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‘Don’t keep mothers who lose babies in same ward’
● Ms Lydia Mensah, a mother who lost her baby girl
A 30-year-old mother, Ms Lydia Mensah, who lost her daughter after delivery, has urged hospital authorities to separate ‘unfortunate’ mothers who lose their babies after birth from ‘successful’ mothers.
According to her, that would ease the pain, trauma and heartbreak associated with such situations.
She said watching other mothers breastfeed and take care of their newborn babies remind them of their loss.
Speaking with The Spectator on Monday as part of activities to mark what would have been the fourth birthday of her baby girl this month, Ms Mensah said she found it necessary to use the occasion to appeal to medical professionals to take such mothers to different wards to help them overcome the ordeal.
Ms Mensah narrated how her baby had died from shortness of breath because oxygen was in short supply at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and recalled how staff had replaced hers with that of another baby who was stable.
“After feeding her, I went back to check on her again but when I saw the number of medical staff gathered around her, I got alarmed and went to enquire about what was happening and I was told to go and get oxygen for her.”
“Having just gone through a caesarean-section, I was forced to roam the hospital in search of oxygen to save my daughter.”
The 30-year-old mother said she felt too weak and so she had to call her mother and husband to help get some for her but it was too late.
“What broke my heart was when I went to the wards and saw other mothers feeding their babies,” she said.
She said she had to complain to a doctor who suggested that she should be discharged so that her mother who was a medical person would assist in dressing her wound.
According to her, going back for review was another trauma because she saw many mothers with their babies at the Child Welfare Clinic.
“I was broken and I have never cried like that in my entire life like I did during that period,” she disclosed.
Ms Mensah said though she had a son before she lost her daughter and another son after, she continued to battle with the pain of losing a child.
She appealed to the government to ensure that there was enough oxygen in the various hospitals to supply such babies and urged medical professionals to help under such circumstances.
She said it was also important that mothers who had lost their babies were taken through some form of counselling before they are discharged.
From Dzifa Tetteh Tay, Tema.
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Prof Alidu Seidu files nomination for Tamale Central seat
The newly elected parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Tamale Central, Prof Alidu Seidu, has submitted his nomination forms to the Electoral Commission.
As of 10:00 a.m. today, he was the only person who had filed to contest the seat.
Nomination of candidates will close at the end of the day.
Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana Legon, Prof. Alidu Seidu won the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries in the Tamale Central constituency with a landslide victory.
The elections, supervised by the party’s Elections and IT Directorate in the Northern Region, saw Prof. Seidu poll 840 votes out of the total valid ballots cast.
His closest contender, Lawyer Hanan Gundadow Abdul-Rahaman, secured 536 votes.
The other aspirants could not make significant gains, with Dr. Seidu Fiter obtaining 44 votes, Aliu Abdul-Hamid 23 votes, and the rest recording fewer than 10 votes each.
In all, 1,500 ballots were cast, with 6 ballots rejected and 7 spoilt ballots recorded.
The results were signed and declared by Dr. Arnold Mashud Abukari, NDC Northern Regional Director of Elections and IT.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) held parliamentary primaries in Tamale Central to choose a candidate for the upcoming by-election following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed. Dr. Mohammed, who also served as Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, tragically died in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District on August 6, 2025, alongside seven others.
His passing left the Tamale Central seat vacant, as required by Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled the by-election for September 30, 2025. While the NDC moved quickly to open nominations and vet aspirants, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) announced it would not contest the seat, citing the need to respect the somber circumstances and promote national unity.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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Ghana to locally refine its gold starting October 2025 – Sammy Gyamfi
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board, Sammy Gyamfi, has announced that plans are far advanced for the establishment of a state-owned gold refinery in the country.
Speaking at the 2025 Minerals and Mining Convention, Mr Gyamfi said the refinery will process locally mined gold into bullion instead of exporting it in its raw state.
According to him, it is unacceptable that Ghana, despite being a leading gold producer in Africa, continues to export raw gold known as dore.
He explained that the Gold Board, working with the Bank of Ghana and local refineries, will from October 2025 begin refining gold locally.
He also disclosed that an ultramodern assay laboratory will be built to ensure international standards in testing gold quality.
Mr Gyamfi noted that the refinery will be wholly state-owned and will help Ghana move away from raw mineral exports to value addition.
This, he said, will boost foreign exchange earnings, create jobs, and position Ghana as a hub for gold refining and jewellery production in Africa.
The CEO stressed that the project forms part of government’s strategy to ensure the country benefits fully from its natural resources and to transform the mining sector into a driver of economic growth.
By: Jacob Aggrey
