News
GREL HANDS OVER TWO WATER PROJECTS TO CHAVENE AND ELLOBANKATA.
The Managing Director of the Ghana Rubber Estates Limited (GREL), Mr. Lionel Barre has advised the people of Chavene and Ellobankata both in the Ahanta Municipality of the Western Region to consider the two Water Projects the company has provided their own and maintain them.
He said the time government built infrastructure and maintained them for the communities had outlived its usefulness so beneficiary communities of government, Non-Governmental Organisations or philanthropists projects should take good care of them.
The Corporate Affairs Manager of GREL, Mr. Perry Acheampong was reading the Managing Director’s speech at the inauguration and handing over of two separate Water Projects undertaken by GREL at the cost of GH¢286, 100.00 at Chavene and Ellobankata, two farming communities. The Chavene Water Project cost GH¢93,500.00 while that of Ellobankata cost GH¢192,500.00.
He said GREL had been renowned through its many social intervention projects that it was championing in the 90 operational area communities in the Western, Central and Eastern regions of Ghana.
He said GREL believed it was essential to create and maintain a strong relationship with the stakeholders for improved livelihoods of residents in the operational areas by firmly holding on to their Sustainable Policy of Respect for Human Rights, Responsible Development of their Operations and Best Management Practices in line with National and International Laws Regulations and Conventions.
He said the water projects were in line with their SIFCA (GREL’s mother company) and GREL’s commitment to give meaning to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal Six (6) which talks of “Clean Water & Sanitation”.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of the Ahanta West Municipality, Mr. John K. Agyare observed that what the two communities had got was an expression of true love from GREL because anybody or organisation that brought water to a particular group of people actually gave such people life.
He said government alone could not meet all the social needs of the communities so companies, NGOs and individuals should try to complement government’s efforts by offering projects for some communities.
The Chairman of (ACLANGO) Association of Chiefs on Whose Lands GREL Operates, Nana Kwesi Agyeman IX, told the beneficiary communities to form workable committees to take control of the water projects and see to it that the projects worked very well.
The Vice Chairman of ACLANGO, Awulae Attibrukusu II noted that GREL had brought life to the people of these two communities who before then had no access to potable water.
He said the Water Project would allow people to lay pipe lines into their homes in order to have better access to the water making the walking of women and children to the river side to fetch water a thing of the past.
FROM PETER GBAMBILA, CHAVENA AND ELLOBANKATA.
News
Abu Trica’s extradition case: Prophets, fetish priests demand pay for spiritual solution …Lawyer reveals
Mr Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a lawyer for embattled Frederick Kumi, affectionately called Abu Trica and has made a shocking revelation over the behaviour of some members of the clergy.
According to him in a post on social media, the difficult part of Abu Trica’s trial is not the law but the number of ‘Men of God’ and fetish priests demanding financial sacrifices to help resolve the matter spiritually.
Oliver Barker-Vormawor posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2026, “The most difficult part about the Abu Trica case; is not the law.”
He continued: “It is the number of, prophetesses, evangelists and fetish priests, who have called or messaged to ask us to pay for spiritual solutions.”
It would be recalled that in March this year, the Gbese District Court dismissed a preliminary objection filed by Abu Trica, challenging the extradition proceedings initiated at the request of the United States.
The court, presided over by Anna Akosua Appiah Gottfried Anaafi Gyasi, in its ruling held that the offences forming the basis of the extradition, particularly wire fraud, constitute extraditable offences under the 1931 treaty between Ghana and the United States.
He was then given 15 days counting from March 27 to appeal the decision of the court or be surrendered for extradition to the US.
Against this backdrop, he was on Tuesday, April 22, granted a bail in the sum of GH¢30,000,000 by an Accra High, pending the appeal of his extradition
Mr Kumi was arrested in Ghana in December 2025 following an indictment by United States authorities, alleging that he played a role in a romance scam network that defrauded elderly American victims of more than $8 million.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
News
From panic to pass: how parents, teachers can help children beat BECE, WASSCE exam phobia- Part 1
Walk through any Junior High or Senior High compound in Ghana as BECE or WASSCE approaches and you will see it.
A bright girl suddenly quiet. A boy who led class debates now sleeping at his desk. A Form three student with stomach pains every Monday morning.
This is not laziness. This is academic stress. When left unaddressed, it hardens into exam phobia-overwhelming dread that pushes children into burnout, avoidance, and sometimes silence.
As a mental health professional who sits with these children and their parents at Counselor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC) in Adenta Oyarifa-Teiman, I see the pattern clearly.
Research confirms it. Putwain and Daly (2014) found that high test anxiety predicts lower grades independent of ability. Zeidner (1998) showed that chronic academic pressure raises cortisol, weakens memory recall, and increases school dropout risk. The brain under fear cannot retrieve what it studied.
Understanding the storm: What academic stress really looks like
Exam phobia is not just “being nervous.” It shows up as headaches before mocks, sudden anger when books are mentioned, night-time insomnia, or perfectionism that ends in blank scripts.
Some children over-study until 2 a.m. and forget everything by 9 a.m. Others avoid books completely, scrolling phones instead. Both are distress signals. Dr Kenneth Ginsburg, a paediatrician specialising in adolescent resilience, notes: “Stress is not the enemy; feeling alone with stress is.” Too many Ghanaian children feel alone with it.
The home front: How parents and couples become safe havens, not extra pressure
The first antidote is at home. Structure beats shouting. Set a predictable study slot-same time, same place, with water and a light snack. Then protect sleep like you protect school fees. A tired brain fails faster than an unprepared one. Use the “15-minute start rule”: “Just sit for 15 minutes. If you still can’t, we close and try after a walk.” Often, starting is the hardest part.
Couples must watch their language. “Don’t disgrace us” plants fear. Replace it with “We see your effort. What part feels hardest today?” Praise process, not only position: “You revised three topics and asked for help—that is maturity.” Research by Dweck (2006) confirms that process praise builds resilience while outcome praise increases anxiety.
For caregivers, check your own anxiety. Children borrow our nervous system. If BECE makes you panic, they will panic. One parent grounds—keeps meals, prayer, and bedtime steady. The other pivots—talks to teachers, adjusts timetables, arranges counselling. Both protect rest. An empty cup cannot pour calm.
Resources
– Counsellor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC): Award-winning Clinical Mental Health and Counselling Facility, accredited by the Ghana Psychology Council.
– School-Based Support: Speak to Guidance & Counselling units, or licensed school counsellors. E.g. Counsellor Blessing Offei – 0559850604 (School Counsellor).
– Contact CPAC for Parent Coaching/Counselling & Student Therapy: 055 985 0604 / 055 142 8486
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