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Increasing birth rate among adolescents alarming

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The Department of Gender has described as a tragedy the high adolescent birth rate in the Volta Region, saying “the trend is taking serious toll on the human resource of the area.”

“An adolescent birth rate of 103 per 1000 which is far above the national average of 75 is, indeed, a great cause for worry for the country,” Madam Lena Alai, Volta Regional Director of Gender, has said.

Speaking at the opening of a four-day mentorship camp at Ho for 100 girls and 20 boys selected from the Central Tongu, Afadzato South, North Dayi and South Dayi districts last Thursday, she said that an immediate action was required to curb the trend.

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Madam Alai said that apart from the adolescent birth rate, the large number of reported cases of sexual abuse in the region was also undermining efforts to attain the fifth Sustainable Development Goal which focused on gender equity, with emphasis on the participation of women in politics.

In 2018, for instance, a total of 511 of such cases, including 93 defilement and 17 rape cases were recorded in the region, in addition to many other cases of assault against young women being investigated by the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU), the Regional Director revealed.

She further disclosed that in 2017, a total of 664 of such cases, including 152 defilement and seven rape cases were reported in the region.

Madam Alai pointed out that early sexual relations and marriages among adolescents gave rise to gender-based violence and abuse because they were not mentally developed to face the challenges of marriage.

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“They also lack the skills to negotiate for safe sex for which reason they often become victims of unsafe relationship or marriage with its consequences of unplanned birth and other health challenges,” she said.

The Volta Regional Director of Education, Madam Enyonam Afi Amafuga also told the participants that the adolescent stage was a critical period to learn everything as they had the capacity to explore the world around them.

She, therefore, urged the participants to make good use of their youthfulness by studying hard towards a bright future, not to engage in vices which would destroy their future.

“May you find your way into adulthood with little or no regrets because you made the right choices as an adolescent boy or girl,” Madam Amafuga added.

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The participants were taken through Adolescent Reproductive Health, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence at Schools and in the Community; and Healthy and Responsible Adolescent among other topics.

Pix: 1. Volta Regional Director of Gender – Madam Lena Alai

         2. The camp participants

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Dr Bawumia becomes new leader of New Patriotic Party ahead of 2028 elections

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Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has become the new leader of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) after delegates approved a constitutional amendment making the party’s flagbearer its leader.

The amendment was approved on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at the NPP’s National Delegates Conference held at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi.

The decision makes Dr Bawumia the leader of the NPP as the party prepares for the 2028 general elections, having earlier been elected as its presidential candidate.

The change was contained in one of 14 constitutional amendments presented to delegates by the party’s Constitution Amendment Committee.

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The amendments were approved through a voice vote, with delegates responding in favour of the motions.

The latest amendment reverses a provision approved at the party’s January 31, 2026 conference, which made the National Chairman the leader of the party at all material times.

The approved amendment provides for the flagbearer to assume the leadership of the party when the NPP wins an election and the flagbearer becomes President.

The amendment also reinstates the President as a member of the National Executive Committee when the party is in government.

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The Chairman of the NPP Constitution Amendment Committee, Frank Davies, explained that the amendments were necessary to address gaps identified in the party’s previous constitutional review.

The constitutional amendments formed the first part of the conference before delegates proceeded to elect new national executives.

A total of 7,163 delegates from all 16 regions participated in the conference, with voting conducted at 31 polling stations for nine national executive positions.

The Electoral Commission supervised the elections and verified delegates.

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Other approved amendments include changes to the election of Vice Chairpersons, allowing candidates to contest specific Vice Chairperson positions instead of being ranked according to the number of votes they receive.

Delegates approved the appointment of three additional Vice Chairpersons, the creation of Deputy Communications Officer positions and the elevation of the Information Technology Officer to an executive position.

Addressing delegates after the constitutional amendments and as the party prepared for the national executive elections, Dr Bawumia called for unity and peaceful voting.

He urged the 47 aspirants contesting nine national positions to accept the outcome of the elections and continue working together for the party.

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“Let us vote in peace, accept the results in good faith and leave Kumasi as one family,” he told the delegates.

Dr Bawumia congratulated all the aspirants for putting themselves forward to serve the party and urged those who won to reach out to their fellow contestants.

