Features
Labone Secondary School: a brief history
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A section of Labone Senior High School students Photo: Lizzy Okai
The genesis of Labone Secondary School can be found in the students and teachers who left the Christine Smith Institute at Merry Villas, Asafoatse Nettey Road, Accra, in 1949 and founded the Labone College as it was then known.
Prominent among them were Rev. Matei Markwei, Principal, Mr Alpheus Kofi Ansah Johnson, Assistant Principal, Mr Joseph Andoh Kesson and Mr John Spencer Bilson.
The college was started in January 1949 in a cluster of buildings belonging to Messrs Armah, Okpoto, Osofo Ashalley and Anang of KlannaAbormi. These housed the dormitories, dining hall and Science Laboratory.
During Mid-March, 1949, a catastrophe hit the school. Fire engulfed the school destroying the personal effects of the students. Both the dormitory and laboratory were totally burnt down. Fortunately there were no loss of lives as the boarders had left for the Presbyterian School (Salem) for games.
The school authorities were finding it difficult to pay the salaries of teachers and it became increasingly difficult to sustain good academic work. Eventually a two-storey building was secured at Teshie. Girls were for the first time admitted into the school.
In the latter part of 1950, other teething problems began to show up at Teshie. These problems were scarcity of water, the distance from the school to Accra and Osu, transport problems and bus fares payable by the day students to and from the school. This resulted in a fall in the numerical strength of the students.
To arrest the situation from getting worse, the authorities started looking for a place to move the school again. Rent arrears which had been a perennial problem reached its zenith. Rent arrears at $300 and Ataa Boi, the landlord, ejected the school from his premises.
Through the help of Mr Okwei Mensah and Mr W.K. Ollenu and others, another accommodation was secured at Tenashie now popularly known as ‘Ako Adjei’. It was the new building of Mr D.A.K. Sowah, a private businessman.
In 1951 the school moved to the premises of Mr D.A.K Sowah. It was during this stage that the school experienced a new lease of life. The school came under a newly formed Educational Unit (formed by Dr Nkrumah to cater for all schools and colleges in the country).
On November 10, 1951, the school was formally inaugurated and it operated under a new name —Ghana College Christianborg. In 1952, Mr Joseph Andor Kesson, one of the Co-founders left the school leaving Mr A.K.A. Johnson, the Headmaster as the only surviving co-founder in the school.
The financial problems which had plagued the school previously could still not be overcome. Money raised through student’s school fees could not pay salaries of staff and rent could also not be paid regularly. The school would have collapsed but for the magnanimity of the landlord, Mr. D.A.K. Sowah. And by the end of 1955 the school owed him rent totalling $1,600.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Education Trust had been founded by Dr Nkrumah and since it was the desire of Mr Sowah that the school should come under its umbrella to enable it gain government assistance, he continued to be patient with the school.
It must be mentioned here that one personality who also stood tall in getting the school to stand on its feet was Mr Ako Adjei, the then Minister of Labour and Co-operatives. Mr Ako Adjei together with Mr Sowah and the headmaster fought for government recognition. One of the conditions for government recognition or encouragement as it was then known was that the school should be headed by a graduate.
On November 15, 1955, Rev. Samuel Gyasi Nimako, holder of Bachelor of Arts and Divinity degrees was appointed Principal. The name of the college thereafter was changed to Ghana Secondary School, Labadi.
On August 23, 1956, Mr D.A.K. Sowah wrote to the Director of Education, Accra, informing him that he had waived the amount of $1,660 areas of rent owed him by the school and that he would not then or in future claim the said amount or any part of it from the school.
This singular gesture of altruism went a long way to enable the school gain government recognition. Government encouragement was granted in October 1956 and with effect from July 1, 1956. The name of the school was then changed to Labone Secondary School.
Having attracted government recognition, the Board then set themselves the task of finding a permanent site with permanent buildings for the school. The present site on which the school now stands was originally negotiated for by Mr D.A.K Sowah for his private use from the Lands Department.
