News
Social enterprise initiative launched to boost SME operations
• Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Relations,
Mr Bright Wireko-Brobbey speaking at the launch
A social enterprise initiative aimed at accelerating the growth of small and medium enterprises in Ghana has been launched in Accra.
The project dubbed ‘I Am Investible’ (iAi) is one of the flagship initiatives by Samaritan Angels Limited (SAL).
It aims to accelerate the growth of local enterprises and create 20,000 jobs over the next three years as well as provide Ghanaian entrepreneurs, formal and informal start-ups with financial assistance, mentorship, and technical support.
According to SAL, 200 enterprises are expected to receive a share of a GH¢10 million (GH¢3 million a year) grant while 2,000 others would receive mentorship and technical support over the next three years.
Board Member of the Samaritan Angels Limited, Nana Yaw Amponsah, said the project would empower small and growing businesses to contribute to the economic development of Ghana by creating jobs.
He said the board had set the target for beneficiaries to employ at least one individual in their enterprises after receiving the support.
The Managing Consultant of iAi, Angelina Diyuoh Minski said SAL would support SMEs using its ABC Model, which signifies access to small grants of up to GH¢50,000 to enterprises, Business advisory services and Capacity development.
“We hope that the enterprises will be able to contribute to the economic development of Ghana by creating at least one job each,” Mrs Minski said.
“Samaritan Angels is here to support formal and informal businesses to be able to have funding to scale up their businesses.”
The Employment and Labour Relations Minister, Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, in an address read on his behalf by his Deputy, Bright Wireko Brobbey, said the iAi would enhance the competitiveness and growth of SMEs and support the government’s job creation agenda.
He was certain that with the holistic support provided under the project, SMEs would contribute more to the development of the country.
He said the government would continue to explore innovative ways to support private sector projects such as iAi.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of eTransact and Head of Mission, Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, John Apea, assured that his outfit would support iAi to make its vision to resource SMEs a reality.
He urged the initial beneficiaries to display high levels of integrity to ensure that more businesses could benefit from the iAi.
Entrepreneurs in Ghana between the ages of 16 and 55 in any sector could visit the website to apply.
Applicants in any of Ghana’s 16 regions are to upload a two-minute video speaking about their business or prepare a 250-word pitch in addition to a GH¢150 processing fee at submission.
The pitches would be evaluated for funding and support by a four-person judging panel, comprising the CEO of GUBA, Dentaa Amoateng MBE; Angelina Diyuoh Minski; CEO, EMI Group Africa, Ekow Mensah; and CEO of Horseman, Tonyi Senayah.
By Spectator Reporter
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
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