News
Draught game centres, potential spread of COVID-19?
One of the games which involves close contacts with the opponent is the draught game.
Arguably, it does not ensure the practice of strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocol of social distancing due to its close proximity nature.
This is because the board used for playing the game (usually positioned on the laps of the players), is placed between the two persons opposing each other, who sit less than a metre or three feet away from each other.
The situation is not different at the Tema Community One Community Centre area where many people made up of both young and old meet to play the game.
On several occasions where The Spectator has visited the place, at least 10 people have been found closely gathered with many of them not wearing nose masks.
The players and those cheering them on, including those who are the next to play, stand right behind the players cheering.
When one opponent succeeds in blocking the other by taking a significant number of the pieces of his contender which makes it impossible for the other to move, it drew noise from both supporting parties.
The players are also noted to speak on top of their voices to tease themselves as they jump and pick an opponent pieces.
With the closeness to each other without face masks, it obviously draws droplets which results in exchanges that has the potential to spread the coronavirus.
With the state of affairs, any coughing or sneezing which are often involuntary actions from the persons involved in the game, could compromise the health and safety of many.
There are no hand washing facilities or alcohol-based hand rubs at the venue, therefore anyone no matter how clean or dirty his hands are, just joins and handles the board or the pieces for playing the game which is also a recipe for the spread of the virus.
The Spectator is by this drawing the attention of all players and city authorities to as a matter of urgency put measures in place to right the potential wrongs so that the venue for the game does not become a fertile ground for the spread of the virus.
One may ask, in the event that one of the frequent visitors to the place contracts the virus, will he be willing to stop coming there or be bold enough to tell the others?
From Dzifa Tetteh Tay, Tema
The Northern Regional Police Command has arrested three men believed to be part of a kidnapping syndicate responsible for abducting a 42-year-old man in Wapuli, a community in the Yendi District.
The suspects, Haruna Seidu, Amidu Bandi and Osman Bandi allegedly kidnapped the victim and demanded GH¢100,000 from his family for his release.
According to a police statement, officers from the Regional Police Intelligence Directorate were deployed to Wapuli after the incident was reported.
The team conducted surveillance and launched a rescue operation.
On Friday, December 5, 2025, police successfully rescued the victim and arrested the suspects after what was described as an intense exchange of gunfire.
The suspects were later taken into custody and are expected to be arraigned before court.
The Police said the a fourth suspect, who is believed to have sustained gunshot wounds during the operation, is currently on the run.
They urged the public to provide any information that may lead to his arrest.
By: Jacob Aggrey
News
Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong advocates Bold educational reforms at the UK House of Lords during Global Education Summit.
On November 27 2025, global development leaders, policymakers, education experts and civil society organisations gathered at the UK Parliament’s House of Lords for the Global Education Summit hosted by The Baroness Verma of Leicester and organised by the African British Business Forum.
The high-level event focused on the global rise in out-of-school children and the urgent reforms required to deliver equitable, quality education for all.
Among the distinguished Speakers was Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong, Founder & President of Women in Sustainability Africa (WiSA) and General Manager of the EIB Network, who delivered a compelling address on the theme “Breaking Barriers: Empowering Out-of-School Children Through Education.”
In her remarks, Nana Yaa who is currently celebrating 26years of Service in the Media, emphasized that education must be viewed as essential national infrastructure, not charity.
Borrowing experiences from her 18 years of empowering women and young people, she presented a strong case on how Africa’s poor educational systems tie into the poor state of its Gender Equality gap.
According to her, unlocking access to education is one of the most effective ways to strengthen economies, empower women and young girls, build resilient communities and drive sustainable development.
She highlighted that each child excluded from learning represents deferred innovation, delayed opportunity and a weakened society.
Nana Yaa noted that the barriers keeping millions of children out of school are complex and interconnected—ranging from poverty and cultural norms to geographical isolation and digital exclusion.
Addressing these challenges, she argued, requires solutions that are equally comprehensive and multi-layered.
Nana Yaa stressed that girls remain disproportionately affected, and investing in girls’ education has a transformative impact across several Sustainable Development Goals, including gender equality, poverty reduction, health outcomes and climate resilience.
Nana Yaa advocated for the expansion of flexible, inclusive and community-responsive educational models, such as mobile classrooms for remote and nomadic communities, community learning hubs, after-hours programmes for working children, radio-based instruction for low-tech areas and digital platforms designed to reach learners regardless of connectivity challenges.
She warned that without deliberate action, the digital divide would continue to widen, pushing already vulnerable children further to the margins.
During her presentation, she introduced three major reforms WiSA is seeking Partners for, aimed at reshaping educational access across Africa and beyond.
These are the Digital Bridge for Out-of-School Children (DBOC), the Community Education Stewardship Hubs (CESH) involving local women educators and youth volunteers and the Teen-focused Global Skills Accelerator for Out-of-School Teens (GSA-OT).
She also underscored the need for education systems that support instruction, inclusivity and healing, particularly for children experiencing autism, trauma, displacement or conflict.
Nana Yaa emphasised that emotional and psychological support must be integrated into educational frameworks in order to restore confidence, stability and long-term learning capacity.
The summit concluded with strong commitments from stakeholders to adopt sustainable financing models, strengthen data-driven policies and expand cross-sector partnerships.
The African British Business Forum reaffirmed its commitment to championing innovative, scalable solutions to educational inclusion across the UK, Africa and the wider global community.
