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Afua Asantewaa poised for longest singing marathon
Determined Afua Asantewaa
When Afua Asantewaa Owusu Aduonum, a highly ambitious Ghanaian lady announced on social media about two weeks ago, her intentions to break the Guinness World Record (GWR) for the Longest Singing Marathon (Singathon), many thought it was just a publicity stunt.
But the narrative changed few days after, when she officially launched her bid to take up the audacious challenge from December 24 – 27 at Akwaaba Village,Airport in Accra.
She is expected to sing for 117 hours within the period in order to break the record set by India’s Sunil Waghmare for 105 hours in 2012.
Afua Asantewaa must be able to sing over 3,000 songs with each song not more than two minutes. She would also sing strictly Ghanaian songs as part of efforts to promote Ghanaian music from gospel, highlife, hiplife to Afrobeats and more.
Afua Asantewaa, when she succeeds would be the second African lady this year, to break the GWR amidst huge support from social media, after Nigerian Chef, Hilda Baci stole the headlines earlier, with her successful attempt for the Longest Cooking Marathon.
Asantewaa’s courage has attracted the attention of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) who are on board as logistics and venue sponsors with Jamila Home coming in as the official furniture sponsor with their unique designs to set the right ambiance for the event.
She is also supported by Electroland Ghana limited as Electroland sponsors.
Mrs Afua Asantewaa Aduonum is a Broadcast Journalist, a Television Host, an Entrepreneur and a Women Empowerment Advocate.
She is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of ASKOF Productions, initiators of the Global Outstanding Women’s Awards, Africa Outstanding Women’s Awards, the Founder of Pose4Africa and Teen Queen Ghana beauty pageants.
She is also the founder of Miss Kidi Africa and the prestigious Ghana Outstanding Women Awards (GOWA) which has been running for the past six years.
The awards over the years, honoured distinguished Ghanaian women from various sectors including politics, business, sports, entertainment, entrepreneurship and innovation and media.
Afua Asantewaa is a very determined woman, beautiful, intelligent, and friendly with a great sense of humour and God fearing.
She is married to Mr Kofi Owusu Aduonum, a Journalist. The lovers tied the knot in 2016.
She also studied at the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) in 2014 where she attained a degree in Journalism after which she did her internship with the Multimedia Group.
Afua Asantewaa has also engaged in several charity works aimed at supporting women and children while promoting entrepreneurship among the youth.
Though passionate about singing and attempted a career in music in the past, Afua Asantewaa is not a recognised musician in Ghana but has a decent voice to embark on her GWR challenge.
“I was hoping an established Ghanaian musician would take up the challenge but since no one was coming out, I decided to take the big step to make Ghana proud,” she told The Spectator in an interview.
“I love to sing and want to use my talent to make a mark for Ghana. This is about Ghana and we must all support the attempt,” she added.
She called on the Ghana Health Service, DJs and corporate Ghana to come on board to support her bid.
Already, some Ghanaian celebrities including Sefa, Shata Wale and Nana Ama McBrown and a few corporate entities have thrown their weights behind Asantewaa.
With the level of support from Ghanaians on traditional and social media, Afua Asantewaa is set to make the nation proud and inscribe her name into the GWR.
By Michael D. Abayateye
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Ghana to locally refine its gold starting October 2025 – Sammy Gyamfi
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board, Sammy Gyamfi, has announced that plans are far advanced for the establishment of a state-owned gold refinery in the country.
Speaking at the 2025 Minerals and Mining Convention, Mr Gyamfi said the refinery will process locally mined gold into bullion instead of exporting it in its raw state.
According to him, it is unacceptable that Ghana, despite being a leading gold producer in Africa, continues to export raw gold known as dore.
He explained that the Gold Board, working with the Bank of Ghana and local refineries, will from October 2025 begin refining gold locally.
He also disclosed that an ultramodern assay laboratory will be built to ensure international standards in testing gold quality.
Mr Gyamfi noted that the refinery will be wholly state-owned and will help Ghana move away from raw mineral exports to value addition.
This, he said, will boost foreign exchange earnings, create jobs, and position Ghana as a hub for gold refining and jewellery production in Africa.
The CEO stressed that the project forms part of government’s strategy to ensure the country benefits fully from its natural resources and to transform the mining sector into a driver of economic growth.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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There is strength in diversity; let’s live in peace – Zanetor Rawlings urges Ghanaians
Member of Parliament for Korle Klottey, Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, has urged Ghanaians, especially the youth, to value the peace the country enjoys and to see diversity as a source of strength.
Speaking at the National Youth Conference held at the Pentecost Convention Centre under the theme “Igniting Potential; Inspiring Change”, she warned against being lured into conflicts and divisions fueled by reckless statements from politicians, traditional leaders, religious figures, or academics.
According to her, many young people have no idea what it means to live in a country torn apart by war, and therefore must not take Ghana’s peace for granted.
She stressed that the harmony among different ethnic and regional groups should be protected at all costs, since it is peace that allows citizens to gather freely and safely.
Dr. Zanetor said Ghana’s development depends on embracing diversity and working together.
She urged the youth to tap into this strength so that Ghana would continue to shine as the “Black Star” of Africa and serve as an example for other nations.
She expressed appreciation to the participants for attending the conference and asked for God’s blessings on the country.
By: Jacob Aggrey
