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Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam enstools new queen
The Chiefs and people of Ajumako Techiman Traditional Area in the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District of the Central Region have enstooled Nana Hembaa Nyamaah Awortwi I, new queen of the area.
Known in private life as Khardijatu Nuhu Mahama Kamargatey Peschel, the 51-year-old nurse, becomes the first to formally sit on the stool as queen from TwidanAfokurasi.
She was taken through the principal streets in a palanquin alongside Tufuhene, Nana Agyei Yeboah and Safohene Kwame Afedzi and was formally out-doored at a durbar of chiefs and people in the AjumakoTechiman Traditional Area.
In an interview with journalists after the durbar, Nana Nyamaah Awortwi I, said she would focus on addressing developmental challenges in the area and the Central Region in general.
She mentioned sanitation, teenage pregnancy and promotion of vocational and technical education as some of the issues she would focus on.
On sanitation, she said it would be her desire to see it inculcated in children at the basic school level to enable them to appreciate environmental cleanliness.
Nana Nyamaah Awortwi I, noted that a clean environment could help reduce some of the commonly known diseases in the community and drastically reduce OPD attendance.
She called for the adoption of proactive measures towards reversing the rate of teenage pregnancy in the region, saying, “the narrative that the Central Region is among the regions with high teenage pregnancy must change.”
The queen explained the importance of vocational and technical education and how this could help in the development of the area, saying that, “technical and vocational education continue to play critical roles in the economy of developed countries”.
She, therefore, urged the residents to embrace vocational and technical education due to its critical role in the socio-economic transformation of the country.
She explained that technical and vocational education should not be seen as an avenue for a certain category of people noting that the area was a specialised field which required the nation’s best brains and said that the developed countries were able to achieve their current status due to their focus on technical and vocational education.
She admonished parents to make education of their children a priority and identify the potentials of their children but not force them into courses they were not interested in.
The queen further called on residents in the area to make peace and unity a cornerstone in their dealings with one another.
The 51-year-old woman and mother of two had her secondary education at the Damongo Secondary School in the Savannah Region and went for further studies in Germany. She is currently a practising nurse in the United Kingdom.
From David O. Yarboi-Tetteh, Ajumako
Ghana’s First Lady, Lordina Mahama, has made a generous donation to the country’s national female Under-17 and Under-20 teams – Black Maidens and Black Princesses- as they continue preparations for major international assignments.
The donation, made on Friday, May 22, was presented on behalf of the First Lady by the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, at the GFA Technical Centre in Prampram.
The gesture forms part of efforts to motivate and support Ghana’s young female footballers as they prepare to represent the country on the international stage.
The donation included essential food items and toiletries aimed at supporting the welfare and well-being of the players and technical teams.
The donation included cartons of Milo, T-rolls, soft drinks, toiletries, and a range of essential supplies aimed at supporting the welfare of the players, enhancing camp conditions, and easing preparations ahead of their respective assignments.
The Black Maidens are currently engaged in preparations for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers and are set to take on Liberia women’s national under-17 football team in the second-leg encounter in Liberia this weekend.
Meanwhile, the Black Princesses have already secured qualification to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after overcoming Uganda in the qualifiers, extending Ghana’s remarkable record to eight consecutive appearances at the tournament.
The donation by the First Lady was expected to boost morale within both camps while reinforcing national support for the young female footballers who continue to make the country proud.
The prosecution has officially rested its case in The Republic v Solomon Asamoah & Another, the high-profile legal battle commonly referred to as the “Sky Train” case.
The Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai announced the development, praising the state’s team of hard-working prosecutors for successfully anchoring the state’s evidence before the High Court.
The criminal trial centers on the former Chief Executive Officer and the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).
The duo stands accused of illegally authorizing and paying out US$2 million to a foreign company without obtaining board directives or other mandatory statutory approvals.
State investigators have confirmed that the disbursed millions cannot be found.
Following the closure of the prosecution’s case, the accused persons moved the court for an opportunity to file a submission of no case.
The presiding judge granted the application, ordering the defense to submit their arguments by June 8.
The outcome of the June 8 filings will decide the fate of the trial:
With this, if the judge finds the defense’s submission convincing, the accused will be acquitted and discharged however, If the judge dismisses the submission, the court will order the accused officials to take the stand and explain why they should not face prison sentences.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
