News
Consortium of NGOs from five West African countries call for an end to FGM
A consortium of non-governmental organizations working in the field of gender-based violence (GBV) from five West African countries on Tuesday held their second ordinary meeting in Wa in the Upper West Region with a call for an end to female genital mutilation (FGM) to restore the dignity of women and also protect their sexual rights.
Christened the West African Network of Associations and NGOs Fighting Against GBV, the consortium consists of countries namely Ghana, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso and Cote D’Ivoire.
The Vice President of the Network, Mr Salifu Kanton who is also the Executive Director of the Community Development Alliance (CDA) said the network was formed to foster unity and harmonise interventions and efforts dedicated to fighting FGM across the West African sub-region.
He explained that the practice which was common among residents of border towns would only go extinct if the partners worked together to ensure that FGM was not migrated to other countries.
“We share cross-border similarities and cross-border challenges that affect all of the sub-regions so NGOS within the sub-regions came together in 2019 after a meeting in Cote D’Ivoire to influence change and impact communities to address sexual and gender-based violence with a particular focus on eliminating FGM”, he said.
Mr Kanton expressed that since the countries shared common traits such as local languages, socio-cultural networks and arrangement as well as belief systems, the network was necessary to ensure that people who would want to leave the region to another country to perpetrate the act were identified and stopped.
“People no longer do the cutting in the open because of the criminalisation of the practice but FGM is still prevalent because of certain social norms and cultural beliefs”, he stated.
One of the key measures adopted by the Network, he noted was to identify the circumcisers who were mostly women, persuade them to abandon the practice and use them as ambassadors to drive the change after issuing them certificates and awards for stopping the practice.
“We are not looking at getting people prosecuted but getting them to accept that what they are doing is bad and has health implications and implications on the dignity of the girls”, he said.
He mentioned that the meeting was to review the work done by the respective organisations in each member country towards eliminating FGM in line with the United Nations timeline of 2030.
“Our contribution is to try and accelerate the pace and make sure that no girl living in the West African sub-region is subjected to this inhuman practice and we do this by sharing experience and tracking the gains; especially on our porous borders so that if Ghana is making effort, the circumcisers do not cross to Burkina Faso and vice versa”, he explained.
He added that with the rise in violent extremism in these countries, they were also looking at alternative ways to bring calm without resorting to a military approach which according to him had failed in addressing the conflicts and had rendered people more alienated and vindictive.
“We believe in social cohesion, fostering peacebuilding and accepting differences to reduce radicalization of young people into extremist groups; CDA for instance is empowering women through networking for peacebuilding by targeting female leaders in communities to become peace ambassadors to address the underlying causes of radicalization “, he added.
Some participants in Mali and Burkina Faso who shared their work said they were helping to rehabilitate people affected by violent extremism but said the insecurity and tensions had affected community engagement as well as donor support for their activities.
FROM LYDIA DARLINGTON FORDJOUR, WA
News
Abu Trica’s extradition case: Prophets, fetish priests demand pay for spiritual solution …Lawyer reveals
Mr Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a lawyer for embattled Frederick Kumi, affectionately called Abu Trica and has made a shocking revelation over the behaviour of some members of the clergy.
According to him in a post on social media, the difficult part of Abu Trica’s trial is not the law but the number of ‘Men of God’ and fetish priests demanding financial sacrifices to help resolve the matter spiritually.
Oliver Barker-Vormawor posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2026, “The most difficult part about the Abu Trica case; is not the law.”
He continued: “It is the number of, prophetesses, evangelists and fetish priests, who have called or messaged to ask us to pay for spiritual solutions.”
It would be recalled that in March this year, the Gbese District Court dismissed a preliminary objection filed by Abu Trica, challenging the extradition proceedings initiated at the request of the United States.
The court, presided over by Anna Akosua Appiah Gottfried Anaafi Gyasi, in its ruling held that the offences forming the basis of the extradition, particularly wire fraud, constitute extraditable offences under the 1931 treaty between Ghana and the United States.
He was then given 15 days counting from March 27 to appeal the decision of the court or be surrendered for extradition to the US.
Against this backdrop, he was on Tuesday, April 22, granted a bail in the sum of GH¢30,000,000 by an Accra High, pending the appeal of his extradition
Mr Kumi was arrested in Ghana in December 2025 following an indictment by United States authorities, alleging that he played a role in a romance scam network that defrauded elderly American victims of more than $8 million.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
News
From panic to pass: how parents, teachers can help children beat BECE, WASSCE exam phobia- Part 1
Walk through any Junior High or Senior High compound in Ghana as BECE or WASSCE approaches and you will see it.
A bright girl suddenly quiet. A boy who led class debates now sleeping at his desk. A Form three student with stomach pains every Monday morning.
This is not laziness. This is academic stress. When left unaddressed, it hardens into exam phobia-overwhelming dread that pushes children into burnout, avoidance, and sometimes silence.
As a mental health professional who sits with these children and their parents at Counselor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC) in Adenta Oyarifa-Teiman, I see the pattern clearly.
Research confirms it. Putwain and Daly (2014) found that high test anxiety predicts lower grades independent of ability. Zeidner (1998) showed that chronic academic pressure raises cortisol, weakens memory recall, and increases school dropout risk. The brain under fear cannot retrieve what it studied.
Understanding the storm: What academic stress really looks like
Exam phobia is not just “being nervous.” It shows up as headaches before mocks, sudden anger when books are mentioned, night-time insomnia, or perfectionism that ends in blank scripts.
Some children over-study until 2 a.m. and forget everything by 9 a.m. Others avoid books completely, scrolling phones instead. Both are distress signals. Dr Kenneth Ginsburg, a paediatrician specialising in adolescent resilience, notes: “Stress is not the enemy; feeling alone with stress is.” Too many Ghanaian children feel alone with it.
The home front: How parents and couples become safe havens, not extra pressure
The first antidote is at home. Structure beats shouting. Set a predictable study slot-same time, same place, with water and a light snack. Then protect sleep like you protect school fees. A tired brain fails faster than an unprepared one. Use the “15-minute start rule”: “Just sit for 15 minutes. If you still can’t, we close and try after a walk.” Often, starting is the hardest part.
Couples must watch their language. “Don’t disgrace us” plants fear. Replace it with “We see your effort. What part feels hardest today?” Praise process, not only position: “You revised three topics and asked for help—that is maturity.” Research by Dweck (2006) confirms that process praise builds resilience while outcome praise increases anxiety.
For caregivers, check your own anxiety. Children borrow our nervous system. If BECE makes you panic, they will panic. One parent grounds—keeps meals, prayer, and bedtime steady. The other pivots—talks to teachers, adjusts timetables, arranges counselling. Both protect rest. An empty cup cannot pour calm.
Resources
– Counsellor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC): Award-winning Clinical Mental Health and Counselling Facility, accredited by the Ghana Psychology Council.
– School-Based Support: Speak to Guidance & Counselling units, or licensed school counsellors. E.g. Counsellor Blessing Offei – 0559850604 (School Counsellor).
– Contact CPAC for Parent Coaching/Counselling & Student Therapy: 055 985 0604 / 055 142 8486
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