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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
The Vice President, Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has called for stronger action to promote gender equity and create more opportunities for women in the workplace.
She made the call in a Facebook post after joining staff at the Presidency of Ghana to mark International Women’s Day.
The celebration was held under the theme “From Commitment to Action: Promoting Equity for Every Woman in the Workplace” and focused on recognising the achievements of women while reflecting on the work needed to ensure equal opportunities.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang extended warm wishes to women across Ghana and noted that women have always played key roles in the country’s communities and economic activities.
According to her, women in the past served as healers, traders and queen mothers who contributed to leadership and governance in traditional societies.
She explained that Ghana’s cultural history shows that women have long provided knowledge, leadership and innovation to help develop communities.
The Vice President however noted that current disparities require society to examine systems and structures that may have limited opportunities for women.
She stressed that advancing gender equity will require deliberate actions and the mentoring of young women to prepare them for leadership roles.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang recognised women whose work takes place in markets, streets and small trading spaces across the country.
According to her, these women form the backbone of local economies and continue to demonstrate resilience despite the difficult conditions they face.
She commended women working at the Presidency for their dedication and leadership and reaffirmed the need to promote respect, fairness and opportunity for every woman.
The Vice President further called on both men and women to work together to break barriers and ensure that women can fully contribute to Ghana’s development.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Diaspora Affairs Office at the Office of the President has hosted a delegation of African diaspora women who are in Ghana ahead of a planned Presidential Conferment of Citizenship ceremony.
The Director of Diaspora Affairs, Kofi Okyere Darko, explained in a Facebook post that the visit was a gesture of appreciation by the delegation to the Government of Ghana for its continued efforts to reconnect Africans in the diaspora with their ancestral homeland.
He indicated that the ceremony, scheduled for next Monday, will officially grant Ghanaian citizenship to members of the delegation as part of the country’s broader engagement with the African diaspora.
The delegation was led by Erica Bennett, Founder of the Diaspora Africa Forum.
According to Mr Okyere Darko, her years of advocacy have played an important role in strengthening ties between Africa and people of African descent living abroad.
He noted that the group’s journey towards citizenship represents not only a legal process but also a cultural and spiritual return to their roots.
Also present at the meeting was Natalie Jackson, an attorney who is also expected to receive Ghanaian citizenship during the ceremony. She works closely with renowned civil rights lawyer Ben Crump.
Mr Okyere Darko emphasised that Ghana remains committed to strengthening relationships with the African diaspora and promoting unity, identity, and shared heritage among people of African descent worldwide.
By: Jacob Aggrey
