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2nd Edition of Black History Festival Officially Launched
The Black History Festival, a special initiative dedicated to the celebration of the strong ties between Governments of the United States of America and the African Union member states over the years has been officially launched on 16th December 2022 at the Africa Trade House in Accra, Ghana.
Speaking at the Ceremony, the Coordinator of the Black History Festival, Mr. Stephen Selasie Asuo reiterated that it became necessary for the Bureau for International Development, Exchanges and Commerce (BIDEC) to facilitate the promotion of exchange ideas, businesses, and culture amongst other innovations to the diaspora, to foster sustainable partnership for positive development in Ghana and the African continent. This he believes will boost investor confidence in the continent and reduce unemployment in the sub-region.
He commended the efforts of key partners and stakeholders especially the US Government, and the Government of Ghana amongst others, and further announced that plans have been advanced for a Black History Awards which is targeted at 40 African Americans who have contributed to the socio-economic transformation and development of Ghana and other African countries whether posthumous or living.
He said ‘’Africa has a relationship with the US therefore there’s no African American history without Africa’’
The chairman of the parliamentary select committee on Trade, Industry, and Tourism, Hon. Carlos Ahenkorah in a remark said, ‘’ the US continues to see Ghana as a beacon of hope in Africa because of our continued diplomatic relationship in the area of business, etc though Ghana exports minimal products to the states’’. He noted that the Black History Festival is a good platform to showcase made in Ghana to the world and he urged the organizers of the BHF, to lead change in exposing a lot more innovations in Ghana other than the usual products that are being exhibited all the time. This he said will attract a lot more people from the diaspora.
Head of Diaspora at the office of the president, Mr. Kwasi Awuah on his part said, serving as the chairman for the Year of Return project, he believes there’s a lot of potential with our brothers and sisters in the diaspora to play a key role alongside their Ghanaian counterparts for economic transformation therefore this project is timely to explore such potentials.
In a statement by the Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah Adjei, she said ‘’we need to be proud of what we have and to patronize made in Ghana, that’s the only way we can support the private sector in creating a lot more innovative opportunities for young people.
CEO of EIB Network, Mr. Nathaniel Adisi popularly known as Bola Ray in Showbiz noted that Ghana has a bank of creative ideas that can be projected for revenue for the country, therefore, calling on all stakeholders in the creative industry to find a way to create an enabling environment to intentionally market what we have to the diaspora.
Chief of Banda Ahenkro, Dr. Kofi Anyan has pledged to lease lands to individuals from the diaspora hoping to invest in the area of Agriculture and other useful ventures. This he feels should be replicated by all traditional heads in the country
The second edition of BHF will be held in Columbus Ohio, USA from 15th to 18th February 2023 and It is a unique chance for stakeholders to have a common platform to commemorate the heritage, arts, culture, trade, leadership, and innovation of Africa in the history of the United States of America
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) will undertake a nationwide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination exercise in schools from October to December 2026 to protect eligible girls against cervical cancer and other HPV related diseases.
The exercise, organised in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and its partners through the School Health Education Programme (SHEP), will be conducted in two rounds.
The first round is scheduled for October 19 to 23, 2026, while the second will take place from November 30 to December 4, 2026.
In a press release dated October 19, the GHS explained that health workers would visit schools across the country to vaccinate eligible girls aged 9 to 14 who have not yet received the HPV vaccine.
The exercise forms part of efforts to raise awareness about the routine HPV vaccine, increase vaccination uptake and strengthen the country’s routine immunisation programme.
The GHS has called on school authorities, parents, guardians, teachers and community leaders to cooperate with health teams to ensure the successful implementation of the exercise.
The Service reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the health and well-being of Ghanaians, particularly children, through vaccination and other public health interventions.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has held high-level discussions with organisers of the 2026 Global South Academic Forum in Shanghai, seeking to draw lessons from China’s acclaimed rural revitalisation and poverty reduction drive.
The meeting, led by the Forum Chair, Professor Lu Xinyu, explored practical areas of cooperation and knowledge exchange between Ghana and China, with focus on community-driven development, fisheries and aquaculture, local governance, sports initiatives, and infrastructure development.
According to officials, the engagement is part of a broader effort by the Ghanaian government to study tested development models that can be adapted to the local context to promote inclusive growth, empower local communities, and improve livelihoods across the country.
China’s success in lifting over 800 million people out of poverty through targeted rural policies, investment in agriculture and local infrastructure has become a global reference point for developing nations.
The Vice President’s team says insights from the Forum will help inform policy direction, particularly in strengthening decentralised governance, boosting the fisheries and aquaculture sector, and investing in community-level infrastructure and youth sports development.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang is expected to continue engagements with academic and development institutions while in China.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
