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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
Firefighters from the Upper West Regional Command have responded to a vehicular incident involving a long vehicle carrying 35 Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBC totes) reportedly containing hydrogen peroxide at Goriyiri in the Nadowli-Kaleo District.
The five-member crew, led by ASTNO Balagee, reported to the scene where a fire and an explosion had reportedly occurred.
The firefighters assessed the scene, identified the chemical hazards and implemented appropriate response measures, bringing the situation under control.
The driver reportedly sustained severe chemical burns and was transported to the hospital for treatment.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Dr Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, spokesperson to NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has called on the government and Parliament to undertake major reforms in Ghana’s prison system, including the construction of a dedicated prison hospital and the introduction of regulated conjugal visits.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, Dr Boakye-Danquah shared Chairman Wontumi’s observations and recommendations following his remand on July 20, 2026.
According to the statement, Chairman Wontumi’s experience in prison has given him the opportunity to interact with prison officers and inmates and observe the challenges facing the Ghana Prisons Service.
The statement noted that the NPP chairman believes the correctional system must move beyond punishment to focus on rehabilitation, welfare and productivity.
One of his major concerns is the lack of dedicated, well-equipped prison hospitals, ambulances and standby generators in several prison facilities.
Dr Boakye-Danquah said Chairman Wontumi had raised concerns about the difficulties in providing medical care to seriously ill inmates, including those suffering from tuberculosis.
He is therefore calling for the construction of a modern prison hospital to serve facilities across the country. In the interim, he has proposed emergency arrangements with the 37 Military Hospital and the Police Hospital.
On the welfare of prison officers, Chairman Wontumi has urged the government to review their salaries, accommodation and conditions of service.
He has also called for proper classification of inmates, arguing that minor offenders should not be housed alongside armed robbery convicts and that persons facing trial for serious offences, including treason and terrorism, should be appropriately separated from other inmates.
The statement further highlighted concerns about the need for counselling and behavioural support for young inmates, particularly those serving sentences for defilement-related offences.
Chairman Wontumi has also called for a clear policy on the classification and management of LGBTQI+ inmates within the prison system.
On family relationships, he has proposed the creation of designated private areas where prisoners can receive visits from their spouses and children.
He believes regulated conjugal visits could help preserve marriages, reduce tension among inmates and support rehabilitation.
“The prisoner is the one in prison, not the children or spouse,” the statement noted, explaining his position on the need to protect family relationships during incarceration.
Chairman Wontumi has appealed to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to support prison farms with the necessary equipment to improve food production.
According to the statement, the Ghana Prisons Service has access to vast lands and skilled labour but faces a shortage of agricultural equipment, with only one tractor reportedly available for farming and garbage-related activities.
He has further proposed greater collaboration between prison authorities and the justice sector, suggesting that regional prison commanders should be included in relevant discussions because of their knowledge of prison conditions and inmate rehabilitation.
On infrastructure, Chairman Wontumi has called on the government and private sector to invest in modern prison facilities and factories, arguing that the system has seen limited structural improvements over the years.
Appeal to Parliament
Dr Boakye-Danquah said Chairman Wontumi had made a special appeal to Parliament to lead efforts towards comprehensive prison reform.
He is urging the Speaker of Parliament to initiate discussions on prison conditions as a human rights and national development issue.
He has also called on the Majority and Minority caucuses to work together to pass a new Prison Reform Act and approve funding for a dedicated prison hospital, ambulance services, standby generators and agricultural equipment.
Additionally, he wants the Parliamentary Select Committees on Defence and Interior, Health, and Food and Agriculture to undertake working visits to prisons across the country to assess conditions firsthand.
According to the statement, Chairman Wontumi believes bipartisan cooperation between the Majority and Minority caucuses is necessary to secure the legal and financial reforms required to improve the prison system.
He has called for broader prison reforms across Africa, expressing hope that Ghana could lead the continent in improving correctional facilities.
Reflecting on his experience since July 20, Chairman Wontumi stated: “At this experience since July 20th till date, prison doesn’t reform as it should be. I pray that the entire Africa will learn from Ghana.”
The statement added that Chairman Wontumi remained in high spirits.
By: Jacob Aggrey
