News
FGM perpetrators devise new methods
The Director at the Department of Gender in the Upper West Region, Mrs Charity Banye has hinted that perpetrators of the heinous Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) have devised subtle ways of plying their profession on innocent babies without necessarily resorting to physical cut.
She explained that due to increased sensitisation against the practice, these perpetrators had silently introduced a process called “Hot Press” to get rid of the clitorises of new born babies even before they developed into adults.
“With this hot press, the person in charge applies shea butter to a hot object and massages the clitoris with the object regularly until it finally diminishes or disappears with time”, she explained.
Mrs Banye was speaking at Wa on Wednesday on the sidelines of a meeting to consolidate efforts aimed at ending FGM. The meeting which was at the instance of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) was part of activities to mark the International Day of Zero Tolerance against FGM on the theme “Accelerating Investment to end Female Genital Mutilation”.
Mrs Banye explained that FGM was the partial or total removal of the clitoris from the genitals of a female mostly for cultural reasons aimed at purportedly making the girl chaste.
She said that due to increased education on the legal consequences of the act, perpetrators had shifted away from cutting the organ to using hot substances and said it behoved on stakeholders to also devise more strategic ways of dealing with the menace.
“The figures are looking gloomy globally because it has been estimated that about four million girls could suffer FGM annually and so it leaves much to be desired especially when we consider the quantum of effort we have devoted to fighting the menace in time past”, she lamented.
She explained that although the idea behind the practice was to make women chaste, it was interesting to note also that the same practice was making more men morally unsound as most men married to victims of FGM with low sexual libido, cheated on their wives.
The Regional Commander at the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit, DVVSU, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ASP) Adoingo Apiiya, also called for collaboration between the Ghana Health Service and the police to identify and arrest perpetrators of FGM.
“When a girl-child is brought to the health centre, the medical staff can help check whether the child had undergone FGM or not so that the parents of such child can immediately be picked up for questioning”, he said.
He believed such stringent measures would help end the menace which was considered constitutionally and globally a human rights violation.
The Programme Specialist/Head with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) decentralised office at Tamale in the Northern Region, Alhaji Mammah Tenii appealed to the stakeholders to join hands and help end FGM in Ghana.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Wa
News
National Service Authority gets new Director-General
The National Service Authority (NSA) has officially welcomed a new Director-General, Ms. Ruth Dela Seddoh, following a brief handing-over ceremony at its headquarters on Tuesday.
The event marked the formal transfer of leadership from the outgoing Director-General, Mr. Felix Gyamfi, to Ms. Seddoh. Management and staff of the Authority attended the ceremony.
Mr. Gyamfi used the occasion to thank staff for their support during his tenure.
He encouraged them to give the same cooperation to Ms. Seddoh to ensure the continued growth and impact of the Authority.
Ms. Seddoh expressed appreciation to government for the confidence placed in her.
She promised to build on the achievements of her predecessor and called for teamwork, dedication and innovation to help the NSA deliver on its mandate to support national development.
Management of the Authority pledged their full support to the new leadership as the organisation enters its next phase.
By: Jacob Aggrey
News
NSA board sets up committee to supervise digital reforms
The Governing Board of the National Service Authority (NSA) has announced the inauguration of a Transition and Implementation Steering Committee (TISC) to oversee the Authority’s digital transformation agenda.
According to the Board, the move follows a letter dated 17 June 2025 from the Office of the President to the Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment directing the suspension of the existing deployment system, calling for an audit of its operations and instructing the design and deployment of a new digital platform.
The Board explained that the audit had been completed and had found the existing system unsatisfactory.
It indicated that the Minister had written to the Board to begin the necessary legal processes to ensure the contract for the audited system, which expired in August 2025, would not be renewed, and to take further steps toward designing and deploying a new digital platform that would guarantee transparency, security and real-time verification of service personnel postings.
It stressed that the TISC had been established to ensure a smooth and orderly transition from the current National Service Scheme digital platform to a new ICT-led system aimed at improving efficiency, transparency and service delivery.
The Authority outlined the Committee’s mandate as overseeing the phased migration from the legacy system, directing the design and deployment of a modern digital platform, and supervising its operationalisation across core functions including personnel enrolment, postings, payroll, allowances and scheme administration.
It further noted that acting under the directives of the Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment and deriving authority from the NSA Board, the TISC has the power to issue instructions to NSA departments and engage external partners necessary to achieve its mandate through the Governing Board.
The Authority named Dr. Wisdom Atiwoto, a member of the NSA Board and Director of Research, Statistics and Information Management at the Ministry of Health, as chair of the Committee.
Other members include Ms. Ruth Dela Seddoh, Mr. Shadrack Mensah, Ms. Elorm Goh, Mr. Benjamin Freeman Kusi, Ms. Jennifer Opong, Dr. Stephan Nwolley, Mr. Koku Abotsi, Mr. Japhet Kuntu, Mr. Nabil Abubakar Hussayn and Ms. Regina Obenewa Penrose as Secretary.
The NSA Board assured the public and stakeholders of its commitment to innovation, accountability and excellence in service delivery.
It emphasised that there would be no disruption in the fulfilment of its obligations to national service personnel as outlined in the National Service Act, Act 1119 (2024), and indicated that updates on the Committee’s progress would be communicated in due course.
With the collective expertise of its members, the TISC is expected to deliver a robust and future-ready platform that will anchor the next phase of the National Service Scheme’s operations.
By: Jacob Aggrey
