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GRASAG-GIMPA gets first female President
Ms Apetorgbor
The Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) chapter of the Graduate Students’ Association of Ghana (GRASAG-GIMPA) has sworn in its first female president.
The historic moment was graced by GIMPA’s Dean of the School of Research and Graduate Studies (SRGS), Professor Wisdom Akpalu.
The swearing-in ceremony was performed by the national president of GRASAG, Mr. Thomas Elorm Tagbotor.
Other members of the new GRASAG-GIMPA executives are Emmanuel Adomako Vice president, Yussif Musah Amadu , General Secretary, Ahlaam Mohammed Treasurer; Bernice Azameti, Gender Commissioner and Ebenezer Angaamwine Sabogu , Organiser.
Speaking at the programme held in Accra on Friday for all elected executives, the president, Ms Judith Sitsope Apetorgbor stated that her new position was not only significant for her as a graduate student but also, a commitment to championing gender equality, inclusivity and empowerment.
“This position is not only significant for me but for every graduate student of GIMPA. As the first female president of GRASAG-GIMPA I see it as an occasion to amplify the voices and support the aspirations of students,” Ms Apetorgbor added.
She mentioned that she would among others focus on cultivating a nurturing and empowering environment where every female student feels valued and motivated to unleash their full potentials.
Ms Apetorgbor also emphasised the significance of mentorship, fostering strong networks and personal growth.
She expressed gratitude to the Management of GIMPA for the trust reposed in appointing the Institute’s first female Registrar, Dr. Mrs. Victoria Kunbour and Acting Deputy Rector and Dean of Students, Dr. Augustina Akonnor.
“Their positions clearly show that nothing is impossible to achieve as females. It is time for women all over the world, irrespective of their backgrounds to rise up, believe in themselves and take up leadership positions.”
“The future is bright and with the needed support, my executives and I will undoubtedly make a profound impact on the lives of our fellow students” she said.
Congratulating the newly sworn-in executives, Professor Akpalu urged them to remain selfless in the discharge of their duties and lead exemplary lives.
He also admonished Ms Apetorgbor to be determined and confident, assuring her of the Institute’s support.
According to the dean of SRGS, it was very necessary for women to be encouraged to take up leadership positions, adding that he was very proud of Ms Apetorgbor’s achievement.
“The school has your support so I am urging all of you to make discipline a hallmark. Serve the student body in all diligence and set good examples for them to follow,” he added.
On his part, the immediate past president of GRASAG-GIMPA, Eric Ofosu Asare in a speech read on his behalf thanked Management of the Institute for the unwavering support received by the past executives during their tenure of office and hoped that GRASAG-GIMPA under the leadership of Ms Apetorgbor would make greater impact on GIMPA’s academic community.
By Raissa Sambou
President John Dramani Mahama has commissioned four career diplomats as ambassador-designates to represent Ghana in four countries.
The commissioning ceremony took place on Friday, October 16, 2026.
The new envoys are Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo, Ambassador-Designate to Angola; His Excellency Louis Kwame Obeng, Ambassador-Designate to Qatar; Her Excellency Evelyn Korantemaa Ofosu-Amable, Ambassador-Designate to Israel; and His Excellency Jedidiah Reuben Adogla, Permanent Representative-Designate to Switzerland.
President Mahama charged them to advance Ghana’s national interests through strategic partnerships, economic diplomacy, investment mobilization, and expanded access to international markets.
He said Ghana’s diplomatic engagements must deliver tangible economic benefits, create jobs, and strengthen the country’s standing on the international stage.
The four envoys are career diplomats with over 27 years of experience.
On behalf of her colleagues, Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo thanked the President for the confidence reposed in them and pledged their commitment to emulate his leadership and deliver on the mandate given to them.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 
This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.
For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.
The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.
Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.
With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong.
The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.
There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.
Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.
A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.
The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.
Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.
Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation.
Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.
These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.
Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge.
His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions.
Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.
But tradition was only one part of the story that day.
When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.
The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 
It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.
For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate.
For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.
Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.
His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.
In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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