News
GhanaFest Europe 2024 to be launched in Amsterdam on September 1
GhanaFest Europe Trade & Cultural Fair, an international trade and cultural exhibition which aims to promote investment in ICT, promote Agro-processing technologies, real estate, food processing and packaging, cocoa processing, horticulture and the health sectors is scheduled to be held in Amsterdam on November 2024.
The 3-day event being organized by RAM Media Concepts under the auspices of the ministry of foreign affairs & regional integration, Ghana Embassy in the Netherlands (The Hague), Ghana National Chamber of Commerce, Ghana Netherlands Chamber of Culture and Commerce, Ministry of Trade and Industry ministry of tourism, arts and culture amongst other partner organizations in both Ghana and Europe seeks to promote bilateral trade in tourism, trade promotion and foreign direct investments into the Ghanaian economy.
RAM Media Concepts an international event management consultancy is optimistic of bringing Ghanaian businesses, especially small to media scale businesses, SMEs etc to a common platform in a b2b match making session with their European counterparts to interact, network, trade and share knowledge amongst themselves.
GhanaFest Europe Trade and Cultural Exhibition will also witness massive showcase of cultural extravaganza during the 3-day event.
A durbar of Ghanaian chiefs, traditional/folklore music performances, exhibition of African traditional and contemporary products and the opportunity to network with foreign businesses for possible partnerships.
Chief Executive Officer of RAM Media Concepts, Augustine Mark told newsmen that all is set for the official launching of the event in the Netherlands. According to him, the launching ceremony has been scheduled for September 1, 2024 at the Holiday Inn Amsterdam Arena, Bijlmer, Netherlands.
Dubbed GhanaFest Europe Trade and Cultural Fair, the 3 day event is expected to attract over 100 exhibitors, 7000 attendees from both Ghanaian and European businesses.
Mr Augustine Mark said the fair will not only be an opportunity for Ghanaian businesses to scale up their products and services but will also expand their territories in their respective business or industrial sectors.
According to him companies and investors from other continents predominantly from the Caribbean, Europeans and Asians countries would be participating and attending the exhibition.
He said RAM Media concepts has partnered with several trade organizations in Europe to bring their registered members to the exhibition adding that this will give every Ghanaian exhibitor or attendee the opportunity to meet product manufacturers, trade representatives and multiple business stakeholders on an international platform.
He added that exhibitors would be given the opportunity to join a facility tour of some selected companies in the Netherlands.
He therefore urged Ghanaian businesses interesting in exploring business opportunities, expanding their territories and promoting their products and services across international boundaries to attend as a trade attendee or join as an exhibitor adding that slots have been opened for exhibitor and attendee registration.
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
