News
Accra Girls’ former staff honour former Headmistress
• Mrs Constance Mante, a retiree presenting a gift to Ms Clottey as Ms Diana Agyei, a senior citizen looks on
The Association of Former Staff of Accra Girls’ Senior High School (AFS-AGISS) has honoured Ms Bertha Clottey, former Headmistress of AGISS for her dedicated service to the school and for being a mother and counsellor to all teachers and administrative staff during her tenure in office.
Ms Clottey, joined the teaching staff of AGISS in 1977 as a History teacher and rose through the posts of Housemistress, Head of History Department, Senior House Mistress, Assistant Headmistress in 1994 and finally held the position of Headmistress for eight years before she retired in 2002.
For her hard work and outstanding performance, the Association held a lunch in her honour and presented her with gifts at its maiden get-together organised last weekend in Accra.
The get-together, which was full of excitement brought together former staff of AGISS, both teaching and non-teaching, including retirees and those in active service elsewhere.
The Event Organiser, Mr Seth Gadzekpo, a retiree and former staff of both AGISS and Achimota School, explained that “in consultation with a cross-section of members, we found it heartwarming and a rare rejuvenation of those past beautiful years we spent together in Accra Girls’ Secondary School to see one another again on a stage of our own to share happy moments together.”
Addressing the gathering, Ms Clottey expressed her profound appreciation to the former staff of AGISS for the honour done her.
“You have really given me a real shock. The shock is happiness in excess. You are all part of the success story of AGISS,” she noted.
She urged members of the Association to keep the unity fervently and show love to all around them.
Earlier, delivering a talk on the theme, ‘Management of life after retirement,’ the guest speaker, Professor Adelaide Naa Amerley Kastner, Dean of the Central University Business School (CUBS) and National President of the Accra Girls Old Students Association (AGOSA) noted that retirees were custodians of knowledge and there was the need to pass that knowledge on to others.
According to Prof. Kastner, who is also the Senior Presbyter at the Faith Congregation of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), Shiashie, being a retiree is not the end of work but a time to identify your new purpose.
“Retirement is a time to channel more energy into doing charity work, be a prayer warrior, engage in hobbies, read and study, write a book and learn new skills such as weaving, beading or baking to overcome the feeling of loneliness,” she said.
To prevent hypertension, diabetes, stroke, poor eye-sight and dementia among others in order to prolong their lives, she advised the retirees to take good care of themselves and avoid unnecessary stress.
“Be health-conscious, exercise regularly and eat healthy diet. Revive the extended family system and maintain a good circle of friends who will make you laugh,” Prof Kastner advised.
Prof Kastner expressed gratitude to the former staff for their passion, knowledge, wisdom and experience in teaching that have brought AGISS where it is now and urged them not to allow these to go dormant but dialogue with the current staff of AGISS to have a programme together in mentorship and guidance.
“Accra Girls pride itself in being a category ‘A’ school. Others are standing on your shoulders to move the school forward,” she said.
Sharing her impressions about the get-together, Ms Patrolina Pinamang Tuffour, currently a teacher at Christian Methodist High School (CHRIMESCO) said it was a great reunion of old teachers of AGISS.
“In fact, you could see that everyone present was happy. It was a memorable day. God richly bless all the organisers, especially the one who initiated that idea. I pray God grant all of us long life with good health for more of those,” she added.
For Mr James Abadektemi, a lecturer at Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU), ”It was a great reunion, I didn’t regret sacrificing other pressing issues to be present at this maiden reunion. I’m very grateful to the organisers and looking forward to more of such events.”
The Assistant Head (Domestic) at St John’s Grammar School, Ms Alexander Mercy Tetteh said, “I came late but the little I saw was impressive. One could feel the spirit of oneness. God bless the organisers.”
In appreciation, one of the organisers, Mrs Gifty Anku, former Senior Assistant Registrar at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), now a retiree noted that it was a memorable day and thanked members for their presence and participation asking God’s blessing for all.
Another honouree, Mrs Vida Drapson, former Assistant Headmistress of AGISS and former Director of Education could not attend the event due to ill-health.
By Georgina Quaittoo
The Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has called for stronger investment and greater recognition of creative professionals as key contributors to national development.
During a meeting with Harmonious Chorale, the Minister highlighted the persistent challenge of limited corporate sponsorship and the undervaluation of practitioners, especially in specialised areas such as choral and children-focused productions.
She stressed the need for a national shift in mindset to position the creative arts as a vital driver of Ghana’s cultural identity and global visibility.
The Minister also commended Harmonious Chorale for its outstanding international representation of Ghana and reiterated the Ministry’s support for the group’s upcoming participation in the Festival of Orthodox Church Music in Poland.
The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Finance Committee, Isaac Adongo, has responded to claims by the Minority in Parliament that the Bank of Ghana recorded losses of about GH¢44 million under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration.
Mr. Adongo’s response follows a press conference addressed by Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and members of the Minority at Parliament House on Sunday, May 3, 2026.
At the press conference, the Minority accused the Bank of Ghana, Governor Dr. Johnson Asiama and the NDC government of mismanaging the economy and worsening the financial condition of the central bank.
The Minority argued that the reported losses at the Bank of Ghana showed signs of poor economic management under the current administration and questioned the direction of the central bank under Dr. Asiama’s leadership.
But reacting to the accusations in an interview with Edem Mensah-Tsotorme, Online Editor of ghanaiantimes.com.gh , Mr. Adongo said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had no moral authority to criticize the current management of the central bank because the Bank of Ghana recorded far bigger losses under the previous administration.
“Under the NPP, the Bank of Ghana suffered its worst ever loss of GH¢55 billion in one year,” he said.
According to the Bolgatanga Central MP, the 2022 financial statements published in 2023 showed that the central bank recorded losses of about GH¢55 billion, while its negative net worth stood at about GH¢61 billion when the NDC government assumed office.
He further alleged that additional costs linked to the financial sector cleanup were transferred to the central government budget to conceal the actual financial state of the Bank of Ghana.
“If we were to add all of that, we really would have been around close to GH¢90 billion in negative net worth by the time we took over office,” he stated.
Mr. Adongo also accused the previous administration of hiding the real fiscal burden of the banking sector cleanup through accounting arrangements in the national budget.
According to him, the current administration and the Bank of Ghana have instead focused on stabilizing the economy through policies aimed at increasing foreign exchange inflows and reducing pressure on the cedi.
He explained that government used gold exports through the Gold Board to generate foreign exchange for the economy.
According to him, the initiative brought in an average of one billion dollars every month, helping stabilize the forex market and strengthen the cedi.
He said the improved forex situation reduced speculative demand for dollars and contributed to the appreciation of the local currency.
“We ended up the year with about 40.7 percent strengthening of the cedi,” he stated.
Mr. Adongo added that the stronger cedi had also helped reduce inflation and interest rates, bringing relief to businesses and consumers.
He praised President John Dramani Mahama for appointing Dr. Asiama as Governor of the Bank of Ghana.
According to him, the President identified Dr. Asiama as the right person to manage the central bank after assessing the country’s economic challenges.
“He saw Dr. Asiama as the best and safer hand to manage the bank,” Mr. Adongo added.
By: Jacob Aggrey
