Ghana has attained the sta­tus of a Rotary International District, marking a milestone in the global organisation’s existence in the country.

This new status is as a result of the considerable member­ship growth over the past decade, meeting the criteria set by Rotary International for district status, which includes a minimum of 75 clubs and 2,500 members.

As a result, the first District Gov­ernor of one of the world’s biggest service group, David Osei Amank­wah, was inducted into office last Saturday.

The Ghana District of Rotary In­ternational which used to be part of the Togo, Benin and Niger would now be known as District 9104.

Rotary International is a re­nowned global organisation with 1.4 million membership, and works to create positive change worldwide.

Established in Ghana in 1958, Rotary has a mission to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance understanding, good­will, and peace.

Its focus areas include maternal and child health, disease prevention and treatment, water and sanita­tion, community and economic development, basic education and literacy, peace building and conflict prevention, and supporting the environment.

At his investiture ceremony attended by high-profile dignitaries including former President John Agyekum Kufuor, former Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, and Rotary International Director, Patrick Chisanga, Mr Amankwah said his one term in office which expires in July 2024 would focus on three priority areas.

These focus areas are youth empowerment and provision of requisite skills training, provision of impactful legacy projects, to provide solar vaccine shelters to bridge gaps in cold chain equip­ment at health facilities and envi­ronmental sustainability.

“We are looking to empower the youth; encourage the youth and we have some impactful health service projects.

“We will also focus on the environment, tree planting and encourage the youth to see the environment as important and tree planting as a social change activity rather than a physical activity,” he told the media moments before his investiture.

Mr Chidanga on his part, lauded Ghana for its exponential growth over the years and challenged it to use its new District status to do more for humanity.

“For me, this is very important; the fact that Ghana has grown to the extent that as a country, it is now a District. It is encouraging. I am here to celebrate with them, to encourage them and to see to it that they are given all the support necessary to grow into another District in the near future,” he added.

With 63 Rotary clubs in Ghana, the organisation boasts of over 1,800 members in the country and has been pivotal in global efforts to eradicate polio alongside other organisations.

 BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI