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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
The professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 
This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.
For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.
The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.
Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.
With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong.
The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.
There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.
Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.
A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.
The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.
Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.
Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation.
Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.
These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.
Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge.
His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions.
Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.
But tradition was only one part of the story that day.
When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.
The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 
It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.
For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate.
For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.
Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.
His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.
In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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Intercity STC Coaches Limited has interdicted a driver captured in a viral video allegedly hitting a Sprinter bus during an overtaking manoeuvre at Pokuase before driving away from the scene.
In a public notice, the company described the driver’s conduct as unacceptable, stressing that it did not reflect the safety standards and professionalism it upholds.
Management said it had commenced an immediate investigation into the incident and identified the driver, who has been interdicted pending the outcome of the disciplinary process.
The company added that it was awaiting an official report from the Pokuase Police Command to help establish the facts surrounding the incident.
STC reaffirmed its commitment to passenger safety and responsible road use, while thanking members of the public for bringing the incident to its attention.
Management assured the public that appropriate action would be taken following the investigation.
By: Jacob Aggrey
