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‘Don’t use places of worship for chastisement
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● Sheikh Shaban speaking at the meeting
Mosque and other places of worship should not be used for chastisement but a place to embrace those considered wayward and reform them in love to become very responsible people in society.
Islamic Cleric in the Upper West Region Sheikh Shaban Mohammed Alhassan who said this, noted that oftentimes places of worship had been used to chastise people who were struggling with certain forms of secular addictions and had prevent such persons from approaching the places of worship for emotional support and advice.
“Imagine a young girl going to a place of worship to confide in the Cleric about an unplanned pregnancy as an adolescent in a bid to get emotional support and words of encouragement when she is yet to get married; such news will definitely not be welcomed by a Cleric and the girl would definitely be chastised”, he said.
To this end, the Sheikh has advocated the establishment of adolescent corners at major mosques to help meet the needs of youth who had issues with receiving education on sexual and reproductive health.
The Islamic cleric made this known at a meeting on sexual and reproductive health at Wa by youth advocacy groups in the region.
He said that in order to achieve this, engagement meetings on sexual and reproductive health and adolescent sexual behaviours should include religious leaders so that they would be updated with happenings in that area and the role they were to play to curb the situation.
“When the Ghana Health Service for instance presents statistics on the number of children sexually active or use contraceptives within a specific time-frame because they want to indulge in sex to the clerics at such meetings, they will come to terms with the real happenings on the ground and accept to identify ways to assist in the education of these young ones”, he said.
He indicated that these statistics could assist the clerics in preparing their sermons to include issues of such nature and to sensitise the youth to abstinence.
The cleric who was concerned about the trend said some of his colleagues needed capacity building to be abreast of issues of the secular world and appreciate the need to freely talk about them and help educate the young ones.
He believed opening an adolescent corner at major mosques and equipping the facilities with a health worker who understood the word of God would help put adolescents in check and maintain responsible sexual behaviours amongst them.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Wa
Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has announced that the government has accepted the recommendation to abolish the death penalty and replace it with life imprisonment as part of the constitutional review process.
He said the proposed amendment would affect Articles 3, 13, 19 and 72 of the 1992 Constitution, with offences that previously attracted the death penalty instead carrying life imprisonment.
Dr. Ayine made the announcement on July 30, 2026, at the Jubilee House in Accra during the Government Accountability Series while outlining the government’s position on the final recommendations of the Constitution Review Committee.
According to him, the government believes the death penalty is inconsistent with the constitutional right to life and Ghana’s international human rights obligations.
He explained that the recommendation forms part of broader proposals aimed at strengthening the protection of fundamental human rights under the Constitution.
Dr. Ayine said the government had also accepted the spirit of several recommendations to expand rights relating to women, children, persons with disabilities, older persons and the youth.
He added that a comprehensive Human Rights Act would be introduced to protect these rights and provide detailed enforcement mechanisms instead of amending the entrenched provisions of the Constitution through a national referendum.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has called on both local and international investors to tap into opportunities in Ghana’s tourism, hospitality and creative industries.
Speaking in an interview yesterday with World Media USA Today, the Minister said government is committed to creating a conducive investment environment to support growth in the sector.
She highlighted key investment areas including hotels, fashion, music, film production, and tourism infrastructure.
Dzifa Gomashie also encouraged Ghanaians to invest in domestic tourism to help boost the local economy.
According to her, strategic investment in tourism and the creative economy will drive economic transformation, create jobs, and position Ghana as Africa’s gateway for heritage, culture, business and investment.
“Ghana has vast opportunities across tourism, hospitality and the creative industries. We are ready and open for business,” she stated.
The Minister’s remarks come as government intensifies efforts to leverage culture and tourism as drivers of economic growth and job creation.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
