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‘Community service sentencing will decongest prisons’
A one-day sensitisation workshop for key stakeholders on community sentencing in Ghana has taken place at Takoradi in the Western Region.
The key stakeholders are traditional authority, assembly members, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), People with Disabilities (PWDs), the legal department, and the security agencies among others.
The main objective was to seek their views on community sentencing as a better correctional method compared with custodial sentencing.
The Paralegal and Education Officer at the Sekondi Prisons, Superintendent of Prisons), Mr. Ibrahim Yakubu, in his delivery said the prisons were correctional places but not a place of punishment as some people thought.
He said the prisons rather consumed without producing anything and the amount spent on each prisoner was woefully inadequate therefore community sentencing would reduce government expenditure in prisons in the country.
He said if community sentencing became part of the law and implemented, it would decongest the prisons and money which was spent on prisoners would be channelled into other development projects.
He said the prisons did not have enough equipment like sewing machines, machines for making footwear, dryers for hairdressers among others, so if the number in the prisons were reduced, the few machines available would pave the way for active and proper learning teaching at the skills training workshops for inmates.
Supt. Yakubu admitted that the prisons in Ghana were overcrowded because minor and less risky offenders were given custodial sentences with few fine payment options unlike countries like Rwanda, Burkina Faso and others where minor cases were given community sentence.
He said it was long overdue for Ghana to consider passing laws to include Non-custodial sentencing to community sentencing in the justice delivery systemin order to decongest the already overcrowded prisons.
A Director at the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Africa Office, Miss Mina Mensah, said there were many advantages because a convict would work in his or her own community and the young convicts would would not stop their education because they could work and still go to school.
She noted that people went to prison because there was no other means of sentencing and the society did not allow any integration so convicts were forced to go back to commit crimes in order to remain in prison.
The Programme Manager of CHRI, Madam Esther Poku-Atuahene said the Community Service Bill was a better alternative to custodial sentencing because it would benefit the community and the nation at large.
She mentioned cleaning, collection of rubbish, redecorating community spaces where the community used as public gathering areas as some of community sentencing.#
From Peter Gbambila, Takoradi
The professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 
This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.
For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.
The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.
Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.
With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong.
The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.
There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.
Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.
A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.
The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.
Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.
Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation.
Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.
These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.
Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge.
His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions.
Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.
But tradition was only one part of the story that day.
When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.
The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 
It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.
For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate.
For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.
Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.
His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.
In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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ASOHOM organises fundraising gala to protect Ghana’s water resources, support vulnerable communities
The Association of Spouses of Heads of Missions and International Organisations (ASOHOM) last Friday held the 2026 edition of its annual Charity Gala, at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, Accra under the theme ‘Woven Currents.’
It was attended by members of the diplomatic and international community, distinguished guests, corporate partners, and artists, friends of Ghana and supporters of ASOHOM’s charitable mission.
What was supposed to be a fundraiser turned into a perfect platform to celebrate friendship, culture and creativity.
Water was at the heart of this year’s message, said Sovanna Taliercio President, ASOHOM and Chairperson of its Fundraising Committee.
“Through art, music and live performance, the gala highlighted the vital connection between water, life and our shared future, while drawing attention to the importance of protecting Ghana’s water resources and supporting sustainable solutions for vulnerable communities,” a statement signed by Ms Taliercio said.
The evening featured a remarkable exhibition of Ghanaian contemporary art, live performances, an auction and raffle, alongside an elegant dinner and opportunities for guests to connect and support the cause.
She expressed gratitude to everyone who contributed to the success of the event— sponsors, artists, performers, partners, volunteers, ASOHOM members and, most importantly, every guest who chose to support its cause.
“Our fundraising efforts are ultimately about more than one evening. They are about transforming generosity into tangible support for communities in need. The funds raised through ASOHOM’s charitable initiatives will contribute to projects aligned with our humanitarian priorities and our commitment to supporting meaningful and sustainable development in Ghana,” she said.
She expressed pride at what ASOHOM represents: a community of women and men from across the diplomatic and international community who come together beyond their official roles to build bridges, strengthen partnerships and give back to the country we are privileged to call home.
She said the success of ‘Woven Currents’ was a testament to the power of collaboration, compassion and collective action and reminds that with togetherness, small contributions can create lasting impact.
By Spectator Reporter
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