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Pres Akufo-Addo celebrates Mfantsipim School for winning 2024 NSMQ
•The Mfantsipim winning trio with the 2024 NSMQ trophy
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has applauded the Mfantsipim School on its victory in the 2024 National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ).
“It is well deserved,” he stated, adding that he was looking forward to officially host the champions at the Jubilee House, Accra.
The President, in a Facebook post, recognised the NSMQ winners for their hard work and determination that ensured victory for the school after failing to clinch the topmost award of the competition in the last 10 years.
“Warmest congratulations to the gentlemen from ‘The School’, Mfantsipim, on emerging victorious in this year’s National Science and Maths Quiz competition,” the President emphasised.
The Cape Coast-based school left it late to claim the title in this year’s contest, as it had to wait till the last round in order to realise its dream.
Mfantsipim emerged as winners with 47 points, reclaiming the title it won in 2014, and followed closely by another Cape Coast-based school, St. Augustine’s College, with 46 points, and Keta SHTS finishing as the second runners-up with 33 points.
The champions, who won the competition for the first time in 1999, received gold medals and cash prize of GHȻ70,000.
St. Augustine’s College was also presented with silver medals and GHȻ50,000 cash, while Keta SHTS had bronze medals and GHȻ35,000 cash.
A record 157 schools competed in the 2024 edition of the NSMQ national championship.
The National Science and Maths Quiz is an annual science and mathematics content-based national level quiz competition for Senior High Schools in Ghana.
The yearly competition is produced by Primetime Limited, an education-interest advertising and public relations agency, since 1993.
The objective is to promote the study of the sciences and mathematics, help students develop quick thinking and a probing and scientific mind about the everyday world around them, while fostering healthy academic rivalry among the participating schools.
On the list of top winners are the Presbyterian Boys SHS (Presec Legon), which has won eight times, followed by Prempeh College, with a total of five trophies, and St. Peter’s Boys SHS with three trophies.
The Diaspora Affairs Office at the Office of the President has hosted a delegation of African diaspora women who are in Ghana ahead of a planned Presidential Conferment of Citizenship ceremony.
The Director of Diaspora Affairs, Kofi Okyere Darko, explained in a Facebook post that the visit was a gesture of appreciation by the delegation to the Government of Ghana for its continued efforts to reconnect Africans in the diaspora with their ancestral homeland.
He indicated that the ceremony, scheduled for next Monday, will officially grant Ghanaian citizenship to members of the delegation as part of the country’s broader engagement with the African diaspora.
The delegation was led by Erica Bennett, Founder of the Diaspora Africa Forum.
According to Mr Okyere Darko, her years of advocacy have played an important role in strengthening ties between Africa and people of African descent living abroad.
He noted that the group’s journey towards citizenship represents not only a legal process but also a cultural and spiritual return to their roots.
Also present at the meeting was Natalie Jackson, an attorney who is also expected to receive Ghanaian citizenship during the ceremony. She works closely with renowned civil rights lawyer Ben Crump.
Mr Okyere Darko emphasised that Ghana remains committed to strengthening relationships with the African diaspora and promoting unity, identity, and shared heritage among people of African descent worldwide.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana has signed a debt restructuring agreement with the Kingdom of Belgium as part of efforts to restore the country’s economic stability after the financial crisis that hit the nation in 2022 and 2023.
The Minister of Finance, Cassiel Ato Forson, today disclosed that he signed the agreement on behalf of the Government of Ghana.
He explained that Ghana experienced a very difficult period during the crisis, which forced the government at the time to declare a debt default.
However, he indicated that the country is now recovering and witnessing a significant economic turnaround.
According to him, stronger systems are also being put in place to ensure that Ghana does not return to such a situation again.
Dr Forson noted that the agreement with Belgium is the eighth deal Ghana has concluded with countries under the Official Creditor Committee as part of its external debt restructuring programme.
He expressed appreciation to the Government of Belgium for its support and partnership with Ghana during the process.
The Finance Minister thanked Carole van Eyll, Ambassador of Belgium to Ghana, for her role in strengthening relations between the two countries.
The agreement forms part of Ghana’s broader effort to restructure its external debts and stabilise the economy following the crisis.
By: Jacob Aggrey
