The GA Dangme Council, a body that represents the interests of the GA Dangme ethnic group, has condemned the president for saying that Tetteh Quarshie, the man who brought cocoa to Ghana, was a native of Akuapem Manpong.

The council said that the president’s statement, made at the 67th independence anniversary celebration in Koforidua, was false and offensive to the GA Dangme people, who claim Tetteh Quarshie as their son.

According to the council, Tetteh Quarshie was born in Teshie, a seaside town in the Greater Accra Region, to a GA Dangme father and mother.

He learned blacksmithing at a missionary workshop in Akropong, and then travelled to Fernando Po (now Bioko in Equatorial Guinea) in 1870, where he obtained some cocoa beans. He returned to Ghana in 1876 and planted the beans in Mampong, a town in the Eastern Region, where he established the first cocoa farm in the country.

The council demanded that the president retract his remark and apologize to the GA Dangme people for that statement.

The council also urged the government and the media to respect and promote the true history and heritage of Tetteh Quarshie and the GA Dangme people, who have played a vital role in the development of Ghana.

Source: Kofi Otuo Bekoe