News
Help provide assistance to prison inmates – Rev Steve Mensah
• Bishop Yaw Adu (left) exchanging pleasantries with ADP Christopher Hayibor
(right). In the middle is Rev Steve Mensah
The President of the International Prisons Chaplains Association (IPCA), Ghana, Rev Steve Mensah has emphasised the need for churches, Christian communities and philanthropists to throw their weight behind IPSA in its crusade to support the needs of prison inmates in the country.
of Koforidua after the launch
He said no matter the circumstances under which the inmates found themselves in jail, it was incumbent on believers and society to positively respond to the teachings of Jesus Christ in Matthew 25:43 which enjoined them to see to the needs of those imprisoned.
Rev Steve Mensah, who was inaugurating the Eastern Regional Steering Committee of IPCA branch of in Koforidua, recently noted that since the government was saddled with myriad of concerns and for that matter could not do it alone, there was the need for individuals to join the crusade to save lives.
He added that looking at the magnitude of work which needed to be done in the prisons throughout the country it demanded that more people should join in improving conditions in the prisons, which he described as non-negotiable.
Rev Mensah was grateful for the fruitful collaboration between IPCA and the Prison authorities for the commitment shown towards the launch, adding that there was more room for improvement, especially at some prison’s front desks.
Dr Mrs Angela Tena Mensah, an executive member of IPCA who has been very supportive in the crusade to see to the needs of prison inmates, in an interview with The Spectator said since women by nature were very hospitable and sympathetic, they should lend support to IPCA to put smiles to the faces of the less-privilege ones in the country.
The Officer –in –charge of Koforidua Prison, Assistant Director of Prisons (ADP) Christopher Hayibor who recounted the origin of IPCA, thanked the group for the commendable role it had played in ensuring the wellbeing of prison inmates over the years.
He said the Prison High Command appreciated the support, advocacy and invaluable services IPCA had rendered the service, and was hopeful that such collaboration would continue in order to help improve the lives of the inmates.
Rev Steve Mensah was assisted by Bishop Yaw Adu of the House of Prayer Church International,Koforidua to induct the Eastern Regional Steering Committee of IPCA.
The ceremony was graced by senior staff of the Prison Service in Koforidua, leadership of the Koforidua Local Council of Churches, representatives from the Police Service and the Regional Education Directorate among others.
IPCA is a global network of Prison Chaplains comprising ordained ministers, bishops, pastors, evangelists, deacons, elders, lay leaders in all churches who are reaching out to Prisons.
IPCA was launched in Ghana in 2014 and it has a Consultative Status at the United Nations since 2014.
By Raymond Kyekye
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) will undertake a nationwide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination exercise in schools from October to December 2026 to protect eligible girls against cervical cancer and other HPV related diseases.
The exercise, organised in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and its partners through the School Health Education Programme (SHEP), will be conducted in two rounds.
The first round is scheduled for October 19 to 23, 2026, while the second will take place from November 30 to December 4, 2026.
In a press release dated October 19, the GHS explained that health workers would visit schools across the country to vaccinate eligible girls aged 9 to 14 who have not yet received the HPV vaccine.
The exercise forms part of efforts to raise awareness about the routine HPV vaccine, increase vaccination uptake and strengthen the country’s routine immunisation programme.
The GHS has called on school authorities, parents, guardians, teachers and community leaders to cooperate with health teams to ensure the successful implementation of the exercise.
The Service reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the health and well-being of Ghanaians, particularly children, through vaccination and other public health interventions.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has held high-level discussions with organisers of the 2026 Global South Academic Forum in Shanghai, seeking to draw lessons from China’s acclaimed rural revitalisation and poverty reduction drive.
The meeting, led by the Forum Chair, Professor Lu Xinyu, explored practical areas of cooperation and knowledge exchange between Ghana and China, with focus on community-driven development, fisheries and aquaculture, local governance, sports initiatives, and infrastructure development.
According to officials, the engagement is part of a broader effort by the Ghanaian government to study tested development models that can be adapted to the local context to promote inclusive growth, empower local communities, and improve livelihoods across the country.
China’s success in lifting over 800 million people out of poverty through targeted rural policies, investment in agriculture and local infrastructure has become a global reference point for developing nations.
The Vice President’s team says insights from the Forum will help inform policy direction, particularly in strengthening decentralised governance, boosting the fisheries and aquaculture sector, and investing in community-level infrastructure and youth sports development.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang is expected to continue engagements with academic and development institutions while in China.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