However, the then Minister of Education supported by the Board having convinced Mr Sowah that the school would in future be elevated to university status which in turn would be a great honour to the citizens of La, consented to forgo all expenses he had incurred in connection with the land and gave it to the school.
The Ghana Educational Trust (GET) built a new compound for the school incidentally on La soil where 10 years ago the school had started. After 10 years of struggle and trial, the ship had finally found a safe berth home. Labone Secondary School has a permanent compound at La-Accra. In January 1960 the school moved to its present and permanent site.
Rev. S.G. Nimako, the Headmaster at that time was assisted by Mr Richard Lomo Jones. Through academic achievements as well as
sports the school quickly became famous. Mr Jones succeeded Rev. Nimako in February 1961. The school population at the time stood at 401 (292 boys and 109 girls).
In September 1961, Sixth Form Education was introduced into the school, an index to the school’s academic performance. From this time on the school was recognised and acknowledged as one of the best schools in the country and LABOSCO became a house hold word.
Mr Jones retired in 1968 and was succeeded by Mr Ebenezer Alexander Lamptey. Mr Lamptey was followed by Mr Bossman Owusu-Ayim in 1982. The period coincided with a tremendous growth in the number of students reaching an all-time high figure of 2,500 in 1989. This increase was in no small way filliped by the government’s policy of de-boardinisation in 1984.
From 1986 to 1996 only sixth formers stayed in the boarding house. The number of students was pruned down to about 1,600 – a deliberate school policy, by the headmaster, Mr Peter Owusu-Donkor (who had replaced Mr Owusu-Ayim in 1990) in order not to overstretch the school facilities and resources.
Mr Owusu-Donkor was followed by Mrs Cecilia Aggrey-Mensah, incidentally the first female head of the school. The current head, Mrs Joyce Ossei-Agyekum took over from Mrs Aggrey-Mensah in September 2003.
The school presently has a population of 1,700 offering programmes in Business Studies, Home Economics, Visual Arts, General Arts and General Science.
This succinctly is the history of La Bone Secondary School. The school can boast of former students in all spheres of life. From the political, professional, business to the academics. From small beginnings it has now come to take its rightful place as one of the best secondary schools in the country.
“A woman who abandons her baby in a dustbin at Kasoa Lorry Station is not always a wicked woman. Sometimes, she is a wounded woman whose mind has broken, whose family has rejected her, and whose society has left her with only one terrible option: disappear or be disgraced.”
That is the hard truth Ghana must hear.
In the last 10 days alone, our nation has been confronted with the same painful headline, twice.
Case 1 – Kasoa Main Lorry Station, Central Region: A newborn baby girl was found abandoned inside a dustbin at the public toilet of the Kasoa Main Station. A woman who went to use the facility discovered the infant and raised an alarm. Commercial drivers and bystanders quickly retrieved the baby and rushed her to the Kasoa Polyclinic for emergency medical care.
Case 2 – Asante Bekwai, Ashanti Region: On Thursday morning, August 20, 2026, a two-week-old neonate was reportedly abandoned by an unknown nursing mother at Bekwai in the Ashanti Region. Residents who came across the child raised the alarm. The baby was admitted to the Bekwai Government Hospital as police commenced investigations.
Let me be clear from the start: Newborn abandonment is wrong. It is dangerous. It is criminal. And it can kill. This article does not excuse it. But if we only arrest and shame, we will never stop it. We must treat the root, not just punish the fruit.
What exactly is newborn abandonment? – The two definitions
The Legal Definition: Under Ghana’s Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), Section 96, and the Children’s Act, 1998 (Act 560), abandonment of a child under 12 years is a criminal offence. It is classified as exposure and abandonment, punishable as a misdemeanor or felony. The law sees the mother as a perpetrator.
