His Royal Majesty King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, the Ga Mantse, has announced plans to confer new traditional titles on the 12 finalists of the Africa Monologue Challenge (AMC) Season Three before they leave Ghana.

The announcement was made when the finalists paid a courtesy call on the Ga Mantse at his residence as part of activities for the competition.

The visit gave the contestants an opportunity to experience and learn about the rich traditions, culture and heritage of the Ga people.

Addressing the contestants, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II welcomed them to Ghana and wished them success in the competition.

He encouraged them to give their best and remain proud of their journey, regardless of who eventually emerges as the winner.

The Ga Mantse noted that participating in the competition and travelling to Ghana to connect with the continent’s culture and heritage was already a significant achievement.

He further expressed admiration for the contestants’ commitment to Africa and their role in promoting the continent’s stories through storytelling.

King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II indicated that he would engage the organisers of the Africa Monologue Challenge to set aside a special day to honour the contestants and confer the new titles on them before their departure.

The 12 finalists are representing Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Botswana, the Republic of Congo, Benin, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon and the United States, which is representing the African Diaspora.

The finalists were selected from more than 2,000 entries for a month-long Pan-African House residency in Ghana.

Speaking during the visit, the President of the African Chamber of Content Producers and Chief Operating Officer of the Africa Monologue Challenge explained that the finalists were no longer viewed simply as individuals but as representatives of their respective countries.

He noted that at the Pan-African House, each contestant’s room symbolically represents a country.

Mawuko Kuadzi, Chief Executive Officer of MK Casting and the Africa Monologue Challenge, expressed optimism that the third edition would be more exciting than the previous two editions.

He noted that the competition had continued to grow since the first edition in Ghana and the second edition in Uganda.

Mr Kuadzi attributed the expected success of this year’s competition to the support of sponsors and partners.

He explained that the Africa Monologue Challenge was an important platform for projecting Africa in a positive light and telling the continent’s stories to the world.

“We believe this is a tool we are going to use to project Africa in a positive light,” he stated.

The Chairman of the AMC Season Three Planning Committee, Roger Quartey, also highlighted the importance of the competition in showcasing African talent to the world.

He noted that the challenge would provide a platform for the finalists to demonstrate their talents while promoting their respective countries and Africa as a whole.

The Africa Monologue Challenge Season Three brings together young storytellers from across Africa and the diaspora to promote the continent’s rich culture, history and stories.

The finalists are currently in Accra for the competition and other activities designed to expose them to Ghanaian and African culture and heritage.

By: Jacob Aggrey

Aspiring National Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Salam Mustapha, has defended the party’s jobs plan under the previous government, arguing that it was more credible than the employment promises made by the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

According to him, the NPP had several programmes in the pipeline that could have created jobs for young people if given more time to implement them.

Mr Mustapha made the remarks at Channel one TV on Tuesday September 1, 2026 where he highlighted the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 general election and the concerns of young people over unemployment.

He likened the situation facing the NPP before the election to the Titanic, explaining that although he warned the party about the challenges ahead, the problem was not that the leadership ignored his concerns but rather a lack of capacity to address them quickly.

He pointed to the pressure on government finances, noting that about 60 to 70 per cent of the country’s revenue goes into the payment of public sector workers.

Mr Mustapha explained that the NPP’s plans required time to create sustainable employment opportunities rather than providing jobs for all young people overnight.

He cited the Agenda 111 hospital project as one of the programmes that could have created employment, particularly for health workers.

According to him, the completion of the project would have required about 70,000 health workers.

He acknowledged, however, that young people who were unemployed and struggling could not simply wait for two or three years for jobs to be created.

Mr Mustapha criticised the NDC government’s employment initiatives, claiming that some of its campaign promises to the youth have not been fulfilled.

He cited the promise to create 100,000 jobs, arguing that the government had created fewer than 10,000 so far and had also failed to sustain some of the programmes.

He questioned the progress of the government’s “One Million Coders” initiative and the automatic employment promise for nurses.

Mr Mustapha further argued that the government’s entrepreneurship initiatives were similar to programmes introduced under the NPP.

He cited the “Adwumawura” programme, which he linked to former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s administration, as an example of efforts to support young entrepreneurs.

Despite the NPP’s defeat among young voters, Mr Mustapha expressed confidence that many young people who previously voted against the party may have changed their minds.

He pointed to discussions on social media as an indication of growing dissatisfaction among some young people with the NDC government.

Mr Mustapha maintained that the NPP could regain the confidence of the youth if it addresses their concerns and presents practical solutions to unemployment.

By: Jacob Aggrey