The Municipal Chief Executive of the Korle Klottey Municipal Asembly (KoKMA), Mr Alfred Allotey-Gaisie, has urged children selected to participate in a summer camp in the Kotovsk city of the Tambov Oblast in the Russia Fedreation, to embrace cultural diversity, learn new things and serve as good ambassadors of Ghana.
The children, selected from communities and schools within the Korle Klottey Municipality, comprise indigenes and students, including brilliant but needy children.
The selection was undertaken in consultation with the Municipal Director of Education, with children drawn from both Junior High School (JHS) and Senior High School (SHS).
The initiative forms part of the friendship and cooperation between the Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly and the City of Kotovsk, Russian Federation, and seeks to expose young people to new cultures, ideas and opportunities while promoting cultural exchange, youth development and people-to-people relations.
Addressing the children at a pre-departure dinner with their parents on Wednesday in Accra, Mr Allotey-Gaisie encouraged them to interact positively with children from other countries and municipalities participating in the camp, learn about their cultures and share Ghanaian and African traditions with them.
He urged the young Ghanaian students to be open-minded and willing to learn, noting that the programme presents an important opportunity for them to experience different cultures and develop a broader understanding of the world.
“Be good ambassadors of Ghana. Learn new cultures, engage with others and share our culture with them. Through you, other children will also have the opportunity to learn about Ghanaian and African culture,” the MCE stated.
The Counsellor of the Embassy of the Russian Federation to Ghana, Mrs Natalia Muzhennikova, also encouraged the children to be good ambassadors of Ghana and to respect and accommodate cultural differences.
She urged them to use the opportunity to understand how people from different backgrounds live and interact, emphasising that the world has become a global village where cultural exchange and mutual understanding are increasingly important.
The Coordinating Director of KoKMA, Mr Emmanuel Baisie, advised the children to respect time and strictly adhere to the rules and regulations of their host country and the summer camp.
He reminded them that they would be travelling to another country with different systems, cultures and expectations, and therefore urged them to be punctual, disciplined and attentive to instructions throughout their stay.
The Leader of the Delegation and Head of Public Affairs and International Relations at KoKMA, Nii Ofori-Quaye, on his part, said the programme provided a perfect platform for the Ghanaian teenagers to showcase Ghana’s rich culture, traditions and values to their Russian counterparts.
The MCE also expressed his appreciation to the sponsors and supporters whose generous contributions helped make the programme possible, adding that: “I acknowledge the invaluable support of Franko Trading Enterprise, MTN Ghana, Gold Keys, Provident Insurance and Royal Ghana Gold for supporting the children and contributing to the successful implementation of the initiative.”
The children are expected to travel to Kotovsk, Russia, where they will be hosted by the city and participate in the summer camp from September 14 to 24 2026.
The programme forms part of the growing friendship and cooperation between the Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly and the City of Kotovsk, and also aimed at strengthening cultural exchange, youth development and people-to-people relations between Ghana and Russia.
BY NORMAN COOPER
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