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Over 45 business leaders honoured at 2025 National Governance & Business Leadership Awards
More than 45 business leaders have been recognised for excellence at the 5th National Governance & Business Leadership Awards (NGBLA 2025), held at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City in Accra.
The awards, themed “Transforming Ghana through Visionary Governance and Enterprise Excellence,” celebrated innovation, transparency, and enterprise growth across banking, insurance, manufacturing, hospitality, and technology.
Notable winners included OmniBSIC Bank, FirstBank Ghana, Guinness Ghana, Vanguard Assurance, Ghana Link Network Services, B5 Plus Limited, and the Accra Marriott Hotel.
Distinguished individuals such as Irene Baaba Hagan, Board Chair of GTBank Ghana, and Dr. Adelaide Araba Siaw Agyepong of the African Agribusiness Consortium were also honoured for their leadership contributions.
Speaking on behalf of the Chief of Staff, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo stressed the need for stronger collaboration between government and the private sector to build resilient institutions, attract investment, and create sustainable growth.
She linked the awards to President John Dramani Mahama’s vision of a 24-hour economy, describing it as a bold plan to generate jobs and boost productivity through technology and innovation.
Chief Executive Officer of the Governance and Business Boardroom, Richmond Anim Damoah, said the awards were designed to set benchmarks for excellence across sectors, including legal practice, human resources, and investor relations.
He urged corporate leaders to embrace integrity, innovation, and accountability despite challenges such as currency instability.
Award winner Irene Baaba Hagan, who received the Visionary Woman Board Chair Award, called for stronger regulatory support for banks, stressing that transparency and ethical practices were key to restoring trust in the financial sector.
She also encouraged young women to take up leadership roles to improve gender diversity and drive inclusive growth.
The ceremony was held alongside the 3rd Future Workplace Awards Africa 2025, General Counsel & Corporate Legal Leadership Awards Africa 2025, Women Board of Directors Awards, and Investor Relations Awards 2025.
It brought together policymakers, entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and industry players to promote excellence in governance and enterprise leadership.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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