Category: General

Tema, Aug. 21, GNA — Future Careers Ghana has held a career fair for students and graduates at the ECG Training School in Tema dubbed “Discover Study and Work Opportunities Abroad,” aimed at helping the youth bridge the career guidance and counseling gap.

The participants were presented with a one-on-one career guidance, and counseling session to help them understand the career options available and how to pursue them taking into consideration their strengths and weaknesses.

They also receive psychometric assessments by trained Career Development Officers (CDOs) to help them link their skills, talents, and personalities to the suitable courses that will enable them succeed in their career choices.

The initiative which is in collaboration with the Amity Institute of Higher Education offered a spot-on application and admissions at the fair to students in Ghana and the opportunity to travel and experience other educational systems.

Mr Papi-Paulo Zigah, the Director of International Operations at Future Careers Ghana in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tema said it was not prudent for a child to be forced into a particular career by their parent, guardians, or friends as making a wrong career choice would jeopardize that child’s future.

He noted that there were several cases of children doing courses that were chosen by their parents or working in organizations that did not align with their skills or personalities and that has made them unhappy.

Mr. Zigah reiterated a call on the authorities to leverage career education in Ghana’s educational system.

He explained that Career education is concerned with the development of knowledge, skills, and attitudes through a planned programme of learning experiences in education and training settings which will assist students to make informed decisions about their life, study, or work options, and enable effective participation in working life.

Mr. Zigah said, “we have reached the point where we need to educate the public about this, that higher education is not about the university, it is about any opportunity to help you acquire skills and knowledge relevant to a specific occupation.”

He said it simply offers the child the ability to build his or her career education through one’s own natural abilities through guidance.

Mr Zigah said career education assists students to reflect on their ambitions, interests, strengths, and abilities as well as helps them to have a greater understanding of options, pathways, the labour market, and employment, and to relate this to what they know about themselves.

He explained that it results in a variety of positive outcomes as the students’ performance improved such as enhancing confidence and positive attitude in making career-related decisions, career exploration behaviours, and a lot more to complement the current educational system.

He indicated supporting students to know their interests, abilities, and goals; understanding the fundamentals of occupations, and acquiring knowledge, and skills regarding career planning were very essential in preparing them for the future.

“If you know what you want to become, you can develop your own competence, you can take a lot of online courses to put you in a position where you can deliver within that particular occupation or profession,” he stated.

He said the structure instilled students with the knowledge they needed to obtain a meaningful career adding that there was the need to give Ghanaian youth career guidance and access to quality information to make informed choices for their future.

Mr. Zigah said preparing students for the future would require all teachers working to provide students with the knowledge, and skills to manage their studies and careers.

He called for the training of educators to be involved in designing the lessons; infusing career knowledge into the content of academic courses; organizing more career practice activities for students.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Adaklu Kodzobi (V/R), Aug. 21, GNA – Dr Ignatius Safee Boafo, an Optometrist, has urged Ghanaians to prioritise issues concerning their health in order not to be overtaken by events.

“Health is wealth so we need to have time to always check our health status regularly so as not to be overtaken by events,” he said.

Dr Boafo said this at a free health screening organised by Lovinghearts Geriatric Care International, an Accra-based health Non-Governmental Organisation, for the people of Adaklu Kodzobi and its satellite communities in the Adaklu District of the Volta Region.

Lovinghearts International, made up of health professionals with diverse backgrounds, was formed in 2017 primarily to provide free medical care to prisoners and the vulnerable in society.

Dr Boafo said the medical outreach was a yearly programme and had so far visited three prisons where they provided a meal to all the prisoners in addition to drugs, adding that the Ho Prisons is next on the schedule.

The Team educated the people on Covid-19, monkeypox and the Marburg diseases and how to stay healthy by keeping a clean environment and taking balanced diets, urging them to report any suspicious case to the nearest health facility.

