News
Shama District gets rice factory
Inset: Mr. Jesse Prah (second left) assisting Mr. Darko-Mensah (3rd left) to inaugurate the rice factory
A rice processing plant, owned by Jesse Prah Enterprise at Anto, in the Shama District of the Western Region, has been inaugurated by SNV Ghana under the European Union (EU) GrEEn Project.
Sited on a two-acre land, the facility, producing ‘Roland Rice, is equipped with a rice mill, de-stoner, a rice de-husker, polisher and a pelletiser machine, also converts rice husk into feed for pigs.
It is expected to create jobs for youth in the Shama District and provide local rice growers access to a mill to improve rice production in the region.
As part of GrEEn project objectives of supporting green businesses and entrepreneurs, SNV Ghana rolled out the GrEEn Innovation Challenge in 2021, to award a matching grant of up to EUR 25,000 to small and medium scale businesses that have innovative products and services.
Key areas include agriculture, renewable energy and energy efficiency and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).
Jesse Roland Prah Enterprise, a rice farmer, was among 12 SMEs in the Ashanti and Western regions, who received the matching grant of 25,000 Euros.
Additionally, it received six-month free business advisory support from SNV Ghana under the GrEEn Incubation Programme facilitated by Duapa Werkspace, a business hub in Takoradi.
Speaking at the ceremony last Friday, Senior Adviser, Incubation and Acceleration at SNV, Ms. Genevieve Parker-Twum, remarked “Jesse, has really done well. He took all that he was taught to good use. From EU, SNV Ghana, we say congratulations to Roland rice”.
Chief Executive, Jesse Prah Enterprise (Roland Enterprise), Roland Prah, said: “We have the finest and most nutritious rice in the country, and with this facility, production is going to increase. I want to encourage the youth to invest in agriculture.”
He expressed his gratitude to SNV Ghana and the EU for their support.
Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, said government believed in production, and that, if the private sector was supported, it could go far.
From Clement Adzei Boye, Anto
News
Abu Trica’s extradition case: Prophets, fetish priests demand pay for spiritual solution …Lawyer reveals
Mr Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a lawyer for embattled Frederick Kumi, affectionately called Abu Trica and has made a shocking revelation over the behaviour of some members of the clergy.
According to him in a post on social media, the difficult part of Abu Trica’s trial is not the law but the number of ‘Men of God’ and fetish priests demanding financial sacrifices to help resolve the matter spiritually.
Oliver Barker-Vormawor posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2026, “The most difficult part about the Abu Trica case; is not the law.”
He continued: “It is the number of, prophetesses, evangelists and fetish priests, who have called or messaged to ask us to pay for spiritual solutions.”
It would be recalled that in March this year, the Gbese District Court dismissed a preliminary objection filed by Abu Trica, challenging the extradition proceedings initiated at the request of the United States.
The court, presided over by Anna Akosua Appiah Gottfried Anaafi Gyasi, in its ruling held that the offences forming the basis of the extradition, particularly wire fraud, constitute extraditable offences under the 1931 treaty between Ghana and the United States.
He was then given 15 days counting from March 27 to appeal the decision of the court or be surrendered for extradition to the US.
Against this backdrop, he was on Tuesday, April 22, granted a bail in the sum of GH¢30,000,000 by an Accra High, pending the appeal of his extradition
Mr Kumi was arrested in Ghana in December 2025 following an indictment by United States authorities, alleging that he played a role in a romance scam network that defrauded elderly American victims of more than $8 million.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
News
From panic to pass: how parents, teachers can help children beat BECE, WASSCE exam phobia- Part 1
Walk through any Junior High or Senior High compound in Ghana as BECE or WASSCE approaches and you will see it.
A bright girl suddenly quiet. A boy who led class debates now sleeping at his desk. A Form three student with stomach pains every Monday morning.
This is not laziness. This is academic stress. When left unaddressed, it hardens into exam phobia-overwhelming dread that pushes children into burnout, avoidance, and sometimes silence.
As a mental health professional who sits with these children and their parents at Counselor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC) in Adenta Oyarifa-Teiman, I see the pattern clearly.
Research confirms it. Putwain and Daly (2014) found that high test anxiety predicts lower grades independent of ability. Zeidner (1998) showed that chronic academic pressure raises cortisol, weakens memory recall, and increases school dropout risk. The brain under fear cannot retrieve what it studied.
Understanding the storm: What academic stress really looks like
Exam phobia is not just “being nervous.” It shows up as headaches before mocks, sudden anger when books are mentioned, night-time insomnia, or perfectionism that ends in blank scripts.
Some children over-study until 2 a.m. and forget everything by 9 a.m. Others avoid books completely, scrolling phones instead. Both are distress signals. Dr Kenneth Ginsburg, a paediatrician specialising in adolescent resilience, notes: “Stress is not the enemy; feeling alone with stress is.” Too many Ghanaian children feel alone with it.
The home front: How parents and couples become safe havens, not extra pressure
The first antidote is at home. Structure beats shouting. Set a predictable study slot-same time, same place, with water and a light snack. Then protect sleep like you protect school fees. A tired brain fails faster than an unprepared one. Use the “15-minute start rule”: “Just sit for 15 minutes. If you still can’t, we close and try after a walk.” Often, starting is the hardest part.
Couples must watch their language. “Don’t disgrace us” plants fear. Replace it with “We see your effort. What part feels hardest today?” Praise process, not only position: “You revised three topics and asked for help—that is maturity.” Research by Dweck (2006) confirms that process praise builds resilience while outcome praise increases anxiety.
For caregivers, check your own anxiety. Children borrow our nervous system. If BECE makes you panic, they will panic. One parent grounds—keeps meals, prayer, and bedtime steady. The other pivots—talks to teachers, adjusts timetables, arranges counselling. Both protect rest. An empty cup cannot pour calm.
Resources
– Counsellor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC): Award-winning Clinical Mental Health and Counselling Facility, accredited by the Ghana Psychology Council.
– School-Based Support: Speak to Guidance & Counselling units, or licensed school counsellors. E.g. Counsellor Blessing Offei – 0559850604 (School Counsellor).
– Contact CPAC for Parent Coaching/Counselling & Student Therapy: 055 985 0604 / 055 142 8486
