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Gender Department organises Men’s Cooking Competition to mark IWD in Sunyani
The Department of Gender, Children, and Social Protection yesterday organised Men’s cooking competition with some selected institutions to mark this year’s International Women’s Day celebration in Sunyani- Bono Regional capital.
The institutions include the Ghana Journalists Association, (GJA), Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Education Service, SDA Church, and GPRTU. 
The contestants prepared various dishes such as banku and okro stew, fufu and nkatenkonto, jollof rice, plain rice and stew, and mpotompoto .
The cooking competition was to drum home the message of unpaid care work engaged by women and solicit the support of men in that direction so as to enhance the wellbeing of women.
Addressing the occasion, the Bono Regional Minister Justina Owusu Banahene commended women for their selfless contributions towards the development of society in general.
She said women are not in competition with men and that the occasion sought to highlight the critical role women play in achieving societal goals and aspirations
She used the opportunity to appeal to men to assist their spouses at home in order to promote their health, peace, and harmony at all times.
Ms Owusu Banahene also appealed to young girls to desist from engaging in social vices such as prosecution and lesbianism, noting that such tendencies go against women’s wellbeing.
The sumpahemaa of the Sunyani Traditional Council, Nana Akosua Ankoma, on her part, called on women to use the celebration of International Women’s Day to reflect on certain negative attitudes they exhibit towards their fellow women.
She said that though it was good to highlight the positive contributions of women on such an occasion, it was equally important for women to take retrospective reflections on certain abuses they perpetuate against their fellow women, which go against their own good.
She mentioned abuses such as maltreatment often perpetuated against widows, orphans, and housekeepers, among others, carried out by women go a long way to negate the positive gains made towards their future match.
At the end of cooking competition, GJA represented by yours truly Daniel Dzirasah, and Claude Abisa of Onua Tv and radio came in second with 24 points.
Even though they placed second, their food was the one the organisers were clamouring for .
First, the Regional Director of Gender ordered for some of their food which was banku and okro stew.
GPRTU won the competition with 25 points as they prepared fufu and nkatenkonto.
The Ghana Immigration Service occupied the third position with 7 points, while the SDA Church and the Ghana Education Service followed.
The first and second runners up received hampers with products from their sponsors.
It was a sight to behold as most women gathered at the event were excited by the sheer display of cooking skills by all the men at the place.
From Daniel Dzirasah, Sunyani
Massive celebrations were recorded countrywide as the Black Stars opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
Midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi scored the only goal of the match late in the game as he shot in a decent cross from substitute Brandon Asante.
The win gave Ghana a positive start in the competition, placing them in second position behind England, also with three points but with a superior goal aggregate.
After the final whistle, the streets and other viewing centres were turned into partying grounds as fans, mostly clad in the team’s paraphernalia, danced to several World Cup-themed music.
Others blew the vuvuzelas in joyous mood with others putting up a spirited ‘jama’ session.
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Adentan Constituency, Akosua Manu, has urged party members to move away from what she describes as an “entitlement mentality” and focus on unity, sacrifice and hard work as the party prepares for the 2028 general election.
In a statement titled “Is Loyalty a Queue?”, and posted on facebook, Ms. Manu argued that loyalty to the NPP should not be judged by how long a person has been in the party but by their contributions and commitment to its growth.
According to her, the NPP’s history shows that many of its leaders faced significant opposition from within the party before eventually leading it to electoral success.
She cited former President John Agyekum Kufuor as an example, saying he had to overcome resistance from influential figures within the party before winning power for the NPP in 2000.
Ms. Manu noted that after the party lost power in 2008, former President Kufuor faced criticism and accusations from some party members.
However, she said supporters eventually put their differences aside and worked together to rebuild the party.
She pointed to the experience of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who, according to her, faced opposition from some factions within the NPP despite his long service to the party.
“His trials were ten times what Kufuor endured,” she stated, adding that Akufo-Addo eventually overcame the challenges and became President of Ghana.
Turning to the NPP’s current flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ms. Manu said he also faced resistance from different groups within the party while seeking leadership.
She praised Dr. Bawumia for contributing to policy-based political discussions in Ghana and for remaining composed following the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections.
According to her, party members must now rally behind him in the same way they supported former Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo.
Ms. Manu, however, warned that internal divisions and a sense of entitlement remain major threats to the party’s future.
She argued that some party members place too much emphasis on how long individuals have belonged to the NPP rather than on their contributions and capabilities.
“This entitlement does not question impact. It does not ask what you sacrificed or what you built. It asks only how long have you been here,” she said.
The former parliamentary candidate cautioned that such attitudes could discourage committed members and prevent the party from selecting the best people for leadership positions.
She further called on the party’s incoming national executives to strengthen the NPP’s core values of sacrifice, honesty, integrity and dedication to national development.
Ms. Manu addressed the concerns of young party supporters, many of whom she said became discouraged following the NPP’s electoral defeat in 2024.
According to her, many young people remain eager to see the party return to power but are unwilling to support internal conflicts driven by personal ambitions.
She urged party elders to place the interests of the NPP above their individual goals and to demonstrate leadership that attracts rather than alienates members.
“The NPP is bigger than any one of us. It always has been. Our collective responsibility is to act like it,” she stated.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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