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Happy International Boy-child Day!
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May 16 is International Boy-child Day….
I have all three of my most beloved as sons…….no daughters……..
….and yet I have celebrated International Women’s Day religiously; even finding a way to adapt the celebration of this day in a female college in Saudi Arabia with the Motawa at our gates in March 2015!
A shame I got to know about an International day for the Boy-child on May 16, a few months ago.
…but it is not ever too late to seek the empowerment of the Boy-child by ‘celebrating the unique potential and contributions of boys while also acknowledging the challenges they face. It’s a day to encourage their growth, empower them, and foster a supportive environment where they can thrive.’
Interesting to read this during my research of the International Boy-child Day as indeed it is not any different from all I have championed in celebrating the Girl-child; International Women’s day on March 8 each year.
Interesting also to note that EMPOWERMENT is the key objective in celebrating this ‘International Boy-child day.’
This should in my opinion call for a re-visit of the true meaning of ‘EMPOWERMENT’ which has been the main objective of most ‘Girl-child’ agendum; and now, ‘Boy-child agendum.
As my research into a celebration of an international Boy-child took its turns and twists, I couldn’t help but wonder how utopian a world it would be if all the ‘International Day celebrations’ for boys, girls, men or women were amalgamated into one BIG International EVERYDAY celebration for the entire EVERYBODY!!
A celebration where everybody felt empowered……
An EVERYDAY celebration where the entire EVERYBODY’s empowerment was acknowledged, respected and celebrated.
Taking a moment to picture how this will go for families who beget communities that beget societies that beget nations, that then meaningfully encompass us all in our entirety, further research led me to the following summaries:
Women Empowerment: ‘Promoting women’s sense of self-worth, their ability to determine their own choices, and their right to influence social change for themselves and others.’
Children Empowerment: Girl-child; Boy-child: Allowing children to become stronger and more confident, against a backdrop of the cultural, traditional and religious environment of their heritage and taking responsibilities for their actions.
Men Empowerment: Building confidence and self-esteem in a manner that makes them better placed to be great family men and true leaders of their communities.
Inherent in the above process of EMPOWERMENT for each one of us will be the strength to make sound choices; the grace also to acknowledge and respect the EMPOWERMENT of one another-the end result of this only making each individual, boy, girl, man, and woman a better version of themselves…
As we add May 16 to all the International-Day celebrations already known and celebrated, perhaps it is time to make everyday a celebration of a Happy Humanity Day; a daily celebration of our own EMPOWERMENT; of other people’s EMPOWERMENT.
By Dzigbordi B-A
In other jurisdictions, the commencement of a new football season was one soccer fans would party about.
Having endured about a three-month period without action, fans become anxious about what the new season brings and how their respective teams would perform.
But that is not the case in Ghana, especially where the current Ghana Premier League (GPL) football season is expected to get underway today.
Unlike other places where fans would be fantasising and visualising about the new players and what they bring on board, Ghanaian fans have been occupied with discussions about the present state of infrastructure.
Obviously, the game thrives when stadia appear in good condition. When the pitches are in perfect shapes, it enhances play and brings out the best from the players.
Sadly, the state of the pitches in the country have left many questioning the preparedness for the season that also coincides with the start of AFCON qualifiers.
Currently, the pitch at the Accra Sports Stadium is closed for Premier League matches in readiness for the qualifiers.
Alternative ones like the University of Ghana Stadium is also not in the best of shape.
The Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi is also a concern despite hosting the Democracy Cup. As a result, teams to be affected in the southern and northern sectors would turn their attention to the Abramkese and UG stadia, a situation that would take a toll on the surfaces.
The situation, therefore, raises questions over the country’s direction regarding the provision of sports infrastructure.
Apart from the Borteyman Sports Complex, which was constructed for the Africa Games, none of the facilities scattered across the country can be said to be in good shape to host local games; not to talk about high profile competitions.
This should be a wakeup call on the government to start initiating processes to ensure modern infrastructure were erected to put Ghana in a good position to host games without the unwarranted scrutiny of CAF.
This would come at a huge cost to the taxpayer but when the business aspect of that expenditure in considered, it should be a worthy outlay.
But the infrastructure challenges notwithstanding, the competition will kick start at Tema where Vision FC engages Young Apostles FC.
The Hearts of Oak versus Berekum Chelsea clash will lead tomorrow’s games pack that also sees debutants Debibi United and Port City FC engaged in battles against Asante Kotoko and FC Ashantigold, respectively.
In other games, Basake Holy Stars will welcome Swedru All Blacks; FC Samartex against Karela United; Heart of Lions versus Aduana FC and Bechem United against Goldstars.
Dreams FC will face Medeama SC at the Tuba astro turf on Monday.
By Andrew Nortey
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The 2026 Idea Challenge Pitch and media launch was held last Saturday at the Pentecost University in Accra.
It brought together innovators, entrepreneurs and stakeholders to promote creative ideas and solutions aimed at addressing societal challenges.
The initiative, organised by the Visionary Organisation Development and Entrepreneurial Club (VODEC) and National Emerging Leaders Economic Forum (NELEF) provided a platform for participants to showcase their ideas and highlight how innovation and creativity could be transformed into practical solutions.
The programme also sought to encourage young people to develop ideas that could contribute to national development and create opportunities for entrepreneurship.
Held on the theme: ‘building Africa’s future, emerging leaders driving inclusive growth and regional transformation,’ the event sought to serve as a strategic platform to transition youth talent from mere concepts into investable enterprises.
During the pitch session, shortlisted entrepreneurs presented viable business ideas which spanned critical sectors, including climate-smart agribusiness, sustainable waste management, digital technology, and assistive tech for persons with disabilities.
A member of the judging panel, Mr Blessed Amonoo, an Investment Analyst at the Ghana Amalgamated Trust Plc., praised the technical depth of the presentations.
“We are looking for scalability, market readiness, and projects that directly answer local problems,“ Mr Amonoo noted during the evaluation.
“The level of innovation displayed here proves that African youth possesses the answers to the continent’s economic riddles, provided they receive the right structural refinement.”
Finalists selected from this rigorous process will be officially announced and paired with corporate mentors at the flagship forum in September.
Speaking at the event, the Founder and Chief Executive of VODEC Africa, Mr. Daniel Asomani, urged African governments and financial institutions to systematically secure capital for youth-led startups.
Mr Asomani emphasised that Africa’s persistent brain drain can only be reversed if young minds find fertile ground to scale their enterprises locally.
“Our brilliant minds are leaving the shores of Africa not because they want to, but because the local ecosystem suffocates their dreams.”
“The Idea Challenge is our contribution to keeping this talent home but VODEC cannot do it alone. We need policy interventions, tax incentives for startups, and deliberate venture funding to turn these ideas into multi-million-dollarcorporations,” Mr Asomani stated.
By Desmond Aidoo
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