News
‘Bring development wherever you are working’
• Nana Dekye I delivering his speech
The Guantoahen of Shama Traditional Area in the Shama District of the Western Region, Nana Kwamina Dekye I has appealed to workers in the Shama District to initiate development projects in the area for posterity to appreciate their efforts.
He said workers all over the country should team up and start some projects in areas they work for the indigenes to remember them after they have left the community.
Nana Dekye I was delivering a speech at a ceremony at the River Side, Shama, to raise funds for the construction of a two floor building to be used as a community centre for the people of Shama.
He said “if you do not bring development to the community you work who would come and develop the place since government alone could not reach all communities at the same time.
“We don’t have to wait for government to come before we start constructing a school or bore hole but start and request government to come in and assist.”
Nana Kwamina Dekye I who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Lower Pra Rural Bank said when it came to community development the people must take the first step and this would encourage government to assist them adding “the development of Shama lies in the hands of the people here and not government but government can come in”.
He said the people of Shama should stop complaining about the absence of a paramount chief but take their own destiny into their hands and start working for the development of the area.
Nana Dekye 1 known in private life as Mr. Isaac Kwamina Afful said the people of Shama were not in competition with anybody so any project started could go on as funds continued to flow into the project account.
He said it was not palatable to work in a place and invest in a different area simply because you did not come from that area who told you the children you got from that community would travel back home or to a different community.
He appealed to all workers in the district to open accounts with the Lower Pra Rural Bank because it was the 5th Best Rural Bank in the country out of 149 so the bank’s performances were outstanding.
The District Chief Executive of Shama, Mr. Ebenezer Dadzie praised Nana Dekye 1 for his contribution to the development of the district.
He said Nana Dekye constructed a modern one storey Police Station for the district, provided potable water and a number of schools for some communities in the district.
He appealed to the people to come together in any small way for the development of Shama.
The Chairman of the fund raising, Mr. Isaac Kwamina Vaness said Rwanda was the neatest country in Africa after coming out of a civil war because the indigenes came together to develop the country through the good leadership of their president.
He said good leaders like Nana Dekye 1 always thought of the development of the areas they operated so it was now the duty of the people to stand out boldly and support him to execute his dream for the development of Shama.
From Peter Gbambila-Shama.
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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