Osagyefo Ampem Anyye Amoampong Tabrako III, the Paramount Chief of the Wenchi Traditional Area in the Bono Region, at the weekend called on the government to upgrade the Wenchi Agricultural College into a fully-fledged university.

He also called for the establishment of a cashew processing factory and the revamping of the defunct Wenchi Tomato Processing Factory (TOMACAN) to create jobs for the youthful population in the area.

Nana Tabrako III made the call when the Vice President Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, also the NPP Election 2024 flagbearer paid a courtesy call on him at his palace at Wenchi, as part of his campaign visit to the Bono Region.

The Paramount Chief expressed worry about the neglect and abandoned agricultural facilities, including animal husbandry facility, agricultural mechanization center, as well as other abandoned facilities at the Wenchi state farms.

He indicated that with all those facilities in place the upgrade of the College would not only facilitate job creation, but also serve as a research center that would help strengthen implementation of the government's agricultural interventions programmes.

Nana Tabrako III said Wenchi had become a hub for cashew production, saying many of the youth were now engaged in commercial production, adding a cashew processing center was therefore needed to help the farmers add value to the cashew nuts and apples.

He also expressed concern about the deplorable condition of roads in the area and appealed to the Vice President to intervene for the reshaping of the roads.

Sompaonline.com/K.Peprah