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AHISCOSA 1993-year group pays courtesy call on MD of NTC
The 1993 Class of Accra High School Old Students Association (AHISCOSA) on Tuesday paid a courtesy call on the Managing Director (MD) of New Times Corporation (NTC), Dr Isaac Okpoti Nai to congratulate him on his appointment as MD and assure him of the association’s support.
The delegation of the year group also known as Onukpai 1993, was led by the President of the association, Mr Robert Amissah Eshun, lecturer at the Accra Technical University (ATU). Others were Mrs Elizabeth Sonia Tetteh, Senior Assistant Registrar at ATU and Rev. Canon Dr Lt. Col. Francis Obodai Lokko, Southern Command Chaplain of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
The President congratulated Dr Nai, who is also a member of the 1993-year group describing his appointment as a source of pride for the year group and the entire school.
“Your appointment as Managing Director is not only your personal achievement, it is a win for Accra High School and for the Class of 1993,” the President said.
According to Mr Eshun the group is proud to see one of its own rise from the classrooms, dormitories and assembly grounds of AHISCO to lead one of Ghana’s major media organisations.
“We remember you not just as our classmate, but as one of us who carried the Accra High School values with you: discipline, excellence and service,” he noted and added that “Dr Okpoti Nai demonstrated discipline, tenacity and excellence during his school days, qualities which, had prepared him for the leadership responsibility he now occupies.”
The delegation assured Dr Nai of their support through prayer, goodwill and other forms of assistance as he carried the name, values and reputation of AHISCO into his new role.
They further urged the MD to lead with wisdom, integrity and strength, while expressing the hope that his tenure would bring growth and development to NTC and create opportunities for others to rise.
The Class of 1993 also presented a gift to Dr Okpoti Nai as a symbol of their appreciation and continued support.
In response, Dr Nai thanked the delegation for the visit and said he was grateful for the gesture and the confidence they had reposed in him.
He encouraged them to subscribe to the Corporation’s e-newspapers, www.timesnewsplus.com, to support its growth.
The Editor of The Spectator, Mrs Georgina Naa-Maku Quaittoo, who is also an old student of AHISCO, of the Onukpai 1989-year group expressed appreciation to the delegation for their visit and encouraged them to support the Corporation by buying and reading its newspapers, The Spectator (TS) and The Ghanaian Times (GT).
Rev. Canon Dr Lt. Col. Lokko, prayed for God to grant the MD wisdom, strength, good health and integrity as he leads the corporation.
“May your tenure bring growth to the corporation and may it also open doors for others to excel,” he prayed.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
The 30th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Media Awards has celebrated three decades of recognising excellence and contributions to journalism and national development, while highlighting the media’s role in Ghana’s democracy.
Marking the milestone, Philip Osei Bonsu of the Multimedia Group emerged as the GJA/P.A.V. Ansah Journalist of the Year.
The Ghanaian Times’ Benedicta Gyimah Foley won the Best Feature Reporting, Print category, alongside other journalists recognised across various media platforms.
Other winners included Nathaniel Attoh, Best in Sports Reporting; and Godwin Asediba of Media General, Best in TV Documentary; Doreen Ampofo of GBC, Best in Radio Documentary; and freelance journalist Nii Adjei Mensahfio, Best in Online Documentary.
Daniel Kwabena Mantey was adjudged Best in TV Feature, while Clinton Yeboah of Luv FM won Best in Radio Feature, with Gilbert Azeem Tiroog of GNA taking Best in Online Features.
For news reporting, Mohammed Fugu of the Daily Graphic won Best in Print News Reporting, Nabil Ahmed Rufai, a freelance journalist, Best in TV News Reporting; Ridwan Karim Dini-Osman of EIB Network, Best in Radio News Reporting; and Timothy Ngnenbe of the Daily Graphic, Best in Online News.
The ceremony, held in Accra last Saturday on the theme, “Celebrating Excellence, Advancing Media Freedom and Combating Hate Speech in the Digital Age”, was attended by President John Dramani Mahama as the special guest of honour.
Also in attendance were the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, and the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Christian Tetteh Yohuno, among others.
In his address, President Mahama announced a GH₵10 million allocation in the 2027 national budget as seed capital for the reactivated Media Development Fund to support journalists’ welfare, professional development, investigative reporting and safety training, with additional corporate contributions expected.
Mr Mahama, also urged media practitioners to uphold professionalism and accuracy by avoiding sensationalism, unsubstantiated allegations and the deliberate pursuit of scandals, while promptly correcting inaccurate reports and apologising when necessary to maintain public trust and professional standards.
On journalists’ safety, he assured that the government would continue to act against attacks on them.
By Stephanie Birikorang
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Today, I focus on the theme of Ghanaian/African migrants in Finland and economic empowerment, a move away from the topic of personalities or groups and their accomplishments within the Ghanaian community in Finland that I have been writing on.
In recent times, African migrant associations and Finnish institutions are organising meetings or forums and help people seeking employment to meet employers or build professional networks to achieve economic empowerment.
Such forums are usually open to their members and anyone of African descent.to get into the Finnish job market.
Competences
Researchers and experts say entrepreneurship or self-employment has great potential to offer a route for migrants, including highly-educated ones, to participate in and contribute to the local economy.
Competences, including knowledge and knowhow, opportunities, and social capital such as family support, language, etc., are necessary to boost the entrepreneurship endeavour.
Competence in the official Finnish or Swedish languages is undoubtedly a key quality to improve employment prospects, especially for migrants since the overall unemployment among migrants could be higher than in the mainstream Finnish population.
There could also be particular privileges which may be the provision of the right information for potential entrepreneurs or job seekers.
Barriers and stress factors
Although language has a huge potential to contribute positively to entrepreneurship possibilities, studies have shown that some of the major stress factors are language problems, finances or economic capital among African migrants.
Other barriers or challenges may be how to grow the business venture or its sustainability.
Thus, migrant communities can generally be highly vulnerable to language barrier, lack of information, the nature of the work of migrants in professions where working from home is not possible.
Migrant associations, social networks, and information
By their activities, migrant associations are doing much to educate and create awareness as well as enhance economic empowerment through migrants’ entrepreneurship or self-employment and enhance opportunities.
Such associations and institutions become networks that create an important social capital as well as outlets for sharing and gaining information or knowledge. Also, it will all be for societal good if such activities are able to help reduce stress and anxiety in the migrants’ entrepreneurship endeavours.
As I keep pointing out, Finland is committed to the integration of migrants into the Finnish society. A number of research studies from surveys and other in-depth enquiries have shown a trend of increasing efforts to integrate African and other migrants into the Finnish society.
Public agencies, migrant associations and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Finland have been publishing information to help educate people, which is also good for their wellbeing.
Generally, migrant associations formally create awareness among their members and other migrants usually in collaboration with some Finnish institutions, and are thus an important tool for several migrants to be positively active and to get their interests and claims heard.
As I wrote previously, the role of migrant associations acting as bridge-builders for the integration and inclusion of migrants through participation in the decision making process and by acting as a representative voice is highly appreciated in Finland. Thank you!
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