The Psychological definition: In clinical textbooks, newborn abandonment is defined as the intentional, permanent relinquishment of all parental rights, care, and responsibilities over an infant within the first 28 days of life without making formal, legal arrangements for care.
To understand this crisis properly, we must not confuse it with child abandonment. Newborn abandonment happens within 0-28 days of life, often driven by acute panic, denial of pregnancy, or postpartum psychosis where the attachment bond never formed. Child abandonment, on the other hand, involves toddlers to teenagers where a bond existed but collapsed over time due to chronic poverty, family breakdown, or parental burnout. One is an acute crisis of the first month; the other is a chronic breakdown over years. Both are harmful, but they need different interventions.
Psychologically, newborn abandonment is the ultimate rupture of the primary attachment bond. Think of a 19-year-old university student who secretly gives birth alone in her hostel room, wraps the crying baby in a polythene bag, and drops it at a refuse dump at midnight. That is not just a crime scene; it is a scene of extreme panic and psychological dissociation.
Why would a mother carry a baby for 9 months and then abandon it?
This is the question every Ghanaian asks. If you wanted to abandon it, why not abort? The answer is deeply psychological:
1. The psychodynamics of denial of pregnancy: This is a profound defense mechanism, not a lie. The mother’s subconscious mind completely rejects the reality of the pregnancy. She does not gain weight normally, feels no kicks, does not seek antenatal care, and genuinely convinces herself she is not pregnant until sudden, shocking labour pains take her by surprise in a toilet or bedroom.
2. Fantasy of a dissolving problem: This is called cognitive avoidance. She believes “my boyfriend will come back,” “my mother will forgive me,” or “something miraculous will happen before birth.” So she waits, paralyzed, until the baby is here.
3. Barriers to safe abortion: Deep religious guilt, moral anxiety, fear of dying from a back-alley abortion, lack of money for a safe procedure, and family laws force her to carry to term even when she feels incapable.
4. The shock of reality and acute panic: Upon delivery, the physical presence and crying of the newborn shatters all denial. Confronted with immediate exposure, shame, and reality, her brain enters a trauma response — “fight, flight, or freeze.” For many, it becomes “flight” — physically escape the threat of exposure to survive socially. That is why babies are left in places where others will find them -lorry stations, churches, hospitals.
Source:
Counselor Prince Offei, CPAC’s founder, is a leading Mental Health Professional, Marriage Counsellor, Author, ADR Expert/Arbitrator, and Spectator Newspaper Columnist. He writes on relationships, marriage, parenting, special needs support, and their connection to mental health. For therapy, counselling, or enquiries, contact Counselor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC) in Accra on 0559850604 / 0551428486.
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Features
Environmental stewardship is an act of worship: The Islamic response to climate change, environmental degradation (Part 4)
The environmental consequences of illegal mining have reached alarming levels in Ghana. Several major rivers, including the Pra, Ankobra, Offin, Birim and Tano, have experienced significant pollution from illegal mining activities, increasing the cost and complexity of water treatment while threatening the availability of potable water for millions of citizens (Water Resources Commission, 2024; Ghana Water Limited, 2024). These developments underscore the urgent need for stronger environmental governance and collective action.
Islam equally emphasises accountability in governance. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught that every leader is responsible for those under his or her authority (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 7138; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1829). This principle extends to public officials entrusted with environmental regulation, traditional authorities responsible for communal lands, mining companies, local assemblies, and community leaders. Environmental protection cannot succeed
where accountability is absent.
At the same time, addressing galamsey requires more than law enforcement. Sustainable solutions must tackle the underlying socio-economic realities that drive individuals into illegal mining. Many young people are motivated by unemployment, poverty, and limited economic opportunities. Islamic principles of social justice therefore call for the creation of alternative livelihoods through sustainable agriculture, vocational training, responsible small-scale mining under strict environmental standards, entrepreneurship, and skills development. Environmental protection and economic empowerment should not be viewed as competing priorities but as complementary goals that promote human dignity and national development.
