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Okyehemaa appeals to gov’t to educate students about importance of agriculture to whip up interest in the area
The Okyehemaa, Nana Adutwumwaa Dokua has appealed to the government and stakeholders in the Agricultural sector to educate pupils and students in the basic, secondary and tertiary schools, especially girls and women, about the importance of agriculture to whip up their interest in the area.
According to her, most of the time, pupils and students were often punished with weeding or farming, adding that many of them formed negative perception about farming and hence were discouraged from going into agriculture.
She stated that rather, weeding and farming should be encouraged as a pleasurable exercise as part of agriculture and students should be encouraged and their interest whipped up in agriculture to enable them engage in it and contribute to the development of the sector for their own benefit.
The Okyehemaa was speaking at the official launch of the 5th Women in Food and Agricultural Leadership Training Forum and the Gold in the Soil Awards in Koforidua on the theme: “Overcoming Barriers of Women in Agribusiness: The Role of Stakeholders,” was organised by Agrihouse Foundation in collaboration with Eastern Regional Women in Agricultural Development (WIAD), Eastern Regional Agricultural Directorate and National Farmers’ and Fishermen Award Winners’ Association of Ghana (NFFAWAG), the Canadian Embassy and Yara Ghana.
The forum, initiated by Agrihouse, was purposed to empower and train women in innovative ways that would feed into Ghana’s agricultural objective of achieving food security in the near future, while providing sustainable employment, creating markets and building resilience.
The Gold in the soil awards would reward women who have made significant strides in farming, and winners would be given equipment and machines to enable them improve their work for the benefit of society and country.
The Okyehemaa expressed worry over the lack of adequate jobs for the many graduates who completed universities across the country, and reiterated the need to encourage them into agriculture.
She called on government and stakeholders in the Agricultural sector to resource extension officers to go into the many schools in the country and encourage pupils and students into farming.
“They should also make it attractive to them, especially with the girl child, and give incentives to women and girls who would want to venture into agriculture,” she said.
The Okyehemaa thanked Agrihouse for such an initiative to encourage more women into farming and assured that as queen mother she would also use her platform to encourage more women into farming.
For her part, the Executive Director of Agrihouse Foundation, Alberta Nana Akyea said the forum and awards, through its sponsors Yara Ghana and Global Affairs Canada, has over the years made significant impact on improving the lives of women farmers and people with disabilities in the agricultural value chain through networking, sharing and mentoring among women-led agribusinesses, buyers, corporate entities and financial institutions.
She revealed over two thousand women farmers have benefited from the training and 75 women in agriculture including 20 persons with disability who were thriving in the area have been awarded.
She added that the Gold in the Soil Award also continued to strengthen women agribusiness enterprises whilst it motivated a paradigm shift in projecting, celebrating and recognizing women achievers in the sector.
“This year’s programme is the 5th Edition and the turn of Eastern region and would take place between July 26 and July 27,” she revealed.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
The Dzidula Pink Foundation, a new organisation dedicated to cancer awareness, early detection, and patient support, has been officially launched in Accra, with a passionate call for national commitment to fighting the disease. The launch event, held last week Friday, carried the theme: “Beyond the diagnosis: A future of restoration, care and courage.”
Speaking at the event, Madam Abena Brigidi, founder and CEO of Nimed Capital Limited, emphasised that cancer remains one of the most devastating health challenges facing families across the country. “Cancer does not discriminate—it affects mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons. It drains families emotionally and financially, and behind every statistic is a human story and a future suddenly thrown into uncertainty,” she said.
Sharing her personal encounters with cancer, having lost both her husband and father to the disease, Madam Brigidi highlighted the emotional, financial, and physical scars left behind. “I stand here not just as a speaker, but as a witness to what cancer can take away,” she stated. “I have watched loved ones fight bravely, and I have felt the deep pain that loss leaves behind.”
She stressed that awareness and early detection are critical to reducing deaths, noting that many Ghanaians still lack access to proper screening, reliable information, and adequate treatment. She appealed to healthcare professionals, corporate institutions, policymakers, the media, and the general public to join hands in the fight. “Early detection saves lives. Your support today can lead to someone’s healing tomorrow,” she said.
Madam Brigidi further called for collective responsibility to sustain the foundation’s mission. “To our medical professionals, we need your expertise. To corporate partners, your resources. To the media, your voice. To policymakers, your support. And to the public, your compassion,” she urged. She also insisted that breast cancer awareness should not be limited to annual campaigns, saying, “Breast cancer awareness must not be seasonal.”
Mrs Diana Fafa Gozo, founder of the Dzidula Pink Foundation, shared her own cancer journey, describing the shock of diagnosis, the fear that followed, and the difficult path through treatment. Her experience transformed her pain into purpose and inspired her to create a foundation to ensure no cancer patient walks alone.
Mrs Gozo explained that many patients struggle not only with treatment costs but also with emotional resilience. She outlined the foundation’s initiatives, which include awareness and early detection campaigns, patient support funds, community outreach, and survival support circles. “This foundation is my offering of gratitude, courage, and compassion and a reminder that no one should walk the cancer journey alone,” she concluded.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) says it will deploy teams of Public Health Officers, members of its Sanitation Taskforce, and labourers, including sweepers and janitors, across all sub-metros to support the third National Sanitation Day exercise.
It explained that these teams will be equipped with waste collection trucks, tippers, and other tools to help with desilting, refuse collection, and transporting waste to approved disposal sites.
The AMA reminded residents that failing to comply with the sanitation directive or refusing to participate in communal labour is an offence.
It said offenders risk a fine of up to 100 penalty units, imprisonment between 30 days and six months, or both, with repeat offenders liable to additional daily penalties.
It urged all residents, traders, transport operators, market women, shop owners, landlords, tenants, and businesses to actively participate in the exercise.
The AMA said it counts on everyone’s collective responsibility to keep Accra clean, liveable, and resilient, especially as the city approaches Christmas and the New Year.
By: Jacob Aggrey
