News
Let’s project our interest – Gender advocate
A gender advocate, Ms Habiba Nibaradun has called for more women in leadership position to ensure they projected needs of women in the country.
She stated that many unfavourable rules at work, in society and the country at large were as a result of the lack of women representation at the decision-making table to champion issues that affect women.
“We have been battling with issues of exclusive breastfeeding and how to combine work with raising a baby when there are no care centres at the offices and nothing much has been achieved because many of the people at the helm of affairs are males who do not understand the biological makeup of women and what their needs are”, she said.
Miss Nibaradun who was facilitator stated this at a sensitisation meeting for some young ladies drawn from the Wa West, Wa East and Sissala West District as well as the Wa Municipal Assemblies.
The workshop which was held in Wa in the Upper West Region over the weekend by the Network for Young Women Empowerment was supported by Plan International Ghana.
The facilitator highlighted that when women assumed higher positions, they did not only project the concerns of their constituents, but they ensured also that policies and programmes were gender sensitive to benefit every one.
The advocate lamented that there was still impediment to women’s quest for leadership positions in the country and said most of it were as a result of their gender.
She raised issues such as limited education among women and the limited commitment towards developing the capacity of women to better put them up for such positions as some of the hindrances.
“There are times when positions become vacant at an office and people are needed to fill them but few women than men apply because many of them do not have the needed qualification for the position; so we have many women working in the formal sector but most of them are low ranked personnel such as cleaners, secretaries and office assistants”, she bemoaned.
She said some political parties were also unwilling to support women who out for positions such as members of parliament as a result of the stereotypes surrounding women in politics and believe they will waste resources as the woman was unlikely to win.
She called for a stop to all such practices which according to her reduced the confidence of women in participating in every male dominated contest.
For her part, the Chairperson of the NYWE, Ms Ida Nakaar also said it was necessary to sensitise young girls to the essence of higher education which would better position them to assume such responsibilities.
“Women need to discover their potentials too and remain resolute to working on them not limit themselves to marriage and child bearing; we need more women at the decision table to help champion our issues”, she added.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Wa
News
Abu Trica’s extradition case: Prophets, fetish priests demand pay for spiritual solution …Lawyer reveals
Mr Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a lawyer for embattled Frederick Kumi, affectionately called Abu Trica and has made a shocking revelation over the behaviour of some members of the clergy.
According to him in a post on social media, the difficult part of Abu Trica’s trial is not the law but the number of ‘Men of God’ and fetish priests demanding financial sacrifices to help resolve the matter spiritually.
Oliver Barker-Vormawor posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2026, “The most difficult part about the Abu Trica case; is not the law.”
He continued: “It is the number of, prophetesses, evangelists and fetish priests, who have called or messaged to ask us to pay for spiritual solutions.”
It would be recalled that in March this year, the Gbese District Court dismissed a preliminary objection filed by Abu Trica, challenging the extradition proceedings initiated at the request of the United States.
The court, presided over by Anna Akosua Appiah Gottfried Anaafi Gyasi, in its ruling held that the offences forming the basis of the extradition, particularly wire fraud, constitute extraditable offences under the 1931 treaty between Ghana and the United States.
He was then given 15 days counting from March 27 to appeal the decision of the court or be surrendered for extradition to the US.
Against this backdrop, he was on Tuesday, April 22, granted a bail in the sum of GH¢30,000,000 by an Accra High, pending the appeal of his extradition
Mr Kumi was arrested in Ghana in December 2025 following an indictment by United States authorities, alleging that he played a role in a romance scam network that defrauded elderly American victims of more than $8 million.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
News
From panic to pass: how parents, teachers can help children beat BECE, WASSCE exam phobia- Part 1
Walk through any Junior High or Senior High compound in Ghana as BECE or WASSCE approaches and you will see it.
A bright girl suddenly quiet. A boy who led class debates now sleeping at his desk. A Form three student with stomach pains every Monday morning.
This is not laziness. This is academic stress. When left unaddressed, it hardens into exam phobia-overwhelming dread that pushes children into burnout, avoidance, and sometimes silence.
As a mental health professional who sits with these children and their parents at Counselor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC) in Adenta Oyarifa-Teiman, I see the pattern clearly.
Research confirms it. Putwain and Daly (2014) found that high test anxiety predicts lower grades independent of ability. Zeidner (1998) showed that chronic academic pressure raises cortisol, weakens memory recall, and increases school dropout risk. The brain under fear cannot retrieve what it studied.
Understanding the storm: What academic stress really looks like
Exam phobia is not just “being nervous.” It shows up as headaches before mocks, sudden anger when books are mentioned, night-time insomnia, or perfectionism that ends in blank scripts.
Some children over-study until 2 a.m. and forget everything by 9 a.m. Others avoid books completely, scrolling phones instead. Both are distress signals. Dr Kenneth Ginsburg, a paediatrician specialising in adolescent resilience, notes: “Stress is not the enemy; feeling alone with stress is.” Too many Ghanaian children feel alone with it.
The home front: How parents and couples become safe havens, not extra pressure
The first antidote is at home. Structure beats shouting. Set a predictable study slot-same time, same place, with water and a light snack. Then protect sleep like you protect school fees. A tired brain fails faster than an unprepared one. Use the “15-minute start rule”: “Just sit for 15 minutes. If you still can’t, we close and try after a walk.” Often, starting is the hardest part.
Couples must watch their language. “Don’t disgrace us” plants fear. Replace it with “We see your effort. What part feels hardest today?” Praise process, not only position: “You revised three topics and asked for help—that is maturity.” Research by Dweck (2006) confirms that process praise builds resilience while outcome praise increases anxiety.
For caregivers, check your own anxiety. Children borrow our nervous system. If BECE makes you panic, they will panic. One parent grounds—keeps meals, prayer, and bedtime steady. The other pivots—talks to teachers, adjusts timetables, arranges counselling. Both protect rest. An empty cup cannot pour calm.
Resources
– Counsellor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC): Award-winning Clinical Mental Health and Counselling Facility, accredited by the Ghana Psychology Council.
– School-Based Support: Speak to Guidance & Counselling units, or licensed school counsellors. E.g. Counsellor Blessing Offei – 0559850604 (School Counsellor).
– Contact CPAC for Parent Coaching/Counselling & Student Therapy: 055 985 0604 / 055 142 8486
Entertainment1 week agoDeals, Crowds, and Big Wins: Dulcie Boateng’s Porials Pitch 2026 Returns This Weekend
- News3 days ago
Okudzeto Ablakwa engages South African International Relations Minister over Xenophobic attacks
- Sports1 week ago
MTN FA Cup Semi final and WPL final matches to pay tribute in honour of Dominic Frimpong