Faith communities also have an indispensable role to play. Mosques, churches, schools, traditional councils, and civil society organisations possess significant influence in shaping public attitudes and behaviours. Imams, in particular, should consistently remind congregations that wealth acquired through actions that destroy communities and Allah’s creation cannot be regarded as a blessing. Religious education should cultivate environmental ethics alongside spiritual devotion, reinforcing the understanding that protecting rivers, forests, and farmlands is an expression of gratitude to Allah and a fulfilment of the trust of Khalifah.
Ultimately, the struggle against galamsey is more than a campaign to protect natural resources; it is a struggle to uphold justice, preserve human dignity, and honour the trust that Allah has placed upon humanity. Lasting solutions will require strong governance, responsible citizenship, sustainable economic opportunities, and renewed moral leadership. Only when these elements
work together can Ghana safeguard its natural heritage for present and future generations.
Water conservation, waste management and sustainable development: Practical expressions of Islamic stewardship
Religious education should cultivate environmental ethics alongside spiritual devotion, reinforcing the understanding that protecting rivers, forests, and farmlands is an expression of gratitude to Allah and a fulfilment of the trust of Khalifah.
Ultimately, the struggle against galamsey is more than a campaign to protect natural resources; it is a struggle to uphold justice, preserve human dignity, and honour the trust that Allah has placed upon humanity. Lasting solutions will require strong governance, responsible citizenship, sustainable economic opportunities, and renewed moral leadership. Only when these elements
work together can Ghana safeguard its natural heritage for present and future generations.
Islam is not merely a religion that condemns environmental destruction; it also provides practical guidance for preserving and sustaining the natural world. Through its teachings on moderation, cleanliness, conservation, and responsible consumption, Islam cultivates an environmental ethic that remains remarkably relevant to contemporary challenges such as water scarcity, pollution, waste management, and climate change. These teachings encourage Muslims to become
responsible custodians of Allah’s creation in both private and public life.
Water conservation: A sacred responsibility
Water occupies a unique position in Islam as the source of life and an essential element of worship. Allah says, “And We made from water every living thing. Then will they not believe?” (Qur’an 21:30, Sahih International). This verse reminds believers that water is not merely an economic resource but a divine blessing upon which all living creatures depend. The importance of water is further reflected in Islamic acts of worship. Muslims perform ablution (wudu) before the five daily prayers and ritual bathing (ghusl) under prescribed circumstances.
Yet, despite its central role in purification, Islam strongly discourages wastefulness. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once advised one of his companions not to waste water while performing ablution, even when using water from a flowing river (Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 425). This timeless guidance establishes the principle that abundance does not justify extravagance.
Conservation remains a religious obligation regardless of the apparent availability of natural resources.
This Prophetic teaching carries profound implications for contemporary Ghana. Illegal mining has severely polluted many rivers, increasing the cost of water treatment and limiting access to safe drinking water for numerous communities. Climate change has also intensified seasonal variability in rainfall, placing additional pressure on freshwater resources (IPCC, 2023). Against this
backdrop, conserving water is no longer simply an environmental preference—it is a moral imperative grounded in Islamic teaching.
Water conservation should therefore become a shared responsibility among households, educational institutions, industries, and places of worship. Simple practices such as repairing leaking pipes, harvesting rainwater, protecting riverbanks, avoiding contamination of water bodies, and promoting efficient irrigation contribute to safeguarding one of Allah’s greatest blessings. Every effort to preserve water is an investment in public health, food security, and the
wellbeing of future generations.
Unfortunately, indiscriminate disposal of refuse remains a significant challenge in many communities. Plastic waste clogs drainage systems, contributes to flooding during the rainy season, pollutes rivers and beaches, and threatens marine ecosystems. Open burning of waste further degrades air quality and poses serious health risks, particularly for children and the elderly (UNEP,2024).
The author is Chief Imam of Katamanso Municipal and Certified Counsellor and Governnace Expert.
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