News
Naa Koshie Odamtten launches campaign at La-Dade Kotopon
Madam Gifty Naa Koshie Odamtten, a contractor, has stuck out her neck to contest as an independent parliamentary candidate in the La-Dade Kotopon Constituency in the Greater Accra Region.
She maintains that she has what it takes to unify the constituency as well as help to improve the lives of the people who, she claims, are suffering and need someone of her calibre to save them from hardship.
Launching her campaign at La, in Accra recently, Madam Odamtten who is popularly called “Mother for all” said that it was high time the constituents gave a woman the opportunity to also serve their interests in parliament.
She called on them (constituents) to vote massively for her in the December 7, 2020, elections.
“My people, I have been with you for a long time and know your problems in our constituency.
“And this is now the time for a dedicated, committed, hard working and a unifier like me to represent you in the august House (Parliament) to put your problems across and see how best they would be solved.
“I would sincerely use my share of the MPs Common Fund to develop this area and see also to it that poverty is drastically reduced,” she said.
Madam Odamtten assured that should she be voted for in the upcoming parliamentary elections as their representative, she would set up a Scholarship Committee in all the 10 Electoral Areas and see to it that students in tertiary institutions within the constituency be given support to complete their courses.
She commended all the former MPs for the respective role they had played in the constituency and stated that she would continue from where they stopped.
“Human resource development would be one of my priorities because without it, there can be no meaningful development in the area now and years to come.
“I, therefore, call on all of you to throw your weight behind me for my lofty dreams to come to pass through your support,” she said.
The independent candidate appealed to all her supporters not to engage in any violent activities that could breach the peace being enjoyed in the constituency.
“I urge you all to be law abiding people to ensure peaceful elections,” she advised.
By Castro Zangina-Tong
News
Ladies in Parliamentary Service, Women Caucus interact with Street Academy children to commemorate IWD
THE Ladies in Parliamentary Service (LIPS) in collaboration with the women’s caucus of parliament have paid a visit to the Street Academy in Accra to interact with the children and assess the needs of the institution.
The visit formed part of LIPS activities to commemorate the 2026 International Women’s Day (IWD) with the children of the academy.
It also formed part of efforts to advance the objectives for this year’s theme which is “give to gain.”
The visit also afforded the lawmakers the opportunity to understand the challenges facing the academy, as they toured the various departments within the academy.
They shared lunch packs to the children and also interacted with them.
Speaking during the visit, the Board Chair of the Academy, Ms Lydia Sackey Addo, said the interaction gave the children and management the opportunity to share their experiences and challenges with the visiting delegation.
Ms Sackey Addo noted that the Member of Parliament for Ablekuma North Ms Ewurabena (Right) with other members of the women caucus of parliament interacting with the children
academy played a critical role in nurturing children who might otherwise be excluded from formal education and society.
She added that the visit would help draw attention to the importance of supporting such institutions to ensure vulnerable children were given the opportunity to learn and develop their talents.
The Founder and Executive Director of the Academy, Ataa Lartey, also expressed appreciation to the Women’s Caucus for the visit, describing it as a source of motivation for both staff and students.
He explained that the academy worked to develop the talents of children who had previously lived on the streets and helped reintegrate them into society through education and skills training.
Ataa Lartey said although the academy had made progress over the years, it continued to face several challenges, particularly with feeding.
“Our major challenge is feeding the children. Some of them come from very difficult backgrounds and when they are hungry, it becomes difficult for them to concentrate in class,” he said.
“When a child is fed, they are able to concentrate and understand what is being taught in the classroom,” he added.
Ataa Lartey appealed to individuals, organisations and government institutions to support the academy, particularly in providing food and teaching and learning materials for the children.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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GENDER and women’s rights advocates have called for increased attention to women’s sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in order to improve their overall wellbeing.
In separate statements to mark International Women’s Day (IWD), the experts stressed that sexual and reproductive health remained a vital component of women’s total health and must be prioritised to ensure better access to quality care.
The Country Director of MSI Reproductive Choices, Demi Priscilla Letsa, speaking at a high-level panel discussion to commemorate the day, said challenges such as limited access to SRH services, disparities in service delivery and the uneven distribution of specialists across the country continued to affect the quality of care available to women.
According to her, the shortage of trained health professionals, including obstetricians, gynaecologists and midwives skilled in providing long-acting contraceptive services, remains a major challenge within the health system.
“There are not enough obstetricians, gynaecologists and even midwives who are appropriately trained to offer long-acting contraceptive methods. On an occasion like this, we want to highlight these issues so that as a country we can take deliberate steps to address them,” she stated.
Dr Letsa called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to strengthen reproductive health services nationwide.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Merck Foundation, Rasha Kelej, reaffirmed her organisation’s commitment to empowering women and girls through various development programmes.
“At Merck Foundation, empowering women and girls is not confined to a single day; rather it is embedded in everything we do. It shapes our vision and guides our programmes,” she said.
Dr Kelej encouraged women to pursue their ambitions and contribute meaningfully to society.
This year’s IWD observed on the theme: ‘Rights. Justice. Action: For All Women and Girls,’ highlights the need to advance gender equality and protect the rights of women and girls worldwide
By Abigail Annoh
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