News
Church of Pentecost commission boreholes in two communities
The Wa Area Church of Pentecost has commissioned two mechanised boreholes in Eremon and Babile Communities in the Lawra Municipality.
“They were drilled with support from the Pentecost Social Services, (PENTSOS), and the Suhum Area of the Church, to supply water to residents within the two beneficiary communities for drinking and other domestic chores.
Commissioning the projects, the Wa Area Head, Apostle Daniel Nii Tetteh Tackie expressed the church was delighted to provide amenities that would inure to the benefit of residents irrespective of their religious inclination and asked that residents maintained the facilities for longevity.
The Pentecost Church, he said, was ensuring that, the church was planted in every community across the country, with the construction and commissioning community-based church buildings (CBCB) .
In the Upper West Region, the church under the leadership of Apostle Tackie dedicated four CBCBs at Wapaani, Dapuoh, Danyauakura and Nator together with four other buildings at Kumbiehi, Bulenga, Lambussie and Buli in the Wa, Lawra, Wa East, Wa West, Nadowli-Kaleo, and Lambussie Political Districts respectively.
It dedicated two mission houses for its resident ministers at SabuliandLambussie in the Jirapa and Lambussie Political Districts, and laid the foundation stone for the construction of a CBCB at Gurumbelle and a mission house for the Bulenga Chapel in the Sissala West and Wa East Districts respectively.
The Area Head expressed delight in the collaboration the church enjoyed from traditional authorities in the region, with regard to land acquisition for its project and invoked God’s blessing upon them.
He used the opportunity to call on the chiefs and residents to assist the church to bring out the virtues in the society in order to project morality and mitigate social vices.
The chiefs in the respective areas where the projects were situated lauded the church for the boreholes and church auditoriums respectively.
They expressed confidence that with the presence of the church auditoriums in their communities, stakeholders would begin to scout their zones and include them in development efforts.
At Lambussie, the Assistant Director at the District Assembly, Mr Iddrisu Saphinu who was present at the commissioning of the church auditorium in the area praised the church for its vigilance inthe area and for alerting the assembly on key development issues.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Wa
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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