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Students urged to be innovative, address socio-economic challenges
![• Mr Noah Gyemah[right] interacting with Prof Amevi Acakpovi Mr Kwesi Agyei Sarfo[second from left]and Mr jeffery Yeboah Frimpong. Photo Lizzy Okai](https://spectator.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Mr-Noah-Gyemahright-interacting-with-Prof-Amevi-Acakpovi-Mr-Kwesi-Agyei-Sarfosecond-from-leftand-Mr-jeffery-Yeboah-Frimpong-Photo-Lizzy-Okai.jpg)
Mr Noah Gyemah[right] interacting with Prof Amevi Acakpovi, Mr Kwesi Agyei Sarfo[second from left]
and Mr jeffery Yeboah Frimpong. Photo Lizzy Okai
The Chief Investment Officer for Jospong Group of Companies, Mr Noah Gyimah has urged students to be innovative and assist in addressing socio-economic challenges in Africa.
He said, innovation plays a crucial role in addressing socio-economic challenges in Africa such as poverty, healthcare accessibility, education, infrastructure development and technology.
He was speaking at the first of Chief Executive Officers’ (CEOs) lecture series by the Accra Technical University (ATU) as part of activities to mark its 75th anniversary celebrations.
His presentation on behalf of the Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies, Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong was under the theme “Impacting Society and Driving Innovation-The Story of the Jospong Group of Companies.”
He said, innovators must think about problems within the country and provide solutions which would essentially help create jobs and boost the economy.
“Young people need to have self-urgency to create jobs and their innovation must be solution-oriented and must align with challenges within the community,” he stressed.
He said, the Jospong Innovation Hub would soon be created to help young people both internally and externally with great ideas to succeed.
“Do not wait for someone to retire before you get a job, create ideas that would get you jobs,” he added.
For his part, the head of Youth and Inclusive Banking (YIB) at Access Bank, Ghana, Mr Jeffrey Agyepong reiterated that, an innovative individual required the identification of challenges and solving them.
He also encouraged the students not to be demoralised by negative comments in their quest to be innovative.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kantanka Group of Companies, Nana Kwadwo Safo Kantanka who was represented by Deputy General Secretary of Operations, also underscored the need for academia to collaborate and work with industry players in finding cutting edge solutions to the challenges faced by Africans.
He also entreated lecturers and researchers to take advantage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to disseminate information to the public.
In his welcome address, the Acting Vice Chancellor (Ag VC) of ATU, Professor Amevi Acakpovi, noted that the lecture was an opportunity for the university to bridge the gap between academia and industry.
The head of the organising committee of the lecture, Professor Alice Mensah also advised the students to engage and learn from individuals who had excelled in industry.
By Michael D. Abayateye
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Prof Alidu Seidu files nomination for Tamale Central seat
The newly elected parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Tamale Central, Prof Alidu Seidu, has submitted his nomination forms to the Electoral Commission.
As of 10:00 a.m. today, he was the only person who had filed to contest the seat.
Nomination of candidates will close at the end of the day.
Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana Legon, Prof. Alidu Seidu won the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries in the Tamale Central constituency with a landslide victory.
The elections, supervised by the party’s Elections and IT Directorate in the Northern Region, saw Prof. Seidu poll 840 votes out of the total valid ballots cast.
His closest contender, Lawyer Hanan Gundadow Abdul-Rahaman, secured 536 votes.
The other aspirants could not make significant gains, with Dr. Seidu Fiter obtaining 44 votes, Aliu Abdul-Hamid 23 votes, and the rest recording fewer than 10 votes each.
In all, 1,500 ballots were cast, with 6 ballots rejected and 7 spoilt ballots recorded.
The results were signed and declared by Dr. Arnold Mashud Abukari, NDC Northern Regional Director of Elections and IT.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) held parliamentary primaries in Tamale Central to choose a candidate for the upcoming by-election following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed. Dr. Mohammed, who also served as Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, tragically died in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District on August 6, 2025, alongside seven others.
His passing left the Tamale Central seat vacant, as required by Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled the by-election for September 30, 2025. While the NDC moved quickly to open nominations and vet aspirants, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) announced it would not contest the seat, citing the need to respect the somber circumstances and promote national unity.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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Ghana to locally refine its gold starting October 2025 – Sammy Gyamfi
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board, Sammy Gyamfi, has announced that plans are far advanced for the establishment of a state-owned gold refinery in the country.
Speaking at the 2025 Minerals and Mining Convention, Mr Gyamfi said the refinery will process locally mined gold into bullion instead of exporting it in its raw state.
According to him, it is unacceptable that Ghana, despite being a leading gold producer in Africa, continues to export raw gold known as dore.
He explained that the Gold Board, working with the Bank of Ghana and local refineries, will from October 2025 begin refining gold locally.
He also disclosed that an ultramodern assay laboratory will be built to ensure international standards in testing gold quality.
Mr Gyamfi noted that the refinery will be wholly state-owned and will help Ghana move away from raw mineral exports to value addition.
This, he said, will boost foreign exchange earnings, create jobs, and position Ghana as a hub for gold refining and jewellery production in Africa.
The CEO stressed that the project forms part of government’s strategy to ensure the country benefits fully from its natural resources and to transform the mining sector into a driver of economic growth.
By: Jacob Aggrey
