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Gomoa-Akyempem Traditional Council outdoors new chiefs
• The newly gazetted chiefs
The Gomoa-Akyempem Traditional Council, Central Region, over the weekend outdoored some newly gazetted chiefs in the area, urging them to be selfless in discharging their duties to their communities.
The four chiefs were, Chief Mohammed Jakpa Dingoro Boresa Kanyiti 1, Chief of the Gonja Community in the area; Kabiesi Kasim Baba Ibo Kegumbe 1, chief of Yoruba community; Sarki Mohammed Issaka, Songhai Chief: and Wuro Issaka Mohammed, Chief of Kotokolis.
President of the Council, Sarki Tahirou Awudu Zaaki, speaking at the outdooring programme underscored the need for traditional leaders to also contribute towards the development of their various communities.
He said being a chief comes with many responsibilities including supporting government’s developmental efforts.
“As a chief you are in a position to serve your people so do not have it in mind that partner you have been put in that position to be served. You must not be proud of yourself if the community you lead is in a very deplorable state because there are some steps you can take to improve upon the state of wherever you have been put in charge of,” he stressed.
Development, he said did not always mean injecting huge sums of money into various projects, adding that efforts at promoting cleanliness, ensuring peaceful partner
coexistence and educating community members on the relevance of sending their wards to school and taking good care of their health are all forms of promoting development.
According to him it was high time misconceptions that Zongo chiefs were from slums and underdeveloped communities is changed by taking up the responsibility of developing the Zongos.
Sarki Zaaki also called the promotion of togetherness among all chiefs within the Akyempem Traditional Council and beyond, saying togetherness made the achievement of set down goals for the betterment of the whole country easy.
He was of the view that when chiefs are united and live in harmony, the people will also be united, saying “we must set good examples for the people to emulate.”
Touching on the need to harness the culture of the country, Muslims especially, he said more education in Zongo communities must be done so as to bring the “borrowed culture syndrome” to an end.
The Chief Imam of the Council, Imam Tajuddeen Gyaragari, also admonished chiefs and their elders to be extremely prayerful and should not take their leadership for granted.
The secretary to the Council, Mr Abdul Aziz Ismail Otoo, said it was with sense of pride to have such a wonderful and dedicated Council of Zongo Chiefs under their jurisdiction who were selfless and hard working towards the development of youth and the communities as well.
The Public Relations Officer to the Council Alhaji Abubakar Mohammed Ibrahim Sadique spoke about the need for the chiefs to take the opportunities in chieftaincy to better their lots and that of their people.
Other issues discussed included the Gomoa Akyempim Zongo festival and the benefits that come with it and then the need to take the chieftaincy institution seriously.
By Raissa Sambou
The Vice Chancellor of the Pentecost University, Apostle Professor Kwabena Agyapong-Kodua, is advocating an intentional conversation about the development and education of the boy child in creating stronger families and societies.
According to him, the boy child must not be ignored in conversations on leadership, education, family stability and national transformation because they are key to national development.
“There is a reason why a boy child must not be denied opportunities like education; he is a future leader. When boys are trained well, society becomes safer and stronger,” he stated.
Apostle Prof. Agyapong-Kodua made the remark at a forum organised by the Church of Pentecost Schools Outreach Ministry in Accra to observe the International Day of the Boy Child observed on May 16.
It was held in collaboration with the Pentecost Men’s Ministry and the Ghana Education Service (GES), and under the theme: ‘Flourish and Thrive: Investing and Unleashing Boys for Strong Families and Communities.’
Leading the discussion, the Pentecost University Vice Chancellor warned that poor mentorship, declining in education, harmful social media influences and emotional neglect have made a lot of young boys vulnerable.
With a lot of the attention switching to the girl child, the boy child, he said was confronted with many challenges including violence, substance abuse, educational decline, emotional neglect and the absence of positive role models.
According to Apostle Prof. Agyapong-Kodua, he noted that boys were turning to social media for direction due to the absence of fathers and mentors to help shape their lives.
“If we are not intentional, social media will mentor our children for us. We are not saying they should not use social media, but they should be guided to access the right information to excel in life,” he stated.
Prof. Agyapong-Kodua urged society to encourage boys to become creators of technology rather than mere consumers.
Contributing, Madam Gifty Asiedu, Director of the Girls’ Education Unit at the GES Headquarters, said the service remained committed to ensuring that no child was left behind, adding that, “supporting the boy child should not come at the expense of progress made in girl-child education.”
“If you focus intentionally on one gender and neglect the other, you create a societal problem,” she underlined.
She said the GES had observed some decline in boys’ retention in school, although the gap between boys and girls was not yet too wide.
“Over the years, attention has been focused on the girl child and we have seen the benefits. However, data now show that the statistics concerning the boy child continue to decline,” she indicated.
She explained that the service was implementing gender-responsive education to ensure that classroom teaching addressed the needs of both boys and girls equally.
Elder Barima Acheampong Sarpong II, Deputy Director of the Pentecost Men’s Ministry and Chief of Asante Asaman in the Ashanti Region, said society needed to critically examine the plight of boys.
“As we celebrate the International Day for the Boy Child, I urge every man to identify one boy child, find out how he is doing and dedicate some time to mentoring him,” he explained.
The programme, attended by educators, church leaders and policymakers, was the second edition following a partnership initiated last year between the Schools Outreach Ministry, the Pentecost Men’s Ministry and the GES.
It sought to improve school enrolment, completion rates and learning outcomes among boys so they could grow into responsible men who would build strong families and communities.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
Candidates that wrote the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in Ho Municipality are hopeful of obtaining good grades to make everyone especially their parents and the Regional Minister proud.
The candidates said they had so far sat the examination with focus and integrity after a call from Mr James Gunu, Regional Minister to avoid examination malpractice saying, they expected great performance upon release of results.
Mr Gunu, at the start of this year’s BECE delivered the message during a monitoring visit to some centres in the municipality including Ho Kpodzi EP Basic A School, Mawuli School, Mawuko Girls Senior High School (SHS), and Kabore School.
He urged the candidates to rely on hard work and discipline, warning that shortcuts could jeopardise their future.
“Stay focused and give your best in this year’s BECE – your determination and hard work will pay off. Avoid shortcuts and examination malpractice; integrity matters just as much as success,” he said.
The Minister, accompanied by the Ho Municipal Chief Executive, the acting Volta Regional Director of Education, and the Ho Municipal Director of Education, encouraged candidates to view the exam as a foundation for their academic journey and to celebrate responsibly after the final paper, commending parents, guardians, teachers, and officials of the Ghana Education Service for their support in preparing the candidates.
Candidates at some of the centres Ghana News Agency visited, echoed the call for honesty and high standards.
At Kabore School, Ms Francisca Atsu of Sokode Lokoe MA Basic School said, “The Regional Minister was here earlier to speak to us and also to encourage us. We’ve done our best. I assure him that we will make him and our parents proud.”
At Taviefe SHS Centre, Ms Valentina Sakpla of Taviefe R.C Basic School added, “We are expecting good results to make everyone proud and for our own good.”
Mr David Dotse, Supervisor at Kabore School, hosting 11 schools, with a standby ambulance on site to cater for any health emergency, reported smooth proceedings. –GNA
