News
DON’T LOCK CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES IN ROOMS.
A Deputy Director of Programmes at the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Miss Gladys M. Osman has told parents never to lock or hide children born with deformities.
She said hiding such unfortunate children would cause more harm to them than good children were gifts of God and must be accepted with love no matter their condition.
Miss Osman was speaking at a Training of Trainers Workshop on Civic Rights and Responsibilities of Women, the Youth and People with Disabilities relative to COVID-19 at Half Assini in the Jomoro Municipality of the Western Region.
The one-day workshop was under the theme “Civic Rights and Responsibilities of Women, Youth and PWDs relative to COVID-19 Pandemic” and funded by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Miss Osman told the participants that NCCE was there to work with them to find out how COVID-19 had negatively impacted on their rights, freedom, responsibilities and businesses in general and equip them with civic rights among others.
She said it would strengthen women, youth, PWDs and other marginalised groups to ensure their active participation in decision making to attain gender parity in the Sustainable Development Goals especially the GOAL 5.
The Deputy Director said the 1992 Constitution of Ghana protected all Ghanaians with no exceptions so all PWDs and children were equal and protected by it.
Dr Edward Ampratwum of UNDP also said the workshop would empower citizens, Civil Society Organisations(CSOs), women, and the youth to develop an interest in decision making to contribute to the development of their respective communities.
He said the impact of COVID-19 especially communities around the borders had experienced negative results in their businesses and way of life.
Dr Ampratwum said the NCCE was firmly on the ground to identify these vulnerable groups and partner them to obtain the SDGs to contribute to peace building in the country and beyond the borders of Ghana.
The Municipal Planning Officer at Jomoro, Mr. Samuel Obosu said the Municipal Assembly was seriously looking for financial support for the formal and informal sectors to boost their businesses because it (assembly) would gain if more businesses were operating well in the municipality.
A Deputy Director in charge of Research at NCCE, Dr Henrietta Asante Sarpong said the workshop was a collaboration programme between UNDP and NCCE basically to train trainers who would take the knowledge acquired to their communities and train others.
She said it was organised for special interest groups to build capacity to understand civic rights and responsibilities and enlighten them on how their civic rights had been affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic particularly how to work with the Assemblies.
She said the trainers would return to their various communities and organise similar trainings for their people .
FROM PETER GBAMBILA, TAKORADI.
A former Sec ond Lady, Mrs Matilda Amis sah-Arthur, has called for urgent action to bridge literacy gaps among young girls in the country to advance gender equality.
She stressed that improving lit eracy among girls was essential not only for women’s empowerment but also for national development.
“Addressing the literacy gap is not a woman’s issue. It is a nation al necessity and, with the passing of the Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Act, 2024, Ghana is signalling that women belong in leadership, but leadership begins with a book,” she said.
Mrs Amissah-Arthur made the call at an event organised by the Ghana Library Authority (GLA) in Accra yesterday to mark Interna tional Women’s Day (IWD) on the theme: “Her Voice in Libraries: Women Transforming Literacy in Ghana.”
According to her, many girls in Ghana still drop out of school due to poverty, lack of mentorship and limited support systems, warning that without deliberate interven tions some risk becoming part of worrying national statistics.
The former Second Lady encouraged students, particularly girls, to see education not only as a tool for personal advancement but also as a means of empowering future generations.
“Don’t shy away from STEM and ICT subjects. Break into the male-dominated areas and bridge the digital divide,” she added.
Mrs Amissah-Arthur also called for stronger partnerships between men and women in advancing gen der equality, stressing that the issue should be viewed as a national development priority rather than solely a women’s concern.
“Gender equality is not a woman’s issue. It is a development issue. It requires partnership, respect and shared responsibility,” she said.
She further expressed opti mism that with the right support systems, every child, regardless of gender, could achieve their full potential.
In a remark, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Education, Lydia Essuah, said that despite progress made in promoting gender equality in the education sector, challenges remained in ensuring progression, completion and quality learning outcomes for all learners.
She highlighted the important role of libraries in advancing liter acy and lifelong learning skills, and called for increased investment in library infrastructure and services to help build a knowledge-driven society.
The Executive Director of the Ghana Library Authority, Alhassan Ziblim Bentintiche, also under scored the importance of libraries in empowering young people, par ticularly girls, with access to books, digital resources and mentorship opportunities.
He disclosed plans to expand Ghana’s library infrastructure and services to particularly attract the youth and promote literacy.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
Management of the Metro Mass Transit Limited has accused the government of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of pursuing what it describes as a “create, loot and share” agenda in the sale of portions of the Opera Square Bus Terminal to a private developer.
The Deputy Managing Director of the company, Haroun Apaw-Wiredu, raised the concerns while speaking to journalists at the Opera Square Bus Terminal in Accra on Thursday, March 12, 2026.
He indicated that the management of Metro Mass Transit would not tolerate any further unauthorized development at the terminal and would take steps to protect the property.
According to him, it would be wrong for a private developer to take control of state property for personal economic gain while the company and the public remain silent.
“How can we sit down and allow a private developer, just for his selfish economic gains, to capture state property for himself? No, we cannot sit down,” he stressed.
Mr Apaw Wiredu called on the public to resist what he described as attempts to take over state assets, adding that such actions would disadvantage ordinary citizens.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we must all stand up. We must all wake up. We must fight this level of brazen looting and attempts to milk the system at the expense of ordinary Ghanaians,” he indicated.
He explained that some individuals had been operating around the terminal for many years and alleged that the developer gained access to the land during the previous administration.
Mr Apaw Wiredu stressed that under the leadership of President John Dramani Mahama, the company would pursue all legitimate means to protect the terminal from what he described as unlawful takeover.
He added that management would use every legal avenue available to defend the property and prevent any attempt to take control of the land without proper authorization.
By: Jacob Aggrey
