News
Punish men who impregnate school girls – Amnesty International
The Regional Coordinator of the Amnesty International in the Upper West Region, Ms Ruby Ali has suggested that males who impregnate young girls and cause them to drop out of school be punished through fines for their action.
She explained that females who got pregnant whilst in school or learning a trade were forced to stay out of school or apprenticeship to nurture the pregnancy, give birth and take care of the baby while the male got the opportunity to continue with his education.
“If they are school mates, the male is able to go through the education successfully and complete without any problems but the lady drops out of school and even in instances where she is bold enough to go back to school, she loses a number of years in her life due to the situation”, she said.
Miss Ali who stated this at an event at Charia recently by ProNet North to educate women about their wellbeing for future empowerment said males should be made to pay some amount of money for committing such acts.
The Coordinator underscored that although some girls mutually agreed to having unprotected sexual relations with men, they were mostly pushed into the act by circumstances such as the need to buy sanitary pads and other basic needs as well as peer pressure and immaturity.
Addressing the chiefs and elders of Charia, one of the Wa communities with prevalence of teenage pregnancies, Ms Ali advised the chiefs to enact functional by-laws to protect innocent girls from irresponsible parents as well as unscrupulous young men.
She encouraged young girls to take good care of their bodies and abstain from pre-marital sexual relations as it had the tendency of making them pregnant and interfering with their quest to progress in life.
Ms Ali stated that the only way to reduce poverty in the region was to build the human resource capacity of the youth, particularly girls. to ensure that they were gainfully engaged in useful ventures but not become teenage mothers with no source of livelihood.
“Parents should provide for their girls so that they don’t fall victim to unprincipled men who take advantage of them; you cannot give birth to a girl and expect her to be independent at the age of 13 when she is not working, she brings items home and you are not even concerned to find out the source”, she said and described that as poor parenting.
She urged the young girls to have vision and aspirations in life and endeavour to work harder in order to achieve them, stating that they would be able to lure responsible men in future if they carved a better niche for themselves.
For his part, Mr Abdul Rahaman Adams, the nurse in charge of the Charia Health Centre said teenage pregnancy was steadily reducing in the area due to intensified education from the health facility and some non-governmental organisations committed to the welfare of the youth.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Wa
News
National Service Authority gets new Director-General
The National Service Authority (NSA) has officially welcomed a new Director-General, Ms. Ruth Dela Seddoh, following a brief handing-over ceremony at its headquarters on Tuesday.
The event marked the formal transfer of leadership from the outgoing Director-General, Mr. Felix Gyamfi, to Ms. Seddoh. Management and staff of the Authority attended the ceremony.
Mr. Gyamfi used the occasion to thank staff for their support during his tenure.
He encouraged them to give the same cooperation to Ms. Seddoh to ensure the continued growth and impact of the Authority.
Ms. Seddoh expressed appreciation to government for the confidence placed in her.
She promised to build on the achievements of her predecessor and called for teamwork, dedication and innovation to help the NSA deliver on its mandate to support national development.
Management of the Authority pledged their full support to the new leadership as the organisation enters its next phase.
By: Jacob Aggrey
News
NSA board sets up committee to supervise digital reforms
The Governing Board of the National Service Authority (NSA) has announced the inauguration of a Transition and Implementation Steering Committee (TISC) to oversee the Authority’s digital transformation agenda.
According to the Board, the move follows a letter dated 17 June 2025 from the Office of the President to the Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment directing the suspension of the existing deployment system, calling for an audit of its operations and instructing the design and deployment of a new digital platform.
The Board explained that the audit had been completed and had found the existing system unsatisfactory.
It indicated that the Minister had written to the Board to begin the necessary legal processes to ensure the contract for the audited system, which expired in August 2025, would not be renewed, and to take further steps toward designing and deploying a new digital platform that would guarantee transparency, security and real-time verification of service personnel postings.
It stressed that the TISC had been established to ensure a smooth and orderly transition from the current National Service Scheme digital platform to a new ICT-led system aimed at improving efficiency, transparency and service delivery.
The Authority outlined the Committee’s mandate as overseeing the phased migration from the legacy system, directing the design and deployment of a modern digital platform, and supervising its operationalisation across core functions including personnel enrolment, postings, payroll, allowances and scheme administration.
It further noted that acting under the directives of the Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment and deriving authority from the NSA Board, the TISC has the power to issue instructions to NSA departments and engage external partners necessary to achieve its mandate through the Governing Board.
The Authority named Dr. Wisdom Atiwoto, a member of the NSA Board and Director of Research, Statistics and Information Management at the Ministry of Health, as chair of the Committee.
Other members include Ms. Ruth Dela Seddoh, Mr. Shadrack Mensah, Ms. Elorm Goh, Mr. Benjamin Freeman Kusi, Ms. Jennifer Opong, Dr. Stephan Nwolley, Mr. Koku Abotsi, Mr. Japhet Kuntu, Mr. Nabil Abubakar Hussayn and Ms. Regina Obenewa Penrose as Secretary.
The NSA Board assured the public and stakeholders of its commitment to innovation, accountability and excellence in service delivery.
It emphasised that there would be no disruption in the fulfilment of its obligations to national service personnel as outlined in the National Service Act, Act 1119 (2024), and indicated that updates on the Committee’s progress would be communicated in due course.
With the collective expertise of its members, the TISC is expected to deliver a robust and future-ready platform that will anchor the next phase of the National Service Scheme’s operations.
By: Jacob Aggrey
