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Happy FM celebrates 20th anniversary of flagship Valentine Mass Wedding Initiative
Happy 98.9 FM, Ghana’s leading radio station, marked the 20th anniversary of its Valentine Mass Wedding initiative, a community investment project that promotes family values and celebrates love.
The ceremony, held at Bethel Baptist Church in Dansoman, brought together nine couples in holy matrimony after over a month of intensive premarital counselling conducted by Rev. Gabriel Sekyi-Yorke, Senior Pastor of Bethel Baptist Church, alongside Rev. Kofi Annan and Mrs. Mary Anna Adu-Gyamfi.
“Twenty years ago, Happy FM embarked on a journey to bring people together, to create bonds, and to celebrate the beauty of love in all its forms. We are proud of this initiative and the fact that successive leaders have kept the dream alive to date, “ said Dr. Timothy Karikari, Director of Broadcast at Global Media Alliance Broadcasting Company. “Through this initiative, we have witnessed over 800 couples take the step of walking down the aisle, united in their promise to one another.”
The event drew numerous dignitaries, including H.E. Ambassador Edward Boateng(Founder of Global Media Alliance for former Ambassador to the Peoples Republic of China), Mr. Charles Osei Asibey, Director of Ghana Armwrestling, Reverend Canon Dr. Selwyn Sylvanus Adama Okine (Deputy Director of Prisons) among others.
Mr. Ernest Boateng, Chief Executive Officer of Global Media Alliance, emphasized that the initiative extends beyond the wedding day itself. “Pre-marital counselling became the cornerstone of this program because a wedding is not just a day but for a lifetime,” he explained. “The essence is standing together, lifting each other up, and walking hand in hand throughout life’s journey, even in challenging times.”
For a commitment fee of GH₵1,000, participating couples received a comprehensive wedding package including costume, church ceremony, reception, professional photography and videography, makeup, hotel accommodation for honeymoon, luxury vehicles and official marriage registration with both the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and the Registrar General’s office.
The event was supported by numerous sponsors, including Blue Jeans Energy Drink, Tasty Tom, Perla, Cake Tekniks, Kasapreko, TSG Drive, 2nd Image International, Erata Hotel, among several others committed to strengthening community bonds and family values.
As part of the anniversary celebration, long-standing counsellors, sponsors, and partners were honoured with citations in recognition of their continued support over the two decades.
Women in Sustainability Africa (WiSA) successfully holds the African Women’s Health and Wealth Conference (AWoHW) with a call for research and investment into women’s healthcare.
It also called for robust financial systems and encouraged women to generate wealth as well as prioritise their health.
The conference held at the Shippers House in Accra on Thursday, March 5, 2026, was on the theme, “Championing Inclusive healthcare and finance systems for African women and girls.”
Speaking on behalf of Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Sabia Kpekata, Programme Officer at the Ministry, said, Financial inclusion remains one of the most critical pathways to women’s empowerment and achieving sustainable development.
According to the minister, it is for this reason that the government continues to support initiatives that expand access to affordable credit, strengthen women-led enterprises and build financial literacy.
“Institutions such as MASLOC, the Women’s Development Bank and other targeted financing mechanisms play a critical role in closing the financial inclusion gap,” she added.
Against this backdrop, she stated that the passage of the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024 (Act 1121), further strengthens this agenda. By mandating progressive representation of women in decision-making spaces across public and private sectors, the Act ensures that women are not only beneficiaries of financial and healthcare systems, but architects of those systems.
“Women must sit at the policy table where budgets are approved, health priorities are set, and economic policies are designed. This is why the Ministry calls on all stakeholders to push for the effective implementation of the Affirmative Act,” she stated.
Furthermore, she noted that the conference called on everyone to move inclusion from talk to action, incorporating it in budgets, laws, health systems and corporate policies.
She added that the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection is committed to partnering with stakeholders to build inclusive healthcare and financial systems that serve every woman and girl, regardless of location, income, or social status.
“Let us strive to build a Ghana where opportunity is not determined by gender and where systems are designed to uplift, protect and empower,’ she noted.
Addressing the gathering, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, said many women suffer from mental health issues as a result of health financing, adding that this is why President Mahama has initiated the Accra Reset to tackle issues relating to women.
Additionally, she commended the Ghana Enterprises Agency for consistently promoting women entrepreneurs.
Nana Oye Bampoe further touched on some government initiatives targeted at women, adding that the government is intentional about women’s empowerment.
On his part, the convener, Nana Yaa Serwaa Sarpong, said, “Today is not just a conference – It is a declaration. It is a declaration that African women and girls will no longer stand at the margins of systems that determine their health, their wealth, and their future.”
According to her, it is a declaration that sustainability is not a slogan for them, rather, it is a strategy, a commitment and a promise.
She said the greatest resource any organisation, community, nation or continent has is its human resources, adding that the continent’s economic prosperity depends on the quality, productivity and capacity of its labour force, including men, women and young people.
The convener noted that where both genders have equal opportunities and operate at near optimal levels, there will be greater economic Expansion and output for the prosperity of all Africans
Additionally, she stated that to drive inclusive economic growth, reduce poverty, amongst others, there is a need for an intentional and clear alignment to economic and social dynamics in specific contexts.
“This will in turn positively impact the involvement and contributions to drive the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the overall economic prosperity of Africa,” she added.
She further stated that as 2030 approaches, WISA which officially launched on May 1, 2025 in Partnership with the UN Global Compact on behalf of all Women of Africa and of African Descent, will mark a new beginning to accelerate growth towards the closure of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) gaps, by being deliberate to center women at the heart of implementation and compliance.
The Chief Executive Officer of GoldBod Jewellery, Getrude Emefa Donkor, said, Saving alone cannot make one financially sound, adding that investing and having other sources of income is the best way to go.
She also provided some tips for women, calling for discipline in spending, and consistency in saving behaviour, as well as inculcating the habit of budgeting.
WiSA is a Coordinating Pan-African Organization that works with other CSOs, NGOs, Corporate Institutions, local and International Development Organizations and individuals to bring all women, men, young people and women groups together (especially those at the grassroots level) to foster the achievement of the SDGs across Africa.
WiSA stands for the development of new perspectives and catalytic ideas towards accelerating growth for the achievement of the SDGs, including closing the Gender Inequality gap.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
News
Promoting Gender Equity In Governance: Felicia Adjei highlights importance of proportional representation
The Member of Parliament for Kintampo South, Felicia Adjei, has made a statement in Parliament on the importance of proportional representation in promoting gender equity in governance.
Speaking in parliament yesterday, she noted that the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024 (Act 1121) was a bold step toward encouraging women’s participation, but laws alone cannot guarantee fairness if the electoral system does not support inclusion.
She explained that proportional representation, particularly through Gender-Balance or “zebra” lists where parties alternate between male and female candidates, could help ensure equal opportunities for women in leadership.
The Kintampo MP was of the view that such a system promotes fairness by design rather than leaving representation to chance.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
