Features
Steve Ntim: The irresistible choice (Part 1)
As political parties in Ghana advance along the path of establishing themselves as democratic institutions, the individual parties are all working hard to ensure internal election of their officers before contesting the next general elections in 2024.
At the moment, it is the New Patriotic Party (NPP) that has organised internal elections for its members. Various positions have been contested in the different constituencies at the zonal, constituency and national levels. Some of the positions are constituency secretaries, regional youth organisers, regional chairmen and their respective first and second vice positions regarding some of the positions.
HOT CONTEST
The contest within the NPP is a hot one for all the positions. As the party moves forward, national elections will also be held for National Chairman, General Secretary, Treasurer and so on. After all this, a flagbearer will also be elected to lead the party in the next presidential election in 2024.
For now, we are focusing on who becomes the National Chairman for the NPP. This position is very important and it is being contested by a number of candidates and each of them is known in terms of their respective competence and organisational abilities.
The point must be made, however, that even though they all qualify to become National Chairman, it is only one of them who stands tall among them. This person is the man known as Stephen Ayesu Ntim.
HIS TRAITS
Mr. Stephen Ayesu Ntim is well known in the party as a mature and competent person whose commitment to the ideals of the party is beyond doubt. He has contested for the position over the years but without success and many people, unlike him, would have given up long ago to contest for the position again.
His commitment and desire to come on board to help in controlling the affairs in the party has encouraged him to stay on. There are many people in the party who after losing internal elections or are unhappy with certain things immediately announce to members of the NPP that they have left the party. Leaving the party on such grounds is not a matured way of presenting oneself to delegates and other members of the party to again contest elections after they have been persuaded to come back to the party.
In the case of Stephen Ntim, he has proved to be a matured person when it comes to remaining loyal and also exhibiting maturity even in the midst of loss in internal elections. It is for this reason that members of the party has great respect and support for him.
SUPPORT FOR EVERYONE
This man has made pronouncements that he supports everyone who would want to contest for the presidential candidate slot in the party. Once again, he has exhibited maturity in this direction since taking sides with any of the candidates can prove disastrous in terms of potential and actual disunity.
He also believes in the principle of free contest for all. For him, anyone who wants to contest for any position ought to be allowed to do so.
It is his intention to unify the party and make it possible for all and sundry to voice out their feelings in line with the democratic aspirations of the NPP. He is not a dictator and is a respecter of all persons. For this reason he must be given the opportunity to serve as a noble National Chairman of this great party.
COMMITMENT TO PRINCIPLES
Stephen Ntim stands for the principle of fair play as well as respect for all persons within the party irrespective of levels. He is of the firm belief that since it is party that gives birth to government, the government machinery should never look down on party supporters. This is why he is coming out with a very strong strategy to unite all fronts and ensure that the NPP is able to break the eight-year cycle that has characterised the reigns of governments in Ghana since 1993 when the political dispensation in this country began. In 2020, certain things did not go well for the party not because the government did not perform but simply because of bickerings and division within the party.
In an interview with him, he has made it clear that all factions within the NPP need to come together as a strong force in order to break the eight-year cycle in grand style.
COMMITMENT TO UNITY AND PROGRESS
He has made it clear that, inspite of the economic challenges going on around the world, an unfortunate development that has affected Ghana, he will be resolute in his determination to collaborate with the various segments within the party in both the rural and urban areas to establish unparalleled victory for his beloved party.
In conclusion, therefore, the party delegates and members ought to support no other person but Mr. Stephen Ayesu Ntim who stands for nothing but fair play, fairness, respect for each other, unique party progress, dynamism and victory in grand style. If this is what the NPP stands for, then the obvious and irresistible choice is Mr. Ayesu Ntim.
By Dr. Kofi Amponsah-Bediako
On Sunday, October 11, 2026, it was the turn of Ghanaian Catholics in Finland to lead the singing in the church service of the African Catholic Chaplaincy in Finland (ACCF).
It was indeed a spirit-filled feeling for worshippers present. And for the Ghanaian migrants, the occasion also brought back to them memories of church services in their home country, Ghana.
The ACCF has a roster for each country/community to sing from time to time. Next Sunday will be the turn of the Nigerian community. Other communities that usually sing are the Kenyan/Tanzanian community, the Cameroonian, the Ugandan, group, etc.
A powerful religious experience
The mass services of the Chaplaincy usually give a powerful religious experience and a display of cultural diversity, especially in occasions such as when the Bishop of Helsinki, Bishop Raimo Goyarrola, celebrated mass with the Chaplaincy on Pentecost Day, May 24, 2026.
There was a similar time of spiritual joy last month (September 27, 2026) when Emeritus Bishop Teemu Sippo, former Bishop of Helsinki, visited the Chaplaincy. Bishop Teemu was the main celebrant, assisted by the Chaplain, Reverend Father Thomas Otieno.
Last Sunday, Reverend Father Bernard Sor, a Ghanaian Catholic priest based in Austria, was the main celebrant in the mass service where he performed a rite of baptism. Fr Bernard had celebrated mass a few months ago when he visited his sister and her husband in Helsinki. 
All these well-attended religious occasions indeed leave lasting memories. The homilies (peaching) by the priests usually emphasize religious tenets such as the importance of loving and serving God in truth, existing in peace with our fellow humans to promote unity in diversity, etc.
