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Be wary of suspicious people in the community…Lawra MCE tells youth
The Municipal Chief Executive for the Lawra Municipal Assembly in the Upper West Region, Mr Jacob Dery has called on the youth to be wary of suspicious people in their communities who might seek to recruit them into violent groups with enticing offers.
He mentioned that due to their exuberance, the youth had become targets for extremist and other violent groups but stated that if they were vigilant, the youth could play vital role in preventing violent extremism.
He indicated that the youth was the active sector of society and they interacted with a lot of people hence if they applied vigilance, they would be able to identify suspicious persons and report them to the appropriate authorities for action.
Mr Dery made the observation on Monday at Lawra during a youth engagement meeting by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) on preventing and containing violent extremism aimed at building the capacity of the youth on the subject matter.
The essence of the meeting was to deepen patriotism and national cohesion among the youth in the Municipality and beyond in the fight against violent extremism and to also create awareness among the youth on the increase of violence in neighbouring countries.
The MCE said preventing the infiltration of violent extremists and subsequent recruitment of the youth into their act, required collaboration from every sector of society.
He assured the NCCE of the support of the municipal assembly for its activities in the municipality in a bid to prevent violent extremism and the recruitment of the youth into their activities.
For his part, the Municipal Director of the Commission, Mr Jesurun Mornah Ninge noted with concern the menace of violent extremism across the globe and said it had caused the loss of lives and properties with its attendant problems of poverty and retardation of development.
“The commission has since 2021 been implementing these sensitisation programmes which was informed by research findings on violent extremism with support from the European Union”, he said.
He advised the participants to be vigilant in dealing with suspicious people who appeared friendly on the surface but with the intention to lure them into the act of violence and extremism.
The Acting Secretary of the NCCE, Madam Lucille Hewlet Annan took the opportunity to encourage participants to be very careful of who they interacted with, saying that extremists did not appear different and could pretend to look very harmless in order to attract unsuspecting people to their side.
“People of this nature can sometimes be known by their looks and how they conduct themselves and go about their activities” she said and encouraged the youth to be wary of such people to avoid been radicalized, she said.
FROM LYDIA DARLINBGTON FORDJOUR, LAWRA
A former Sec ond Lady, Mrs Matilda Amis sah-Arthur, has called for urgent action to bridge literacy gaps among young girls in the country to advance gender equality.
She stressed that improving lit eracy among girls was essential not only for women’s empowerment but also for national development.
“Addressing the literacy gap is not a woman’s issue. It is a nation al necessity and, with the passing of the Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Act, 2024, Ghana is signalling that women belong in leadership, but leadership begins with a book,” she said.
Mrs Amissah-Arthur made the call at an event organised by the Ghana Library Authority (GLA) in Accra yesterday to mark Interna tional Women’s Day (IWD) on the theme: “Her Voice in Libraries: Women Transforming Literacy in Ghana.”
According to her, many girls in Ghana still drop out of school due to poverty, lack of mentorship and limited support systems, warning that without deliberate interven tions some risk becoming part of worrying national statistics.
The former Second Lady encouraged students, particularly girls, to see education not only as a tool for personal advancement but also as a means of empowering future generations.
“Don’t shy away from STEM and ICT subjects. Break into the male-dominated areas and bridge the digital divide,” she added.
Mrs Amissah-Arthur also called for stronger partnerships between men and women in advancing gen der equality, stressing that the issue should be viewed as a national development priority rather than solely a women’s concern.
“Gender equality is not a woman’s issue. It is a development issue. It requires partnership, respect and shared responsibility,” she said.
She further expressed opti mism that with the right support systems, every child, regardless of gender, could achieve their full potential.
In a remark, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Education, Lydia Essuah, said that despite progress made in promoting gender equality in the education sector, challenges remained in ensuring progression, completion and quality learning outcomes for all learners.
She highlighted the important role of libraries in advancing liter acy and lifelong learning skills, and called for increased investment in library infrastructure and services to help build a knowledge-driven society.
The Executive Director of the Ghana Library Authority, Alhassan Ziblim Bentintiche, also under scored the importance of libraries in empowering young people, par ticularly girls, with access to books, digital resources and mentorship opportunities.
He disclosed plans to expand Ghana’s library infrastructure and services to particularly attract the youth and promote literacy.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
Management of the Metro Mass Transit Limited has accused the government of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of pursuing what it describes as a “create, loot and share” agenda in the sale of portions of the Opera Square Bus Terminal to a private developer.
The Deputy Managing Director of the company, Haroun Apaw-Wiredu, raised the concerns while speaking to journalists at the Opera Square Bus Terminal in Accra on Thursday, March 12, 2026.
He indicated that the management of Metro Mass Transit would not tolerate any further unauthorized development at the terminal and would take steps to protect the property.
According to him, it would be wrong for a private developer to take control of state property for personal economic gain while the company and the public remain silent.
“How can we sit down and allow a private developer, just for his selfish economic gains, to capture state property for himself? No, we cannot sit down,” he stressed.
Mr Apaw Wiredu called on the public to resist what he described as attempts to take over state assets, adding that such actions would disadvantage ordinary citizens.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we must all stand up. We must all wake up. We must fight this level of brazen looting and attempts to milk the system at the expense of ordinary Ghanaians,” he indicated.
He explained that some individuals had been operating around the terminal for many years and alleged that the developer gained access to the land during the previous administration.
Mr Apaw Wiredu stressed that under the leadership of President John Dramani Mahama, the company would pursue all legitimate means to protect the terminal from what he described as unlawful takeover.
He added that management would use every legal avenue available to defend the property and prevent any attempt to take control of the land without proper authorization.
By: Jacob Aggrey
