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Market queens tasked to lead fight against domestic violence
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• Madam Malonin Asibi (right with mic) swearing in the committees
Market queens and leaders in big markets in Ghana have been tasked to lead the fight against of domestic violence and related family abuses.
This is because most of the markets in the country have large population mostly made up of women and some of the abuses take place there, as children visit their mothers after school hours.
A director at the Domestic Violence Secretariat of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP), Madam Malonin Asibi said this at the inauguration of the market queens in Western Region after training them to solve minor domestic violence cases.
She said family problems were everywhere and the ministry did not want these problems to generate into major ones which might cause children to be on the streets and eventually lead them to be armed robbers or other hardened criminals.
Malonin Asibi noted that the market queens and other opinion leaders commanded respect at the various markets and, therefore, urged women with domestic violence problems to contact these committees to address their issues.
She explained that in a previous experiment conducted at six markets in Accra the committees performed creditably hence the decision by the Ministry to extend the advocacy training to Takoradi, Sekondi, Kojokrom, Apremdo and Jubilee Park Markets, all in the Western Region.
The Western Regional Director of the Ghana Legal Aid, Mrs. Sweetie Sowah said her outfit provided legal aid for those who could not afford a lawyer at the Law Courts.
She urged the women to approach her for amicable solution of their family problems because it was the best place for problem solving instead of going to the courts which delayed proceedings.
The Kojokrom Market Queen, Nana Grace Essandoh said the training was an eye opener and had empowered women to report cases of abuse and fight for their rights.
Mama Esssandoh advised all the traders at the various markets to approach the committees with any domestic violence issue for amicable solution adding “we will not favour women because we are women, be sure you have not abused your husbands.”
From Peter Gbambila, Kojokrom.
African leaders have been urged to strengthen political commitment and domestic investment to end preventable maternal deaths and AIDS by 2030.
The call comes as African health ministers and policymakers meet in Accra to deliberate on health financing, health security and universal health coverage across the continent.
Mr Edouard Bizimana, Burundi’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Development Cooperation, made the call on Tuesday at the opening of the African Union’s (AU) 25th Extraordinary Summit on Health in Accra.
He said Africa needed increased domestic investment to build resilient health systems as it continued to grapple with infectious diseases and the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Mr Bizimana, who is also Chairperson of the AU Executive Council, said although Africa accounted for nearly 17 per cent of the world’s population, it bore 24 per cent of the global disease burden while having less than three per cent of the global health workforce and only one per cent of global health expenditure.
“Despite maternal mortality declining by nearly 40 per cent since 2000, Africa still accounts for about 70 per cent of maternal deaths globally, while almost two-thirds of people living with HIV reside on the continent,” he said.
Mr Bizimana said the growing burden of NCDs was placing additional pressure on already stretched health systems.
“These figures are not merely statistics. They represent painful human realities, preventable losses and unacceptable inequalities, they remind us that health is not an expense it is a strategic investment and a prerequisite for our sovereignty and development. “he said.
Mr Bizimana said recent global health emergencies had exposed Africa’s vulnerability and underscored the need to expand local production of medicines and vaccines, strengthen the health workforce and improve emergency preparedness.
“Our citizens expect resilient health systems where every mother can give birth safely, every child has access to essential healthcare and every African enjoys quality health services regardless of where they live,” he said.
The two-day summit, being held ahead of the 20th Extraordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government, has brought together health ministers, policymakers and health stakeholders to identify solutions to Africa’s health financing and security challenges.
Madam Florence Samizi, Tanzania’s Deputy Health Minister, called for stronger collaboration among AU Member States to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage.
The summit is being held on the theme: “Advancing Justice, Equality and Universal Health Coverage: Ending AIDS, Tuberculosis, Improving Maternal Health, Addressing Endemic Non-Communicable and Neglected Tropical Diseases in Africa.”
The meeting is expected to adopt the Accra Declaration, a roadmap to strengthen Africa’s health systems and advance health sovereignty by 2030. -GNA
Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana’s Department of Political Science, Dr. Joshua Jebuntie Zaato says the imprisonment of the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, will have little meaning unless it leads to a broader crackdown on illegal mining.
In a post on his Facebook page on the July 21, 2026, Dr. Zaato said the judgment should mark the beginning of efforts to completely eradicate galamsey and hold all those involved accountable, regardless of their political affiliation.
He said the country must work towards restoring polluted rivers, protecting forests and ensuring that people implicated in illegal mining activities are prosecuted.
According to him, those the President has publicly acknowledged to be involved in galamsey should face prosecution.
He called for the prosecution of district chief executives (DCEs), members of Parliament (MPs) and senior political party officials who have been accused of engaging in or supporting illegal mining.
Dr. Zaato further urged the government to take decisive action to end the destruction of the country’s forests caused by galamsey.
He maintained that the imprisonment of Chairman Wontumi would only have a lasting impact if it results in a comprehensive and impartial fight against illegal mining across the country.
By: Jacob Aggrey