The people were screened for Hypertension, Diabetes, Hepatitis B, Eye defects, and Malaria, among other diseases.

Dr. Boafo told the Ghana News Agency that drugs were provided to people free of charge and spectacles were given to those with eye problems, while those needing further attention were referred to the Ho Teaching Hospital.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Ho, Aug. 21, GNA – Ms Sandy Dorsey, the Founder, Smiles for Speech (SFS), a non-profit organisation, has asked parents of children with developmental disabilities to seek early intervention.

She said early intervention was paramount in identifying the challenges and providing the necessary measures to address them.

Ms Dorsey, a speech- language pathologist, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA), during a training for mothers of children with developmental disabilities, that communication was a very important part of being included in society and essential to one’s emotional wellbeing.

The training was organised by the SFS in collaboration with Kekeli Foundation in Ho.

It was to build the capacity and confidence of the mothers in caring for their children and equip them with the requisite knowledge and skills on how to help their non-speaking children to communicate and feed.

She said in Ghana and some other developing countries, children with communication disorders lacked access to the resources they needed due to the unavailability of speech-language therapists to assist them to communicate as well as finances to afford those services.

Ms Dorsey said the SFS was a grassroots/parent centered organisation that partnered organisers of local programmes to provide consultations, training and resources for caregivers, mentorship for speech-language therapy (SLT) students as well as offering SLT support in specific areas of the field.

The collaboration, she said, allowed them to create awareness on communication disorders to prevent stigma, which was a big challenge to children receiving treatment, who were often associated with evil spirits.

“Many families consider speech and language disorders to be a curse by the ancestors ….so they will hide the child and pretend he or she does not exist,” she said.

Ms Dorsey said families could be trained on how to enhance functional communication skills for children and language rich daily activities at home that would have a meaningful impact on their lives.

“Imagine a world where all children can receive access to the resources they need to reach their full potential and not to be bound by colour, gender, socio-economic status or location.”

“With a holistic and inclusive education, together we can create a sense of belonging for children in every corner of the world.”

Madam Carrie Colleen Brown, the Director of Kekeli Foundation, who emphasised the need for early intervention, said the Foundation was ready to provide the necessary support to parents.

She said society had to be more supportive of families of children with disability and urged all to unite to deal with the stigma against PWDs adding: “Everybody is important in society and disability is just an adversity.”

Some participants who spoke to the GNA were grateful to the SFS and Kekeli Foundation for the training, saying the knowledge and skills acquired would help them in taking care of their children.

Madam Comfort Nuwordu, one of the beneficiaries, said her child could not walk but due to the physiotherapy services provided by the Foundation, the child had now started walking.

The SFS had, since its inception, served more than 300 children in Ghana, Kenya, Peru, and Jamaica, provided over 10,000 hours of speech and occupational therapy services, and trained more than 1,200 caregivers and teachers, in 17 countries.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Agona Swedru (C/R), Aug. 21, GNA – The Agona Swedru Divisional Police Command has busted a father, 35, for an alleged attempt to sell his daughter at Agona Asafo in the Agona East District of the Central Region.

Samuel Kobena Agyemang, aka Oscar the farmer, was said to have planned to sell his two-year-old daughter and use the proceeds to travel to Accra to trade since life was too difficult for him in the village.

A source at the Swedru Divisional Police Command told the media at Agona Swedru that Agyemang confided in some friends to look for a prospective buyer as he wanted to sell his daughter.

It said the suspect divorced his wife about a month ago and went for the child without her consent.

The persistent pressure he mounted on the friends to look for a buyer made them decide to alert the police on August 15, 2022, who went to Agona Asafo, and feigned interest in buying the child.

“They started bargaining for the price and the unsympathetic father agreed to sell his biological daughter for 20,000 Ghana cedis,” it said.

The amount was fully paid to Agyemang and the child was taken away by the police and the father was arrested in the process.

