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Management of Zoomlion Honours Integrous YEA Operative
The Board, Management and Staff of the Jospong Group of Companies and Zoomlion Ghana Limited, the leading waste management conglomerate, has honoured Mr. Salifu Ibrahim, a Youth Employment Agency (YEA) beneficiary, for his exemplary display of honesty and integrity.
The ceremony took place on Thursday in Accra.
Mr. Ibrahim, a sanitation worker operating within the Tamale Metropolitan area, specifically at Beggars Lane, made headlines after he discovered a sum of GH₵20,000 in one of the waste bags he collected during his routine duties.
Rather than keeping the money, he disclosed the discovery to his colleagues, took it home for safekeeping, and waited for the rightful owner to come forward. A few days later, the owner approached their workplace in search of the money, and Mr. Ibrahim returned the full amount to him.
To honour this act of integrity, Zoomlion Ghana Limited rewarded Mr. Ibrahim with an undisclosed amount of Ghana cedis, U.S. dollars, and a motorbike to support his movement.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Edward Ato Sarpong, a board member of the Jospong Group of Companies, expressed his admiration for Mr. Ibrahim’s selfless act.
“In today’s abnormal environment, it is rare to find individuals like Ibrahim who will return such a significant amount of money to its owner. His act of godliness has elevated the Zoomlion and Jospong brands worldwide,” Mr. Sarpong stated.
He prayed that the money Mr. Ibrahim returned would come back to him in multiple folds by God’s divine grace.
Mr. Sarpong added, “We want to use Ibrahim as an example for others, not just within our workforce but also in the Ghanaian community, to emulate his integrity and values.”
The Northern Regional Public Jobs Coordinator for Zoomlion, Haruna Suleiman, also praised Mr. Ibrahim’s dedication and discipline.
“He is a hardworking individual who has worked with us for eight good years without any complaints. His commitment to duty at Beggars Lane in the Tamale Metropolis has been outstanding,” Mr. Suleiman noted.
In response, Mr. Salifu Ibrahim expressed gratitude to Zoomlion and his supervisor, Haruna Suleiman, for giving him the opportunity to work with the company.
He urged parents to instill values of honesty and godliness in their children.
“I have never owned GH₵20,000 in my life, but I thought about the fact that we have just ushered in a new government and that we need to reset Ghana together. I couldn’t spend someone’s money and tarnish my hard-earned reputation,” Mr. Ibrahim shared.
He also revealed that he initially trained as a mechanic but switched to sanitation work due to challenges in the mechanic business.
As part of the reward package, Zoomlion flew Mr. Ibrahim to Accra for the first time and accommodated him at a luxurious hotel in East Legon, giving him an unforgettable experience by having lunch with management before his return to Tamale.
Mrs Gloria Opoku Anti, Executive Director of the Zoomlion Group said Zoomlion’s recognition of Mr. Salifu Ibrahim is a testament to the company’s commitment to its core values of godliness and people-focus, encouraging all Ghanaians to live with integrity and a sense of responsibility.
The Vice Chancellor of the Pentecost University, Apostle Professor Kwabena Agyapong-Kodua, is advocating an intentional conversation about the development and education of the boy child in creating stronger families and societies.
According to him, the boy child must not be ignored in conversations on leadership, education, family stability and national transformation because they are key to national development.
“There is a reason why a boy child must not be denied opportunities like education; he is a future leader. When boys are trained well, society becomes safer and stronger,” he stated.
Apostle Prof. Agyapong-Kodua made the remark at a forum organised by the Church of Pentecost Schools Outreach Ministry in Accra to observe the International Day of the Boy Child observed on May 16.
It was held in collaboration with the Pentecost Men’s Ministry and the Ghana Education Service (GES), and under the theme: ‘Flourish and Thrive: Investing and Unleashing Boys for Strong Families and Communities.’
Leading the discussion, the Pentecost University Vice Chancellor warned that poor mentorship, declining in education, harmful social media influences and emotional neglect have made a lot of young boys vulnerable.
With a lot of the attention switching to the girl child, the boy child, he said was confronted with many challenges including violence, substance abuse, educational decline, emotional neglect and the absence of positive role models.
According to Apostle Prof. Agyapong-Kodua, he noted that boys were turning to social media for direction due to the absence of fathers and mentors to help shape their lives.
“If we are not intentional, social media will mentor our children for us. We are not saying they should not use social media, but they should be guided to access the right information to excel in life,” he stated.
Prof. Agyapong-Kodua urged society to encourage boys to become creators of technology rather than mere consumers.
Contributing, Madam Gifty Asiedu, Director of the Girls’ Education Unit at the GES Headquarters, said the service remained committed to ensuring that no child was left behind, adding that, “supporting the boy child should not come at the expense of progress made in girl-child education.”
“If you focus intentionally on one gender and neglect the other, you create a societal problem,” she underlined.
She said the GES had observed some decline in boys’ retention in school, although the gap between boys and girls was not yet too wide.
“Over the years, attention has been focused on the girl child and we have seen the benefits. However, data now show that the statistics concerning the boy child continue to decline,” she indicated.
She explained that the service was implementing gender-responsive education to ensure that classroom teaching addressed the needs of both boys and girls equally.
Elder Barima Acheampong Sarpong II, Deputy Director of the Pentecost Men’s Ministry and Chief of Asante Asaman in the Ashanti Region, said society needed to critically examine the plight of boys.
“As we celebrate the International Day for the Boy Child, I urge every man to identify one boy child, find out how he is doing and dedicate some time to mentoring him,” he explained.
The programme, attended by educators, church leaders and policymakers, was the second edition following a partnership initiated last year between the Schools Outreach Ministry, the Pentecost Men’s Ministry and the GES.
It sought to improve school enrolment, completion rates and learning outcomes among boys so they could grow into responsible men who would build strong families and communities.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
Candidates that wrote the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in Ho Municipality are hopeful of obtaining good grades to make everyone especially their parents and the Regional Minister proud.
The candidates said they had so far sat the examination with focus and integrity after a call from Mr James Gunu, Regional Minister to avoid examination malpractice saying, they expected great performance upon release of results.
Mr Gunu, at the start of this year’s BECE delivered the message during a monitoring visit to some centres in the municipality including Ho Kpodzi EP Basic A School, Mawuli School, Mawuko Girls Senior High School (SHS), and Kabore School.
He urged the candidates to rely on hard work and discipline, warning that shortcuts could jeopardise their future.
“Stay focused and give your best in this year’s BECE – your determination and hard work will pay off. Avoid shortcuts and examination malpractice; integrity matters just as much as success,” he said.
The Minister, accompanied by the Ho Municipal Chief Executive, the acting Volta Regional Director of Education, and the Ho Municipal Director of Education, encouraged candidates to view the exam as a foundation for their academic journey and to celebrate responsibly after the final paper, commending parents, guardians, teachers, and officials of the Ghana Education Service for their support in preparing the candidates.
Candidates at some of the centres Ghana News Agency visited, echoed the call for honesty and high standards.
At Kabore School, Ms Francisca Atsu of Sokode Lokoe MA Basic School said, “The Regional Minister was here earlier to speak to us and also to encourage us. We’ve done our best. I assure him that we will make him and our parents proud.”
At Taviefe SHS Centre, Ms Valentina Sakpla of Taviefe R.C Basic School added, “We are expecting good results to make everyone proud and for our own good.”
Mr David Dotse, Supervisor at Kabore School, hosting 11 schools, with a standby ambulance on site to cater for any health emergency, reported smooth proceedings. –GNA
