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Speak local dialect with wards-parents advised
Mr Peter Marfo addressing participants at the Nyansapo Afehye held in Koforidua
The Acting Director of the Centre for National Culture(CNC) in the Eastern region, Mr Peter Kofi Marfo has called on parents to teach and speak the local dialect with their children as it gives them solid foundation and proper identity.
According to him, many parents in the country have abandoned their local languages and rather speak English language with their wards at home.
“The main ethnic identity is the native language teaching the children the local language and speaking with them at home would enable them identify themselves as Ghanaians become good learners of other languages, he disclosed.
Mr Marfo was speaking at this year’s Nyansapͻ Afahyε Festival and competition organised by the CNC in Koforidua on the theme: “The Mother Tongue, a solid foundation that can influence the state cultural value.”
Several schools in Koforidua including King of Kings School,Samplex Education Complex, Aspire Educational Institute, Laders International School, Aggrey Development Centre, Lizben Educational Complex, Brentford International Academy, and South Harbour Christian Academy participated in the festival and competition sponsored by P&F Ventures gold store operators and Kwaku Okyere Company Limited, producers of drinks.
The pupils as part of the festival and competition recited poems in the local dialects used proverbs, idiomatic expressions and identified some Adinkra symbols.
“The local language ensures the preservation of our distinct cultural values and heritage hence we should endeavour to teach and speak the local languages with our children,” he said.
He noted that some parents spoke the English language with their wards for fear that their wards would not be academically good however, he stated that children who were first taught in the local dialects become better learners.
For her part, the Municipal Cultural Officer at the New Juaben South Municipal Assembly, Madam Agnes Nyarko has called on heads of schools, especially private schools to make it an option for pupils to speak their local dialect during recreational periods.
She said the mother tongue was the fundamental way to influence the youth to cherish and understand the good morals of the country and hence appealed to parents and heads of educational institutions to allow the children to speak the local dialects to enable them express themselvesbetter.
At the end of the competition and festival, Aggrey Development School emerged first, Aspire Educational Complex took the second position and Samplex Educational Complex took third position.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
Ghana’s First Lady, Lordina Mahama, has made a generous donation to the country’s national female Under-17 and Under-20 teams – Black Maidens and Black Princesses- as they continue preparations for major international assignments.
The donation, made on Friday, May 22, was presented on behalf of the First Lady by the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, at the GFA Technical Centre in Prampram.
The gesture forms part of efforts to motivate and support Ghana’s young female footballers as they prepare to represent the country on the international stage.
The donation included essential food items and toiletries aimed at supporting the welfare and well-being of the players and technical teams.
The donation included cartons of Milo, T-rolls, soft drinks, toiletries, and a range of essential supplies aimed at supporting the welfare of the players, enhancing camp conditions, and easing preparations ahead of their respective assignments.
The Black Maidens are currently engaged in preparations for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers and are set to take on Liberia women’s national under-17 football team in the second-leg encounter in Liberia this weekend.
Meanwhile, the Black Princesses have already secured qualification to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after overcoming Uganda in the qualifiers, extending Ghana’s remarkable record to eight consecutive appearances at the tournament.
The donation by the First Lady was expected to boost morale within both camps while reinforcing national support for the young female footballers who continue to make the country proud.
The prosecution has officially rested its case in The Republic v Solomon Asamoah & Another, the high-profile legal battle commonly referred to as the “Sky Train” case.
The Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai announced the development, praising the state’s team of hard-working prosecutors for successfully anchoring the state’s evidence before the High Court.
The criminal trial centers on the former Chief Executive Officer and the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).
The duo stands accused of illegally authorizing and paying out US$2 million to a foreign company without obtaining board directives or other mandatory statutory approvals.
State investigators have confirmed that the disbursed millions cannot be found.
Following the closure of the prosecution’s case, the accused persons moved the court for an opportunity to file a submission of no case.
The presiding judge granted the application, ordering the defense to submit their arguments by June 8.
The outcome of the June 8 filings will decide the fate of the trial:
With this, if the judge finds the defense’s submission convincing, the accused will be acquitted and discharged however, If the judge dismisses the submission, the court will order the accused officials to take the stand and explain why they should not face prison sentences.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