He assured those who lost that the party would still need their experience and contribution.

The NPP flagbearer further reflected on the party’s reorganisation since the December 2024 general elections, saying the party had listened to its grassroots members and learnt lessons about its organisation, communication and engagement with supporters.

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He noted that the party had elected its structures from the polling station to the regional level and had also begun preparations towards its next programme for government.

Dr Bawumia said his early election as the party’s presidential candidate had allowed him and the party to begin work on policy development ahead of the 2028 campaign.

He said various policy committees had been established and engagements with different groups and stakeholders were ongoing.

Turning to national issues, Dr Bawumia used his address to criticise the government over what he described as failures to fulfil several campaign promises.

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He specifically questioned the progress of the NDC government’s proposed 24-hour economy, the women’s development bank, electricity tariffs, the cost of transportation and other economic challenges facing households and businesses.

On the economy, he defended the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme, arguing that the programme introduced under the previous NPP administration had contributed to stability in the Ghanaian currency.

Dr Bawumia further criticised the government over the stalled implementation of projects including Agenda 111 and raised concerns about the management of the Free Senior High School programme.

He addressed recent drug seizures involving consignments traced to Ghana, calling for a bipartisan parliamentary committee to investigate how such shipments were able to leave the country.

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On the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, he accused the government of failing to deliver on its promises to tackle the problem and restore polluted water bodies.

He criticised the government over promises relating to cocoa prices, teacher and nurse postings, the teacher licensure examination and payments to customers of collapsed financial institutions.

These claims formed part of Dr Bawumia’s political assessment of the NDC government’s performance and were presented by him as reasons why the NPP should return to government.

He accused the government of what he described as the “weaponization of state power” and alleged that different standards of justice were being applied to government supporters and opposition figures.

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Dr Bawumia said the NPP would, if returned to power, pursue what he described as one standard of justice for all citizens regardless of political affiliation.

He ended his address by urging the incoming national executives to build a strong party organisation, focus on holding the government to account and communicate the party’s policies to Ghanaians.

The NPP’s new leadership structure and national executive team will now oversee the party’s reorganisation and preparations towards the 2028 general elections.

By: Jacob Aggrey

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I’ll unite NPP for Bawumia’s 2028 victory- Titus Glover

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Newly elected National Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus Glover, has pledged to work to ensure peace, unity and respect within the party as it prepares for the 2028 general elections.

Mr Glover said he would work to strengthen the party and help actualise the vision of its flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, becoming President of Ghana in 2028.

He made the remarks in his victory speech at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi after winning the NPP National Organiser position at the party’s National Delegates Conference on Saturday, October 3, 2026.

Mr Glover polled 2,964 votes to win the election, defeating his closest contender, Ali Maiga Halidu, who obtained 2,231 votes.

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Emmanuel Korsi Bodja polled 145 votes in the contest.

Mr Glover thanked delegates for electing him and promised to work hard to justify the confidence they had placed in him.

“I will work very hard. What I’ll bring is peace, unity, respect, and that we use for governance,” he said.

He explained that peace, unity and respect were necessary for the party to effectively organise and prepare for the elections.

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“If you are doing governance and you don’t bring peace and unity and respect, the work will be hard,” he added.

Mr Glover acknowledged the task ahead of the newly elected national executives, describing it as a major responsibility that would require commitment from members.

“The job is big. There’s a lot of work ahead of us. We need love. We need peace. We need unity,” he said.

He urged members of the NPP to remain united and work together beyond the internal elections.

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According to him, his focus would be to contribute to the party’s efforts to win the 2028 general elections, with Dr Bawumia’s presidential bid forming a central part of that objective.

“Dr Bawumia has to become the President of this country. That’s the vision for NPP, that we have to work hard for Dr Bawumia to become the President of the Republic,” Mr Glover stated.

He said he was determined to use his new position to contribute to the development of the NPP and Ghana.

Mr Glover’s election forms part of the new national executive team elected by delegates at the conference to lead the affairs of the party.

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The newly elected executives are expected to oversee the party’s reorganisation and strengthen its structures as the NPP prepares for the 2028 general elections.

By: Jacob Aggrey

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