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Prioritise rest, build networks to balance work and family life’
Participants after the programme. Photo. Ebo Gorman
Women have been advised to strike a positive balance between work and family life in order to avoid the stress which comes with handling multiple tasks at a time.
They have been encouraged to prioritise rest, build networks, and delegate some of their duties where necessary to save time and energy.
According to Professor Abigail Mensah, majority of women were facing a lot of conflicts in trying to balance their work and family life, but could not voice it out due to the fear of losing their jobs.
She therefore urged organisations to make room for workers, especially, women to prioritise work-life balance by putting in place a work-family reconciliation system.
These were some of the fallouts of discussions held at a forum organised by the Business Administration Department in collaboration with the Women’s Association of the University of Professional Studies, Accra, UPSA recently.
The panel comprised Dr Peace Tetteh, Senior Lecturer, University of Ghana, and Professor Abigail Opoku Mensah, Director of the Centre for International Education and Collaboration (CIEC), UPSA.
Others were Dr Mercy Desouza, Industrial Psychologist, UPSA, and Mrs Shamima Muslim, Convenor, Alliance for Women in Media Africa (AWMA).
The forum which formed part of activities to commemorate this year’s Mother’s Day celebration was themed: ‘Working-Life Balance: A Mirage or a Possibility?’
Dr Peace Tetteh, sharing her thoughts, said prioritising rest, building networks and seeking help should be considered part of self-care.
She said women should, therefore, identify their source of strength which could be from exercise, meditation, reading the scriptures or listening to music to be able to balance work and family life effectively.
On her part, Dr Desouza noted that when work-life imbalances occur, it often leads to ‘’negative stress’’ which is characterised by palpitation and anxiety.’’
For this reason, she advised women to recognise issues that lead to work-life imbalance early and find possible means to address them.
According to her, the church needed to provide not only spiritual support, but social, financial, and informational support.
Mrs Shamima Muslim, in her submission, said a constant work-life balance was not certain because there would always be circumstances beyond ones’ control.
She urged men to complement the role of women at home although certain roles are considered the preserve of women.
By Portia Hutton-Mills
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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Intercity STC Coaches Limited has interdicted a driver captured in a viral video allegedly hitting a Sprinter bus during an overtaking manoeuvre at Pokuase before driving away from the scene.
In a public notice, the company described the driver’s conduct as unacceptable, stressing that it did not reflect the safety standards and professionalism it upholds.
Management said it had commenced an immediate investigation into the incident and identified the driver, who has been interdicted pending the outcome of the disciplinary process.
The company added that it was awaiting an official report from the Pokuase Police Command to help establish the facts surrounding the incident.
STC reaffirmed its commitment to passenger safety and responsible road use, while thanking members of the public for bringing the incident to its attention.
Management assured the public that appropriate action would be taken following the investigation.
By: Jacob Aggrey
