News
ADRA, UNHCR create market opportunities for refugees in WR
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Ghana Refugee Board has organised a ‘product fair’ for refugees in the Western Region.
The exhibition, held last Tuesday at Aiyinase, was to create a market for products and services of refugees and enable them to become self-reliant, following their skills acquisition in agriculture and agro-processing, handicraft, petty trading, among others.
Themed “Providing Customer Experience: The Work of the Refugee,” the fair brought together about 16 participants from the Ampian and Krisan refugee camps who displayed variety of consumables and provided other services.
According to the organisers although a number of refuges had acquired skills, they were still unable to “penetrate local markets” due to language barriers, lack of effective marketing skills and limited spaces at the markets.
It is for this reason that the fair sought to create opportunities for the asylum seekers to strengthen their relationship with the local traders and clients and make their products more visible to the public.
The participants prepared and served local dishes at the Aiyinase Market, one of the biggest markets in the Western Region, while displaying other items such as cucumber, fresh eggs, chicken, sandwiches, which were patronised by the public.
Mr. Edward Acquah-Imbeah, Marketing Officer UNHCR-ADRA Livelihood Project, expressing satisfaction about the event, said the fair would be organised quarterly to help more refugees to exhibit their creativity.
He said other activities would be organised regularly to increase social interaction between the refugees and the host communities.
Ms. Christiana Badoo, UNHCR Livelihood Associate, also said more refugees would be supported so they could continue to live meaningful lives in various communities, and called on other stakeholders to support the self-reliance activities of refugees.
By Spectator Reporter
The Northern Regional Police Command has arrested three men believed to be part of a kidnapping syndicate responsible for abducting a 42-year-old man in Wapuli, a community in the Yendi District.
The suspects, Haruna Seidu, Amidu Bandi and Osman Bandi allegedly kidnapped the victim and demanded GH¢100,000 from his family for his release.
According to a police statement, officers from the Regional Police Intelligence Directorate were deployed to Wapuli after the incident was reported.
The team conducted surveillance and launched a rescue operation.
On Friday, December 5, 2025, police successfully rescued the victim and arrested the suspects after what was described as an intense exchange of gunfire.
The suspects were later taken into custody and are expected to be arraigned before court.
The Police said the a fourth suspect, who is believed to have sustained gunshot wounds during the operation, is currently on the run.
They urged the public to provide any information that may lead to his arrest.
By: Jacob Aggrey
News
Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong advocates Bold educational reforms at the UK House of Lords during Global Education Summit.
On November 27 2025, global development leaders, policymakers, education experts and civil society organisations gathered at the UK Parliament’s House of Lords for the Global Education Summit hosted by The Baroness Verma of Leicester and organised by the African British Business Forum.
The high-level event focused on the global rise in out-of-school children and the urgent reforms required to deliver equitable, quality education for all.
Among the distinguished Speakers was Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong, Founder & President of Women in Sustainability Africa (WiSA) and General Manager of the EIB Network, who delivered a compelling address on the theme “Breaking Barriers: Empowering Out-of-School Children Through Education.”
In her remarks, Nana Yaa who is currently celebrating 26years of Service in the Media, emphasized that education must be viewed as essential national infrastructure, not charity.
Borrowing experiences from her 18 years of empowering women and young people, she presented a strong case on how Africa’s poor educational systems tie into the poor state of its Gender Equality gap.
According to her, unlocking access to education is one of the most effective ways to strengthen economies, empower women and young girls, build resilient communities and drive sustainable development.
She highlighted that each child excluded from learning represents deferred innovation, delayed opportunity and a weakened society.
Nana Yaa noted that the barriers keeping millions of children out of school are complex and interconnected—ranging from poverty and cultural norms to geographical isolation and digital exclusion.
Addressing these challenges, she argued, requires solutions that are equally comprehensive and multi-layered.
Nana Yaa stressed that girls remain disproportionately affected, and investing in girls’ education has a transformative impact across several Sustainable Development Goals, including gender equality, poverty reduction, health outcomes and climate resilience.
Nana Yaa advocated for the expansion of flexible, inclusive and community-responsive educational models, such as mobile classrooms for remote and nomadic communities, community learning hubs, after-hours programmes for working children, radio-based instruction for low-tech areas and digital platforms designed to reach learners regardless of connectivity challenges.
She warned that without deliberate action, the digital divide would continue to widen, pushing already vulnerable children further to the margins.
During her presentation, she introduced three major reforms WiSA is seeking Partners for, aimed at reshaping educational access across Africa and beyond.
These are the Digital Bridge for Out-of-School Children (DBOC), the Community Education Stewardship Hubs (CESH) involving local women educators and youth volunteers and the Teen-focused Global Skills Accelerator for Out-of-School Teens (GSA-OT).
She also underscored the need for education systems that support instruction, inclusivity and healing, particularly for children experiencing autism, trauma, displacement or conflict.
Nana Yaa emphasised that emotional and psychological support must be integrated into educational frameworks in order to restore confidence, stability and long-term learning capacity.
The summit concluded with strong commitments from stakeholders to adopt sustainable financing models, strengthen data-driven policies and expand cross-sector partnerships.
The African British Business Forum reaffirmed its commitment to championing innovative, scalable solutions to educational inclusion across the UK, Africa and the wider global community.
