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Beach party, picnics: best moments of Easter Holidays
Event centres and beaches operated at full capacity last weekend as hundreds of revellers took part in various activities to climax this year’s Easter celebrations.
Church auditoriums saw worshippers, clad in mainly white outfit, dancing and singing praises to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Sunday while some children as well as new converts were baptised on the day.
Unlike the last two years, the easing of COVID-19 restrictions early in March this year somewhat enabled citizens to interact more and “do the things they could not do during the lockdown.”
In addition to picnics by many churches, men and women of all ages spent time at the Dansoman beach in Accra on Monday where there was dancing competition, horse riding, lime and spoon race, ‘tug of peace’ games.
Children were not left out as they were kept busy with bouncy castles and swings at playgrounds.
The congregation at Star of the Sea Catholic Church at Dansoman Last Stop, Precious Stone International Ministry at Sakaman, Methodist Church of Ghana at Odorkor Official Town as well as Christ Resurrection Church, featured prominently in the celebrations.
The Associate Pastor of the Christ Resurrection Church, Accra, said the gathering was to enable the youth take up ‘healthy social activities’ as they continued to preach and spread the gospel.
Despite the bad weather later in the day, he was impressed with the massive turnout by different youth groups and families.
Some of them who spoke to The Spectator said the feast and the social engagement were worthwhile following the long days of fasting and prayer which had enabled them to prepare adequately and renew their faith in God.
Reverend Samuel Nyonyoh, the Parish Pastor of the Shalom Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana, preaching the sermon on Sunday, urged Christians not to fear death but be strengthened by the resurrection of power of Jesus Christ.
By Lizzy Okai & Linda Abrefi Wadie
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Prof Alidu Seidu files nomination for Tamale Central seat
The newly elected parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Tamale Central, Prof Alidu Seidu, has submitted his nomination forms to the Electoral Commission.
As of 10:00 a.m. today, he was the only person who had filed to contest the seat.
Nomination of candidates will close at the end of the day.
Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana Legon, Prof. Alidu Seidu won the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries in the Tamale Central constituency with a landslide victory.
The elections, supervised by the party’s Elections and IT Directorate in the Northern Region, saw Prof. Seidu poll 840 votes out of the total valid ballots cast.
His closest contender, Lawyer Hanan Gundadow Abdul-Rahaman, secured 536 votes.
The other aspirants could not make significant gains, with Dr. Seidu Fiter obtaining 44 votes, Aliu Abdul-Hamid 23 votes, and the rest recording fewer than 10 votes each.
In all, 1,500 ballots were cast, with 6 ballots rejected and 7 spoilt ballots recorded.
The results were signed and declared by Dr. Arnold Mashud Abukari, NDC Northern Regional Director of Elections and IT.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) held parliamentary primaries in Tamale Central to choose a candidate for the upcoming by-election following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed. Dr. Mohammed, who also served as Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, tragically died in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District on August 6, 2025, alongside seven others.
His passing left the Tamale Central seat vacant, as required by Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled the by-election for September 30, 2025. While the NDC moved quickly to open nominations and vet aspirants, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) announced it would not contest the seat, citing the need to respect the somber circumstances and promote national unity.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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Ghana to locally refine its gold starting October 2025 – Sammy Gyamfi
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board, Sammy Gyamfi, has announced that plans are far advanced for the establishment of a state-owned gold refinery in the country.
Speaking at the 2025 Minerals and Mining Convention, Mr Gyamfi said the refinery will process locally mined gold into bullion instead of exporting it in its raw state.
According to him, it is unacceptable that Ghana, despite being a leading gold producer in Africa, continues to export raw gold known as dore.
He explained that the Gold Board, working with the Bank of Ghana and local refineries, will from October 2025 begin refining gold locally.
He also disclosed that an ultramodern assay laboratory will be built to ensure international standards in testing gold quality.
Mr Gyamfi noted that the refinery will be wholly state-owned and will help Ghana move away from raw mineral exports to value addition.
This, he said, will boost foreign exchange earnings, create jobs, and position Ghana as a hub for gold refining and jewellery production in Africa.
The CEO stressed that the project forms part of government’s strategy to ensure the country benefits fully from its natural resources and to transform the mining sector into a driver of economic growth.
By: Jacob Aggrey
