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Editorial

Let’s keep making Val’s/Chocolate Day more engaging for youth

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Ghanaians have been eating chocolate and cocoa products since the beginning of time, both as children, youth or adults.

However,the choice to make February 14, which is Valentine’s Day, a Chocolate Day in Ghana has boosted the urge to consume more made-in-Ghana chocolate and cocoa-products.

Infact,it would be unfair to commend this outstanding initiative without acknowledging its initiators although Ghana is known for producing cocoa.

In collaboration with the Cocoa Processing Company of Ghana, the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) launched the activity in 2005.The late Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, who was the Minister of Tourism at the time, came up with the concept as part of the Ghana@50 celebrations.

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In contrast to the past, when some of the youth engaged in promiscuity, Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey will always be remembered for introducing Chocolate Day on Valentine’s Day, which has brought more dignity to the Day’s celebration.

It would also be appropriate to honour Tetteh Quarshie, a Ghanaian blacksmith who imported cocoa beans from the island of Fernando Po (now Bioko in Equatorial Guinea) to Ghana in 1898.

Since cocoa has historically contributed significantly to Ghana’s economic prosperity, it is wise to recognise the farmers who grow this esteemed product and turn it into the delicious treat that delights millions of people across the world.

More interestingly, Ghanaians and other citizens have made a conscious effort to share chocolate and cocoa productswith their loved ones on Valentine’s Day since the introduction of Chocolate Day in 2005. This has helped to promote Ghanaian chocolate to the international community.

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Itis also wonderful that COCOBOD and GTA expanded the celebration from a single day to a week-long event in 2021, and it has been well-run ever since.

The Spectator is pleased to report that the GTA, in partnership with COCOBOD and the CocoaProcessing Company, has planned a variety of events to commemorate this year’s National Chocolate Week, which began on February 3rd and ended yesterday, February 14th, 2025.

Among the events were visits to churches, the Chief Imam,  cocoa communities, exhibitions andspending time with schoolchildren.  Other events include a durbar with stakeholders, a chocolate feast, a street float, regional involvement, and yesterday’s chocolate experience at the Kotoka International Airport.

With the theme “Eat Chocolate, Stay Healthy, Grow Ghana” and the sub-theme “Chocolate for all: taste, share, and care,” the events engaged the youth and increased awareness of the health advantages of chocolate consumption.

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The Spectator suggests that the engaging, enjoyable, educative, and unforgettable activities be sustained and, if possible elevated. Let’s keep making Valentine’s/Chocolate Day more engaging for the youth.

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Editorial

No life should be lost over allegations

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Dear Editor,

The recent death of Nana Yaw, also known as Dinero/Terry, has left various communities deeply shaken over the circumstances under which a life was lost.

Reports suggest that he went missing after a phone transaction in Teshie and was later found dead. Allegations have circulated that he visited a female friend despite having a pregnant wife at home.

Even if such allegations were true, does that mean he deserved to die? The answer is no. Infidelity is a moral failing, but it is not a crime punishable by death. To suggest otherwise is to normalize violence and diminish the value of human life.

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This tragedy should remind us of the urgent need for justice and accountability. His family especially his expectant wife deserves compassion, not judgment. As a community, we must reject victim‑blaming and focus on preventing such senseless losses in the future.

Nana Yaw’s death is not just a personal tragedy, it is a call to action. 

We must demand thorough investigation, ensure those responsible are held accountable, and commit ourselves to building a society where disagreements and mistakes do not end in violence.

Princess Wonovi, 

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Editorial

Take quick action to rebuild Percheyire R/C Basic School

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The situation at Percheyire R/C Basic School in the Yilo Krobo district is a warning concerning Ghana’s rural education facilities as pupils in Primary four through six are forced to learn inside a building of mud walls, worn-out roofing sheets, and rotting wooden pillars.

It is more than just an infrastructural shortfall. It indicates a fundamental failing of public safety and educational justice. 

Every day, when pupils and teachers arrive at school, their safety is in danger because a school building has such fundamental flaws that it could collapse during a storm.

The classroom is now a hazard rather than a haven for learning for the 30 upper primary pupils and their teachers. A single extreme weather event could cause a mud construction to fall dangerously because it depends on makeshift timber pillars. 

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These children are routinely deprived of the instructional hours that the national curriculum promises them when the arrival of rain inevitably necessitates the suspension of classes to save lives, books, and furniture. 

A deeper systemic problem is revealed when Rev. Elizabeth Korasare, a former teacher, reveals that this identical arrangement has not changed in 38 years. 

Some proponents contend that local government institutions like the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the District Assembly are solely to blame for the main failure. Actual rehabilitation has been postponed due to administrative inactivity, despite official site visits and reports submitted by the school administration. 

According to this viewpoint, there is a problem with the way emergency educational funds are allocated and prioritised when a community school is left in a dangerous condition for decades while waiting for budgetary allocations.

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This point of view highlights the necessity of corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and public-private collaborations. When state machinery fails, supporters contend that combining corporate money with citizen mobilisation provides a more flexible way to replace deteriorating structures.

It is a pity that Percheyire R/C Basic School’s surrounding infrastructure worsens the school’s structural deterioration. Children travelling from nearby communities like Togodo are severely restricted in their access due to an inadequate road network.

When more than 60 school-aged children in a single nearby town are cut off from regular attendance due to distance and bad roads, the school’s capacity to raise the district is substantially limited. A contemporary classroom block will only be successful if students can get there safely.

The lives of Percheyire’s pupils and teachers are at risk, therefore the Spectator is pleading with the Yilo Krobo District Assembly and other interested parties to rebuild the primary block.

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