Unity in diversity and a colourful display of cultures
The African Chaplaincy church services usually produce impressive displays of diverse cultures from different parts of Africa and elsewhere. The events are often spiced by rich cultural displays of dances and colourful attires which are a delight to watch.
On special occasions, members of the Ghanaian Catholic community, in their gay and colourful kente attire and with adowa dance and music, usually lead the procession into the church. Other communities such as the Cameroonian, Nigerian, Kenyan and Tanzanian as well as Sudanese/South Sudanese groups also put up well-choreographed performances from their cultures.
The African Catholic Chaplaincy in Finland
The African Chaplaincy was founded on June 4, 2017, which was a Pentecost Sunday, in a Pontifical High Mass celebrated by Monsignor Emeritus Sippo S.C.I., the then Bishop of Helsinki, at the St. Mary’s Catholic Parish Church in Helsinki.
The Chaplaincy was created by Bishop Teemu in collaboration with the Diocesan body when they detected a great flocking of African immigrants to Finland, the majority of whom were Catholics. This was to give the immigrants a possibility to integrate into the Finnish society by worshiping as Catholics and in their African cultural identity.
The responsibility of the Chaplaincy was given by Bishop Teemu to Father Dr Leonard Wobilla Shwei, who is thus the first Chaplain and ably led the Chaplaincy. He was succeeded a few years ago by Father Thomas Otieno, who continues to move the Chaplaincy forward. Thank you!
GHANA MATTERS column appears fortnightly. Written in simple, layman’s terms, it concentrates on matters about Ghana and beyond. It focuses on everyday life issues relating to the social, cultural, economic, religious, political, health, sports, youth, gender, etc. It strives to remind us all that Ghana comes first. The column also takes a candid look at the meanings and repercussions of our actions, especially those things we take for granted or even ignore. There are key Ghanaian values we should uphold rather than disregard with impunity. We should not overlook the obvious. We need to search for the hidden or deeply embedded values and try to project them.
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
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She did not find out he was cheating. She found out he was drowning.
It was two weeks after their beautiful wedding. The jollof was still in the fridge. A loan officer called her number-not his-and politely asked, “Madam, please tell your husband to pay his overdue loan. We have been calling him.”
That was how she discovered her new husband had entered their marriage with a hidden debt of over GH¢ 40,000. No cheating. No other woman. Just a financial secret.
And that is how many Ghanaian marriages begin to die. Not with a shout, but with a secret alert on a phone.
We prepare for the wedding. We do not prepare for the wallet.
What is money honesty?
Let me define it simply. Money honesty is not that you both earn the same. It is that you both know the same. It is the ability to sit down and say without fear:
“This is how much I earn.”
“This is how much I owe.”
“This is how I was raised to see money.”
“This is what scares me about money.”
Financial transparency is not about control. It is about clarity. You cannot build trust on top of secrets.
Many couples tell me, “Counsellor, we love each other, love will handle money.” I always answer, “Love is the car, but money honesty is the fuel. Love without honesty cannot move.”
How To Buy Your Marriage Insurance Today – My 5-Step Protocol
If you are engaged, newly married, or even 20 years in marriage, you can still fix this. At Counsellor Prince & Associates Consult—CPAC, this is what I give couples:
Step 1: The 90-Minute Money Naked Session.
No phones, no blame. Each partner writes down on paper: Monthly income, monthly debts, monthly family obligations, savings, and your biggest money fear. Then you exchange papers. Read it. Don’t react for 24 hours. Just absorb.
Step 2: Create OUR Money, YOUR Money, My Money.
You need three pots. OUR money for rent, food, school fees, utilities, properties, and the like— joint contribution. YOUR money and MY money—a small agreed allowance no one questions. This stops the feeling of being controlled.
Step 3: The No-Secret Debt Rule.
Agree from today: No new loan, no new hire purchase, no new family financial commitment above GHS 500 without telling each other first. Not permission, but information.
Step 4: Talk About Your Money Personality.
Are you a Spender or a Saver? Are you Risky or Safe? Most Ghanaian marriages are a Spender married to a Saver. Neither is wrong. But if you don’t understand your partner’s personality, you will call his saving “stinginess” and her spending “wastefulness.”
Step 5: Do a Monthly 30-Minute Money Date
Not an argument date. Light, with tea. “How did we do this month? What worried you? What should we plan for next month?” Couples who do this divorce far less.
My Final Word
Before you say “I Do” at the altar, have pre-marital counselling and also have the money talk on the sofa.
Ask your partner:
“If I lost my job today, how long can we survive?”
“What debt are you bringing into this marriage?”
“How much do you send to your family monthly and will that continue?”
If he or she gets angry that you asked, don’t get married yet. A person who is angry about accountability will be abusive about money.
Marriage insurance is not bought at Star Assurance or Enterprise. It is bought in honest conversations when no one is watching.
The wedding costs one day. The marriage costs a lifetime. Don’t enter a lifetime contract and covenant with hidden costs.
You can still insure your marriage today.
Source:
Counselor Prince Offei, CPAC’s founder, is a leading Mental Health Professional, Marriage Counsellor, Author, ADR Expert/Arbitrator, and Spectator Newspaper Columnist. He writes on relationships, marriage, parenting, special needs support, and their connection to mental health. For therapy, counselling, or enquiries, contact Counselor Prince & Associates Consult (CPAC) in Accra on 0559850604 / 0551428486.
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