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New Times Corporation observes solemn moment for demise of News Editor
The Acting Editor of the Spectator Mrs Georgina Quaittoo delivering her address
Staff of the New Times Corpo¬ration (NTC) have observed a one-week ceremony in memory of Castro Zagina-Tong, the former News Editor and Acting Sub-Editor of The Spectator newspaper.
![Mr Francis Xah Former News Editor of The Spectator [left]chatting with Mr Mahama Boagra-Zangina family members and Mrs Quaittoo Acting Editor of the Spectator](https://spectator.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Mr-Francis-Xah-Former-News-Editor-of-The-Spectator-leftchatting-with-Mr-Mahama-Boagra-Zangina-family-members-and-Mrs-Quaittoo-Acting-Editor-of-the-Spectator-scaled.jpg)
Mr Zangina-Tong died suddenly on August 1, 2023 at his residence. Also present at the event was some fami¬ly members of the deceased.
The ceremony served as a moment of reflection for the NTC commu¬nity, honouring Mr. Zangina-Tong’s contributions and encouraging unity and personal growth among its members.
“The news of our brother’s pass¬ing hit us hard. A day prior to his demise, he was present at work and was part of a departmental staff meeting to discuss the production of the paper. We had no inkling that he would not be at work the next day,” She revealed.
However, citing Proverbs 19:2 during the solemn event, Mrs Quait¬too,encouraged the staff and family of the deceased to humbly accept God’s will for their lives as “we cannot question God about His will.”
In her opening remarks, Mrs Georgina Naa-Maku Quaittoo, Acting Editor of The Spectator paid respect to the deceased and recounted fond memories of their interactions with him.
She lauded his dedication to the corporation but said the shock of the sad news was profound, as they had not foreseen such an occur¬rence.
Delivering a message on unity and hope, a lay preacher of the Meth¬odist Church of Ghana (MCG), Mrs. Agatha Osei drew parallels from the story of Lazarus in the Bible urged the staff to lead lives worthy of em¬ulation and to seek solace in God.
Mrs Osei also urged the staff to concentrate on their current pur¬suits, recognising uncertainty of the future.“What legacy will you leave be¬hind? What words will people speak of you in your passing? These ques¬tions underscore the importance of leading lives others can aspire to. The assurance of an afterlife hinges on one’s faith in Jesus,” she said.
Sharing memories of Mr. Zangi¬na-Tong, a member of the Profes¬sional and Managerial Staff Union (PMSU), Mr. Andrew Parker urged the staff to recognise the inevitability of death and acknowledge the fleeting nature of life.
The Acting Managing Director (Ag MD) and Editor of the Ghanaian Times (GT), Mr. Dave Agbenu, re¬vealed his personal relationship with the deceased and highlighting his friend’s compassionate nature.
Mr Agbenu mentioned the impor¬tance of regular health check-ups and fostering a sense of camarade¬rie among colleagues.
Brother of the deceased, Mahama, Boagra-Zangina, expressed gratitude to the NTC staff for their support in honouring their brother and urged them to uphold peace and harmony at all times.
By George Obeng Osei
President John Dramani Mahama has commissioned four career diplomats as ambassador-designates to represent Ghana in four countries.
The commissioning ceremony took place on Friday, October 16, 2026.
The new envoys are Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo, Ambassador-Designate to Angola; His Excellency Louis Kwame Obeng, Ambassador-Designate to Qatar; Her Excellency Evelyn Korantemaa Ofosu-Amable, Ambassador-Designate to Israel; and His Excellency Jedidiah Reuben Adogla, Permanent Representative-Designate to Switzerland.
President Mahama charged them to advance Ghana’s national interests through strategic partnerships, economic diplomacy, investment mobilization, and expanded access to international markets.
He said Ghana’s diplomatic engagements must deliver tangible economic benefits, create jobs, and strengthen the country’s standing on the international stage.
The four envoys are career diplomats with over 27 years of experience.
On behalf of her colleagues, Her Excellency Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo thanked the President for the confidence reposed in them and pledged their commitment to emulate his leadership and deliver on the mandate given to them.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 
This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.
For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.
The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.
Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.
With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong.
The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.
There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.
Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.
A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.
The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.
Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.
Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation.
Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.
These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.
Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge.
His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions.
Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.
But tradition was only one part of the story that day.
When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.
The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 
It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.
For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate.
For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.
Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.
His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.
In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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