When the father was questioned about his decision to sell the girl he said his wife (name withheld), “had divorced him so the only thing left is to sell the daughter and travel to Accra to do business with the money,” the source added.

Meanwhile, the suspect has been remanded into prison custody by the Agona Swedru Circuit Court and will reappear on September 1, 2022, after he pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted sale of his daughter.

Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Isaac Amon said the accused was a native of Aburi Akuapim and resident at Agona Asafo, near Agona Swedru.

He told the court, presided over by Mr Jonathan Nunoo, that on August 15, 2022, at about 1600 hours, the police received information that Agyemang wanted to sell his two-year-old daughter and they feigned interest as buyers, which led to his arrest.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra, Aug.21, GNA – The teeming foreign nationals, mostly Europeans, at the 2022 Chale Wote festival find it a “refuge and homely to cool off our bodies.”

They said the festival, which brings art, music, dance and performance onto the streets of Jamestown, Accra’s old quarter, was a perfect recreational event to ‘light’ up the fun in them after experiencing severe heat waves in Europe.

With the sea breeze soothing the night atmosphere at Jamestown, the merrymakers dressed in light and sleeveless clothes, sat behind their drinks in pubs and kissed their glasses and bottles, paying homage to Ghana’s emerging international festival and tourists’ delight.

Music blurring from all street corners provided rhythm and energy, setting the revellers on any available stage to dance and with every step they take, partners huddle as they share the magical moments of Accra.

Miss Celia Martin, a Spaniard, participating in the festival for the first time, told the Ghana News Agency that, “she and her friends are having fun; eating almost every local food and visiting every corner of the town to have some drinkout sessions.

“The weather is cool here even during the day and it is wonderful to be out here tonight having fun. The people are friendly, and the events are thought-provoking, and it was fun dancing with the people.”

Miss Celia said: ” When I was leaving Madrid (capital city of Spain), the temperature was between 41 and 42 degrees Celcius, causing a lot of discomfort and so the Chale Wote festival has eased the stress and given us the desired comfort and value.”

She said they might stay longer than planned since they believed Ghana had more indigenous foods, music and arts to offer.

Mr and Mrs Abraham Orjey, French nationals, who planned to stay for a few more months, told the GNA that the festival was a hidden gem, and more people needed to know about it.

Whilst Mrs Orjey spoke affectionately about the Art works exhibited at the Ussher Fort and her plans to purchase some, her husband said Ghana was the best country in Africa.

He said: “Everything in this festival is invigorating; the jollof, fufu, music, street shows, drinks and the people. We are loving it. Great event, it is too much.”

Reports gathered by the Agency from participants, including vendors and merrymakers indicated that Chale Wote might become the golden hen that lays the country’s golden eggs along the beaches and streets of Jamestown.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Methodist Church Ghana (MCG) has expressed gratitude to the Government for acknowledging the Church’s partnership in national development, especially in education.

The State acknowledged the contributions of the Methodist Church to education, healthcare, social welfare and financial development, which continues to merit the unalloyed gratitude of the Ghanaian people.

The collaboration between the State and Church, in mutual respect and in the promotion of religious liberty, in both colonial and post-colonial times, has been an essential feature of Ghanaian governance, which has inured to the benefit of the people.

Most Reverend Dr Paul K. Boafo, the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Ghana, said the wholistic training and the Church’s policy were to make its schools the preferred institutions of choice.?

Most Rev. Boafo made the commendation at the opening of the 12th Biennial and Golden Jubilee Conference of the Church in Winneba in the Central Region.

The Conference is on the theme: ” Discipleship: Living the Transformed Life in Jesus Christ (Romans 12:1-2).

He said statistics available under review indicated that MCG was doing well in the establishment of basic schools in the country.

“We have 3,229 basic schools throughout the Connexion and the total enrolment in these schools stands at 58,2608,” he said.

Most Rev.? Boafo said the Church had?31 second cycle schools with a total student population of 64,728 which were doing well in all spheres.

