Editorial
Award schemesshould be on merit,not pay-for-award
THERE is a rising concern about award schemes in Ghana becoming a ‘Pay-for-Award’ or a Vote-to-win mentality instead of awards based on merit. Numerous organisations now hold glamorous ceremonies pledging to honour “excellence,” ranging from business and entertainment to leadership and social influence.
However, behind the glitz, red carpets, and gold-plated awards, a worrying reality is emerging and for many nominees, recognition is no longer earned; it is purchased. This is because honourees now have to pay for their route to excellence.
A reporter from The Spectator interviewed a number of nominees in Tamale and Accra, and they disclosed that the process has become all too familiar. What is so remarkable is that they receive a congratulatory call announcing their nomination, generally portrayed as an acknowledgment of hard work and influence.
Some are asked to pay as much as GH¢2,000 for a table and for the plaque and if the person is not able to afford the award is given to another person who has the ability to pay. If the award is based on merit why do you ask the awardee to pay for it? Many Ghanaians are beginning to question the credibility of these award events.
The invitation of high-profile dignitaries like regional ministers, public officials and celebrities to appear on flyers and at events convinces nominees and the public alike that it is legitimate but in reality it is a façade.
Another issue of concern which has turned recognition into a popularity contest is vote-based competitions where winners are determined not by impact or quality, but by how many votes they can garner often through paid SMS on mobile money platforms.
Instead of people being honoured for their good work they rather have to beg friends, strangers, WhatsApp groups everywhere to vote for them just competing for airtime and mobile money in order to win.
Coupled with that the award events often staged in luxury hotels with celebrity hosts and elaborate decorations have become lucrative business ventures where organisers earn revenue through seat sales, sponsorship deals, photography packages, nomination fees, and promotional slots.
These issues are worrying as the pursuit of recognition has come with a heavy financial burden. According to an awardee she spent more than GH¢23,000 on various awards over three years as cost for seats, plaques, adverts and others. Why must people pay for seats if they are genuinely qualified?
Some beneficiaries have wondered about the genuineness, relevance and credibility of the awards but the issue is while a few argue that such awards help with publicity or branding, many more believe the practice cheapens the meaning of excellence.
The Spectator calls for regulation of some of these awards which are nothing short of scams damaging public trust.
We hope that henceforth awards should reward genuine achievement, not financial contributions for accountability and ethical standards to reign in the award industry.
There should be transparency so that Award Schemes will be on merit, not pay-for-award.
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Some women choose not to have children, while others want children but are unable to do so because of uncontrollable circumstances.
Due to social expectations, childless women endure anxiety, loneliness, isolation, and even low self-esteem.
Their problems are made worse by the fact that they are labelled as barren. Owing to their current circumstances, individuals turn to a variety of treatments, including assisted reproductive care, in the hopes that eventually their desires would be fulfilled.
Thankfully, some have been successful and have had multipla children, while others have given up and resorted to adoption as a last choice.
However, there is good news for childless women whose circumstances are beyond their control: the nation’s first intrauterine insemination (IUI) quadruplets have been delivered, offering them hope.
IUI is a common fertility treatment where healthy sperm are collected, ‘washed’ and concentrated in a laboratory, and then directly inserted into a woman’s uterus around ovulation using a thin catheter to help sperm reach the egg for fertilisation, often used for unexplained infertility, cervical issues, or mild male factor infertility, and is less invasive than IVF.
This breakthrough occurred at the Walking Egg Medical and Fertility Centre at Pokuase in Accra, where a 30-year-old surrogate mother delivered a set of quadruplets, a rare surrogacy success that has brought renewed attention to assisted reproductive care in Ghana.
According to our reporter who witnessed the delivery, the babies-two boys and two girls- were delivered through a caesarean section in the early hours of Tuesday at 36 weeks and weighed an average of 2.5 kilogrammes each, a weight doctors say was healthy for a multiple pregnancy.
The Spectator is filled with joy and applauds the Medical Director of the Centre, Dr Nana Yaw Osei, for this great feat which will give hope to women and bring joy to many families.
Describing the moment of delivery, he added, “I was in tears in the theatre. It reminded me why I chose this profession.”
Hear him, “Unlike IVF which could result in multiple babies, this is “possibly the first IUI leading to quadruplets in Ghana.”
He explained that IUI is not planned to result in multiple births adding that “this outcome was left entirely to nature.”
Again, he revealed that “With IUI, you introduce prepared sperm into the uterus and have no control over how many eggs fertilized.”
The revelation is reassuring therefore we encourage couples to plan surrogacy arrangement as in this case the intended mother had lost her uterus during surgery to remove fibroids, making it medically impossible for her to carry a pregnancy.
Dr Osei again indicated that surrogacy, though still widely misunderstood, is recognised under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 2020 (Act 1027).
Although there have been concerns commonly associated with multiple pregnancies, Dr Osei noted that the surrogate experienced no major complications, and the delivery was smooth.
The good news is that “Paediatric assessments conducted after birth confirmed that all four babies are healthy.”
We therefore urge couples to consider surrogacy which is restoring hope to women who have lost the ability to carry a child.
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Dear Editor,
I want to use your respected platform to commend the police administration for the swoops that resulted in the arrest of members of some gangs that operates in Accra and other parts of the country.
These are notorious criminals that are always hell-bent to make life difficult for people.
We may be new in 2026 but it looks like these criminals are not ready to change. In less than two weeks into the New Year, the police has already busted several gang members with dangerous weapons in their possession.
It started in Accra with the arrest of 16 suspected individuals who were involved in various criminal cases including daylight robbers, phone snatching, residential robberies, impersonation and many others.
Following that was the seizure of suspected substances believed to be Indian Hemp in the North Tongu District of the Volta region.
Again, the Greater Accra and Eastern Regional Commands also collaborated well to smash a highway robbery syndicate with seven of the members arrested.
The last I can recount for the first month of the year was the interception of 1,613 parcels of suspected narcotics drugs by the Tema Police Command.
All of these goes to speak about the good work the police is doing to make life comfortable and violence –free for Ghanaians.
Without this commitment from the force, a lot of these activities would not have happen. They did all of these at the peril of their lives.
It is my hope that those arrested would be prosecuted and be made to face the full rigors of the law.
Nana Yaw Amankwaa,
Ofankor
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