Asantehene releases 1,000 acres for Suame Magazine expansion project
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has released a 1,000-acre at Adubinsokese in the Afigya-Kwabre District of the Ashanti Region for use by mechanics and artisans to enhance their operations.
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The gesture is also to facilitate the Suame Magazine expansion project.
This was made known by Nana Owusu Peasah, the Chief of Adubinsokese, when he deputised for the Asantehene as the guest of honour at a ceremony in Kumasi last Tuesday to mark the return of the Smati Turtle 1 car from The Netherlands.
Smati Turtle 1
The Smati Turtle 1 was built by mechanics and artisans at the Suame Magazine in 2013, in collaboration with the Intermediary Technology Transfer Unit, the Suame Magazine Industrial Organisation (SMIDO), the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Aardschap Foundation in The Netherlands.
With the help of the foundation, the vehicle was sent to The Netherlands and some parts of Europe in 2013 to showcase what Africans could do.
Nana Peasah advised the artisans and mechanics to transform the land allocated to them into a modern industrial enclave, by establishing schools, banks and providing other facilities that would aid their own development.
Robust vehicle
The President of SMIDO, Mr Sarpong Boateng, thanked the Asantehene for the offer and promised that the land would be put to good use.
Mr Boateng described the Smati Turtle as a robust vehicle that could perform heavy duty tasks.
He said it was assembled from used car parts of different brands, was completely mechanical and could be repaired using simple tools.
Mr Boateng also said the vehicle could easily be rebuilt to give it different functions such as a towing truck, a lorry or a community taxi, adding that it has a long lifespan.
He thanked all those who assisted in building the Smati Turtle, as well as the United Pensions Trustees Limited, for their immense contributions towards the return of the vehicle.
The Leader of Aardschap Foundation, Mr Mille Smets, while handing over the keys of the vehicle to Nana Peasah, pledged his outfit’s support for SMIDO’s programmes.