He said the Church opened a new Vocational Institute at Mampong?Akwapim in the Koforidua Diocese to contribute to the training of students in the?Technical and Vocational space.?

The Presiding Bishop said the Methodist University College has grown over the years and making?phenomenal contributions to the manpower needs of the nation.?

The MUCG has?held on to its motto of Morality, Service and Excellence and?had fulfilled all the requirements to be given?a Charter by the President soon to award her own degrees.?

He said the?Church was living up to her mandate of spreading scriptural?holiness and reforming the land.?

“We have not relented in our social interventions and the communities continue to request for the establishment of schools, basic and secondary, in?their respective areas,” he added.?

Most Rev Boafo said the Methodist Church had the goodwill of the Chiefs and people and must use every opportunity to remain relevant.?

He said reports indicated that there was increased indiscipline and vandalism in schools and “l

will like to remind members that the Methodist Church Ghana’s policy on education lays great emphasis on the development of the individual to reflect the character of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

The Presiding said, hence to curb indiscipline and vandalism in schools, the Heads of schools were reminded to continue to ensure?parents and guardians, together with their wards, sign an undertaken that students would be of good behaviour throughout their stay in the schools.?

He said this was to ensure that the Church?upheld its cherished Christian ethos, values, and discipline.

Awards were presented members, who have contributed in diverse ways to the growth and development of the Church.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Chief of Party at the Bureau of Public Safety, Nana Yaw Akwada has called on students in Ghana’s universities to elevate campus rivalry to the level of intellectual prowess rather than violence.

Twelve students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology are receiving treatment at the Komfo Anokye teaching hospital after sustaining varying degrees of injuries.

This follows violent clashes which occurred on campus on August 18, 2022 at the Kwame Nkrumah between resident students of University Hall, popularly known as Katanga, and Unity Hall, also referred to as Conti.

This rival clash comes just weeks after a similar incident occurred at the University of Ghana campus between students of Commonwealth and Mensah-Sarbah Halls.

Police have since commenced investigations into the matter with the campus of the university reportedly under heavy security presence.

All student gatherings and activities of same have also been suspended indefinitely by the university’s management.

Speaking on Class 91.3 FM’s Flagship news program 505 with Korku Lumor, Mr. Akwada stressed that campus rivalry must be centered on competition of capabilities, not on vandalism.

“Campus rivalry is not a new phenomenon. It is something that should be centered on intellectual acumen rather than violence. Competition of capabilities, instead of demonstration of primitive vandalism, but what we see today in campus protest, has become a competition of which group of people can be more violent,” he stated.

Mr. Akwada is, therefore, calling on the investigative committee looking into the matter to recommend punitive measures that will bite hard, to serve as a deterrent to students who may want to engage in similar acts in the future.

“The investigative committee that’s going to look at this, must bite and bite hard. If he knows that if he takes part in a riot on campus destroying properties, riots that may sometimes even lead to a close down of the university’s system, he may be rusticated and that will be a common beat of riotous students, he is going to sit up,” Mr. Akwada suggested.

“If he knows that eventually, someday, if his name comes up as being part of a riot, it may even go as far as affecting his employability, he’s going to sit up…” he concluded.

Source: Modern Ghana

Vice President Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has said the military and technology should be inseparable.

To this end, he has called on the authorities of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC) to develop Modules focusing on the ongoing digitalisation awareness and cyber security issues to add to the tools in the fight against terrorism.

Dr Bawumia said this as a Guest of Honour at the Joint Graduation Ceremony for Senior Command and Staff Course 43 and the Master of Science in Defence and International Politics Class of 2022 of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC) on Friday, 19 August 2022.

He urged the graduates, made up of Officers from 11 sister African countries including Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Togo, to leverage the networks developed in the course of training to collaborate effectively and ensure enhanced security and development on the continent.

Source: Modern Ghana