. Augustine Atudeku Balinia Adda, was born on December 4, 1936 and was made the paramount chief of Navrongo on July 15, 1972, in the Kasena-Nankana traditional area in the Upper East Region and reigned for 43 years. He passed away on September 13, 2015.
He was duly acknowledged as being among a few highly educated traditional rulers in Africa in the early 1970s, having successfully obtained an MSc. in Agricultural Science earlier and a PhD in Soil Science in 1971 from the then Moscow Agricultural Academy.
The late Navro-Pio was the 15th chief of Navrongo traditional area and was a direct descendant of Butu, the first Prince and Warrior who founded “Navoro” in the mid 17th century.
During his reign, the late Navro-Pio played major roles to settle either issues or promote the sanctity of the chieftaincy institution at the Kasena-Nankana traditional area. He was elected president of the Kassena-Nankana Confederation of Chiefs from 1975 to 1985 and later was elected the president of the Upper Regional House of Chiefs from 1982 to 1984.
As a soil scientist, Navro-Pio was a researcher and naturally took to farming to put his knowledge into practice. In the early 1970’s, he undertook a research in Phosphorus Deficiency in two major soils of the forest zone in Ghana and published a number of research articles in peer-reviewed journals.
As a soil scientist, his passion was to improve agriculture through scientific methods of production. He saw the opportunities agriculture presented to his people as the main source of livelihood, income generation and as a means of addressing food insecurity and nutritional deficiencies.
To transform agricultural productivity, Navro-Pio practised technologically-driven farming and was among the first to introduce commercial farming in the Kasena-Nankana District. He, together with the late Col. Felli Atogtipoli, was instrumental in the conceptualization and implementation of the Tono irrigation project – an intervention which significantly contributed to address food and nutrition insecurity in the Kassena-Nankana area.
Before his demise, he was the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Butu Farms Machinery and Universal Traders Ltd. This Company introduced “SAME” Tractors into Navrongo and these Tractors and Combine Harvesters were the trademark of his farming enterprise.
Other dignitaries at the funeral included Otumfuo’s Sumankwa-Hene III, Baffuor Asabre Kogyewose, including paramount chief of the Bongo traditional area, Bonaba Baba Salifu Alemyarum.
From: Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Navrongo