Navro-Pio to launch 2026 Fao on July 19

The Paramount Chief of the Navrongo Traditional Area, Pe Denis Aneakwoa Balinia Adda II, together with the Navrongo Traditional Council, will officially launch the 2026 Fao Festival on Sunday, July 19, with a renewed commitment to promoting cultural heritage, strengthening unity and driving sustainable development across the traditional area.

The launch, which will take place at the forecourt of the Navro-Pio’s Palace, will mark the beginning of several months of activities culminating in the grand celebration on December 31, 2026.

This year’s Fao Festival, the annual harvest thanksgiving celebration of the people of Navrongo, has been expanded to involve a wider cross-section of society, including traditional authorities, academia, youth groups, development partners and members of the diaspora.

Planned activities include a tree-planting campaign, an economic prosperity forum, a development dialogue, medical outreach programmes, educational competitions for schools, cultural exhibitions and other community-based initiatives.

Speaking on the Big Mike Breakfast Show on Friday, July 17, the Chair of Activities and Events Planning for the Fao 2026 Steering Committee, Dr. Dennis Chirawurah, and the Committee Secretary, Amos Ayuure Esq., said the expanded celebration is designed not only to preserve the rich cultural heritage of the Navrongo Traditional Area but also to promote peace, economic growth and inclusive community participation.

Dr. Chirawurah explained that the Fao Festival is deeply rooted in the agricultural traditions of the people and serves as an occasion to give thanks to God for a successful harvest while fostering unity and charting a path for community development.

“It is an agricultural festival. Once the harvest is brought in, everybody gathers to give thanks and praises to God, celebrate together and explore ways through which they can sustain themselves and find progress in their communities,” he said.

According to him, the 2026 theme, “celebrating our heritage, building unity, inspiring development,” reflects the importance of preserving peace and social cohesion, particularly at a time when some neighbouring communities continue to experience conflicts.

“Nobody should take it for granted that peace is given. We constantly have to work to promote it, build unity and strengthen our togetherness,” Dr. Chirawurah said.

Ayuure Esq. said the Steering Committee intentionally broadened participation to include professionals from diverse fields and members of the diaspora to maximise the festival’s impact on the development of the traditional area.

“We want to expand it beyond the borders of Ghana. As people come home with their friends and families, they will help open up our economy, promote peace, strengthen unity and ultimately drive the development of the Navrongo Traditional Area,” he said.

Ayuure Esq, disclosed that one of the highlights of the launch will be the Greening Navrongo Initiative, during which the Navro-Pio will symbolically plant a tree to kick-start a community-wide environmental campaign.

The Forestry Commission will also provide approximately 1,000 tree seedlings for distribution across the eight traditional divisions of the Navrongo Traditional Area.

The organisers have appealed to residents, natives, friends of Navrongo and visitors to actively participate in the launch and the series of activities leading to the climax of the festival, describing Fao as a shared cultural heritage that offers an opportunity to celebrate tradition, strengthen unity and mobilise support for the sustainable development of the area.

Mike 105.3FM I Navrongo | Elizabeth Apusaama

Maseda Spices