News
Gold Fields Ghana Foundation inaugurates HuniVass girls’ dormitory
Divisional Chief of Bosomtwe, Nana Kwabena Amponsah IV and other dignitaries
cutting the tape to inaugurate the new girls dormitory
Abosso Goldfields Limited (AGL) through Gold Fields Ghana Foundation (GFGF), has inaugurated a 350–bed girls’ dormitory to improve accommodation at Huni Valley Senior High School (HUNIVASS) in the Western Region.
Initiated in 2019, the $980,000 two-storey block was executed by Boison Construction Limited in three years.
The scope of work included four teachers’ apartments with guest rooms, washrooms, double – decker beds, terrazzo floors, ironing rooms, a borehole, storage tank and landscaping.
In her keynote address, Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Ghana, Legon, and the Quiz Mistress of the National Mathematics and Science Quiz (NMSQ) stressed the importance of investing in the education.
Prof. Kaufmann, said education ensured people were capable and useful to themselves, families, communities and nations.
She said she was passionate about education since it produced knowledgeable people who could solve problems and work together to ensure the development of the country.
Prof. Kaufmann said women provided distinctive viewpoints in decision- making, solved complex problems, provided better solutions and better ideas.”
“We have to work together to get solutions to our problems. We cannot afford to leave the young ladies behind. When we do so we do it at our own risk.” she stated.
She praised the 65 percent enrolment of females at HUNIVASS and encouraged the girls to study hard and justify the investment made in them.
Executive Vice President (EVP) and Head of Gold Fields West Africa, Mr Joshua Mortoti, said GFGF had improved health and education service delivery in the two municipalities of Tarkwa -Nsuaem and Prestea- Huni Valley.
He said the Foundation had invested about US$9.5million in education for the Tarkwa and Damang host communities.
Mr Mortoti said, GFGF investments in the dormitory was to help tackle the accommodation deficit for girls at HUNIVASS and also reduce the number of female students who resided in off-campus.
One of Gold Fields’ Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) targets, Mr Mortoti revealed, was to increase the percentage of women on its area of operation to 30 percent by 2030.
Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, thanked GFGF for the support and urged the students to study hard and be guided by the exploits of Prof. Kaufmann to become responsible citizens of Ghana.
From Clement Adzei Boye, Huni Valley
A new international whitepaper on democracy in Africa has placed Ghana’s Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, at the centre of a major research study on the role of opposition parties in strengthening democratic governance across the continent.
The study is being conducted by the African Chamber of Content Producers (ACCP) in partnership with the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) Ghana.
It uses Ghana’s 2025/2026 parliamentary session as a case study to examine how opposition parties can contribute to peace, development and democratic stability.
President of the ACCP, Nana Dwomoh-Doyen Benjamin, said the research forms part of a wider continental project aimed at identifying successful governance models in Africa.
He explained that the chamber is interested in promoting positive African stories and finding practical democratic systems that other countries can adopt.
Mr. Dwomoh-Doyen said political differences should not create division or hostility among leaders and citizens.
He stated that despite belonging to different political sides, people must work together in the interest of national development.
According to him, Ghana’s democratic journey and parliamentary system made the country an important case for the study.
The whitepaper, titled “A Strong and Responsible Opposition in Africa: A Ghanaian Case Study (2025/2026 Review)”, reviews the Minority Leader’s parliamentary activities, including his statements, motions and media engagements.
Researchers are also conducting public opinion surveys in Accra, Kumasi and Tamale as part of the study.
Head of ACCP’s Liberia branch, Dr. Murphy T. Jackson, said African countries should formally recognise and support the office of the Leader of the Opposition through legal structures and institutional resources.
He noted that such systems would help reduce the chances of unconstitutional changes of government on the continent.
Head of Research at ACCP Ghana, David Adofo, described Ghana’s opposition institution as one of the strongest in Africa.
He said although the current research focuses on Ghana, future studies would examine opposition institutions in other African countries.
Deputy Secretary General of UPF-Ghana, Tegha King, stressed the importance of a responsible opposition in national development.
Speaking on behalf of the Universal Peace Federation and the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP), he said opposition parties should not be seen as enemies of progress.
According to him, respectful debate, alternative policy ideas and cross-party dialogue are necessary for strong democratic institutions and national peace.
The research comes at a time when some African countries are experiencing political instability and military takeovers.
Despite these challenges, Ghana continues to be recognised as one of Africa’s stable democracies, having recorded several peaceful transfers of power since 1992.
The completed whitepaper will later be submitted to an international peer-reviewed journal, while the abstract has already been made available upon request.
By: Jacob Aggrey
News
NuGhana Expat Center to launch ‘AfroTango Platform’ to support diasporans in Ghana and Africa — Nana Kofi Opoku-Agyemang
The Executive Director of the NuGhana International Expat Center, Nana Kofi Opoku-Agyemang, has disclosed that the organisation is preparing to launch the “AfroTango Platform” to support diasporans with integration in Ghana and across Africa.
According to him, the platform is intended to help diasporans navigate African systems, which many often find difficult to understand after relocating from Western countries.
“The AfroTango Platform will provide a structured bridge, offering orientation, vetted service referrals, and a trusted community to help them integrate smoothly for business or relocation,” he said.
Mr. Opoku-Agyemang made the disclosure while speaking about a proposal submitted by the NuGhana International Expat Center to the government of President John Dramani Mahama for the establishment of a specialised multi-agency Diaspora Protection and Human Capital Task Force.
According to their statement, the proposal has been submitted to the President and shared with key institutions, including the Bureau of National Intelligence (BNI), the Ministry of the Interior, the Office of National Security, the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of Diaspora Affairs, and the Black Star Experience Secretariat.
Mr. Opoku-Agyemang explained that the proposed task force would help protect diasporans and foreign nationals from organised fraud and exploitation while also helping the country benefit from their expertise, investments, and professional skills.
He noted that many diasporans relocating to Ghana often face challenges such as land disputes, business fraud, and difficulties finding trusted people to guide them through local systems.
President of the African Chamber of Content Producers (ACCP), Nana Dwomoh-Doyen Benjamin, who endorsed the proposal, described the initiative as timely and necessary.
According to him, the leadership of NuGhana understands the realities and expectations of diasporans because of their experience living in Western countries.
He appealed to the government to consider the proposal seriously, stating that it could help protect lives and investments while encouraging more diasporans to contribute to national development.
The statement identified key challenges facing diasporans, including organised land and business scams, the absence of a unified system to engage skilled professionals entering the country, and fears over investment security.
Some diasporans who spoke on condition of anonymity also welcomed the initiative and said a state-backed protection system would give them more confidence to relocate and invest in Ghana.
NuGhana said it has already built a human capital and risk database over the past four years to catalogue diasporans and foreign nationals according to their professions, skills, investment interests, and reported incidents.
The organisation added that it is ready to engage the President’s designated team to demonstrate its database and begin a pilot phase of the proposed framework.
By: Jacob Aggrey
