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Chief of Staff urges Africans in diaspora to unite and tap opportunities in Ghana
The Chief of Staff, at the office of the Vice President, Alex Percival Segbefia has called on Africans in the diaspora to unite, reconnect with their roots and take advantage of opportunities in Ghana.
He said the call was necessary to strengthen shared identity, deepen consciousness about African heritage and harness the skills, influence and resources of Africans abroad to support national and continental development.
The Chief of Staff made the call at the Ghana Tourism Authority’s (GTA) dinner with the diaspora held in Accra on Sunday as part of the “December in Gh” celebration.
He noted that such engagements helped Africans at home and abroad to better understand their shared responsibility and what it truly means to be African, adding that speeches of that nature served as reminders of the need for unity.
“My choice to be here is not by accident,” he said, explaining that his personal background reflected the deep connections between Ghana and the diaspora.
Mr Percival Segbefia disclosed that his mother has roots in Barbados and that he is married to a woman from Trinidad and Tobago, underscoring the strong historical and cultural ties across the Atlantic.
Beyond personal connections, he said Ghana must do more to embrace its brothers and sisters in the diaspora and tap into the wealth of expertise, influence and networks they represent.
The Chief of Staff observed that many Ghanaians in the diaspora occupy influential positions in politics and business across the world, yet the country has not fully leveraged this unique opportunity.
He encouraged members of the diaspora to take advantage of the opportunity to return and contribute, stressing that it was important not only to feel a sense of belonging but also to recognise that they have a voice and a role to play in national development.
Welcoming guests, the Chief Executive Officer of GTA, Maame Efua Houadjeto, described the dinner as more than a formal gathering, but a moment of homecoming and a celebration of shared purpose and the enduring bond between Ghana and her global family.
She said December in Ghana continued to serve as a strong platform for reconnecting the diaspora to Ghana’s culture, people and the many opportunities the country offers.
She expressed gratitude for the invaluable contributions of the diaspora to Ghana’s development across tourism, the creative arts, business, investment and cultural exchange, noting that their presence reinforced the belief that Ghana was not only a destination but a home.
She said the Authority remained committed to strengthening Ghana’s cultural diplomacy and positioning the country as a leading destination for heritage tourism and global engagement.
Maame Efua Houadjeto expressed the hope that the dinner would serve as a catalyst for deeper collaboration, meaningful partnerships and a renewed collective commitment to telling Ghana’s story to the world.
The event brought together government officials, diaspora representatives and stakeholders in tourism and culture, and concluded with music and cultural performances.
BY STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG
Hundreds of street children received a special treat during the Christmas festivities as a result of a collaboration between the management of the La Beach Hotel and the Street Academy in Accra.
It was part of the Hotel’s current arrangement to provide lunch for the children of the Academy every Friday.
Courtesy that partnership, management of the La Beach Hotel feted hundreds of street children housed by the Street Academy, creating a partying moment for the children.
According to officials of the Hotel, the gesture was to let the children feel part of the festivities and not left out.
The children enjoyed delicious meals and snack after which they danced as they enjoyed the moment.
According to the Hotel officials, “the season represents one that every parent gathers their children and shower them with gifts and others to make them happy but sadly, these unfortunate children are left on their own, having no one to care for them.”
“This is an event we intend to make an annual one. Through this, we hope to put some smiles on their faces. It is not proper to leave them on their own.”
The Executive Director of the Academy, Ataa Lartey, expressed gratitude to the management of the hotel, saying that, “this has gone a long way to excite the children and make them feel part of the celebration.”
He said due to the number of children that join around this time of the year, it becomes difficult for the Academy alone to shoulder this responsibility.
“It is not easy to organise such activities alone because it draws a lot of children, that is, those in the Academy and their friends that follow them but with such cooperate supports, we are able to bring them together to share in moments like this,” he told The Spectator.
By Spectator Reporter
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A 30-year-old surrogate mother has delivered a set of quadruplets at The Walking Egg Medical and Fertility Centre at Pokuase in Accra, in a rare surrogacy success that has brought renewed attention to assisted reproductive care in Ghana.
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 2.5 kilograms each, a weight doctors say was healthy for a multiple pregnancy.
IUI stands for Intrauterine Insemination, a common fertility treatment where healthy sperm are collected, ‘washed’ and concentrated in a lab, 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.
Speaking to The Spectator after the surgery, the Medical Director of the Centre, Dr Nana Yaw Osei, said the pregnancy was achieved through Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) and was not planned to result in multiple births.
“With IUI, you introduce prepared sperm into the uterus and have no control over how many eggs fertilized.”
“Unlike IVF, where embryos are formed outside the body and the number transferred can be controlled, this outcome was left entirely to nature,” Dr Osei explained.
He said unlike IVF which could result in multiple babies, this is “possibly the first IUI leading to quadruplets in Ghana.”
He revealed that the surrogacy arrangement was necessary because the intended mother had lost her uterus during surgery to remove fibroids, making it medically impossible for her to carry a pregnancy.
“She had no womb of her own, through no fault of hers,” Dr Osei said, adding that “Surrogacy was the only option available for her to have a biological child.”
When scans later showed that the surrogate was carrying four fetuses, the medical team considered fetal reduction, a procedure sometimes used to reduce risks in multiple pregnancies. However, the option was rejected.
“As a strong Christian, fetal reduction is abortion to me,” Dr Osei said. “After discussions with the intended parents and the surrogate, we all agreed to continue with the pregnancy.”
Despite concerns commonly associated with multiple pregnancies, Dr Osei noted that the surrogate experienced no major complications, and the delivery was smooth. Paediatric assessments conducted after birth confirmed that all four babies are healthy.
Dr Osei again indicated that surrogacy, though still widely misunderstood, is recognised under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 2020 (Act 1027).
He urged the public to engage the subject with greater understanding.
“Surrogacy is not about convenience,” he said. “It is about restoring hope to people who have lost the ability to carry a child.”
Describing the moment of delivery, he added, “I was in tears in the theatre. It reminded me why I chose this profession.”
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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