The Ga Traditional Council has expressed strong opposition to the planned celebration of the Igbo Yam Festival in Accra, citing cultural, traditional, and jurisdictional concerns.
According to the Council, while Ghana is a hospitable nation that values diversity, it cannot endorse cultural festivals that appear to overshadow or conflict with established indigenous traditions within the Ga State.
The council has appealed to relevant authorities to intervene and halt the event, which is scheduled for Sunday, September 21, 2025, at the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park.
The festival is being organised by Eze Dr. Amb. Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu, a leader within the Igbo community in Ghana, under the banner of “2025 Ibo Day in Ghana – New Yam Festival.”
The Ga Traditional Council emphasised that Accra, as the capital and ancestral home of the Ga people, has its own festivals and sacred customs that must be respected by all communities residing in the area.
In a statement, the Ga Traditional Council noted that it welcomes the Igbo community’s contributions to Ghanaian society but urged that such cultural celebrations be conducted in ways that do not infringe on Ga traditions or create tensions.
“HRM King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II has directed me to write to inform you and also seek your assistance by putting the above programme to a halt as soon as possible,” the registrar stated in the letter, underscoring the seriousness of the issue.
While some members of the public have argued for cultural tolerance and freedom of expression, traditional leaders maintain that respect for host communities is paramount.
The New Yam Festival of the Igbo people is an annual cultural festival by the Igbo people at the end of the rainy season in early August.
The Iri ji festival (literally “new-yam eating”) is practised throughout West Africa (especially in Nigeria and Ghana), and other African countries and beyond. It symbolises the conclusion of a harvest and the beginning of the next work cycle.
The celebration is a cultural occasion tying individual Igbo communities together as essentially agrarian and dependent on yams.
