News
WOMEC sensitises girls to aspire higher
Women, Media and Change (WOMEC), as part of its Gender Transformative Programming (GTP) Turning Point project has made a clarion call on girls at Princeton Academy, Okushibri KKMA Basic School and Appolonnia KKMA JHS to aspire higher in their future endeavours to become agents of change to their communities.
Under the theme “Empowering the Girl Child: A necessary tool for closing the Gender Gap”, WOMEC admonished the girls to always aim higher and make education their valuable tool to harness their potentials.
Executive Director of WOMEC, Dr. Charity Binka said it was prudent to give the girl child equal opportunity irrespective of her race, background and religion for her to achieve her desirable goals in future.
Dr. Binka made these assertions in commemoration of the International Women’s Day, recently.
She lamented that violence against women was on the increase , indicating that many women were out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic, while many girls had also dropped out of school.
“However, the pandemic cannot be blamed for the woeful representation of women in decision making, politics and public life”, she stressed.
Dr. Binka indicated that “the 2021 Global Gender Gap Report of the World Economic Forum estimates that it will take 135.6 years to close the gender gap worldwide and 145.6 years to attain gender parity in politics.”
“The Constitution of Ghana guarantees equal rights of women and men, yet disparities in education, employment, politics, leadership positions and health for women remain a worry”, she said.
Article 17(1) and (2) of the Constitution guarantees gender equality and freedom of men and women, girls and boys from discrimination on the basis of social or economic status, religion, ethnic grounds.
The Gender Advocate said, to achieve accelerated growth as a nation, Ghana must take steps to ensure that women and girls were put at the centre of planning and programming in national issues.
Dr. Binka called on the government to integrate gender perspectives into all national laws and policies, adding that measures must be introduced to protect girls and provide them with quality education.
She further called on government to take immediate steps to expedite efforts towards the passage of Affirmative Bill into law and said there was the need for intense advocacy on gender equality and empowerment of women and girls.
Dr. Vanessa Nsiah Akosah, Child Rights Activist and a Dental Surgeon also advised the girls not to be scared of taking competitive roles in the society because they had the ability to equally perform like their male counterparts.
She urged stakeholders in the fight of gender parity to constantly support, motivate and encourage girls to see education as an empowerment to the attainment of their future goals.
“But boys should not be sidelined in the fight for gender equality”, she cautioned.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour by the Bekwai Circuit Court for his role in a 2022 robbery at a mining site at Manso Akwasiso in the Ashanti South Region.
The convict, Dominic Ofori, also known as Fanta, was arrested on 16th February 2026 after years on the run. He pleaded guilty before the Bekwai Circuit Court to robbery contrary to Section 149 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 Act 29, and was accordingly sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour.
On March 20, 2022, the Manso Adubia District Police received intelligence that a group of armed men from Manso Abodom were planning to attack a mining site at Manso Akwasiso to rob the owner of gold concentrate. Acting on the information, police mounted a coordinated operation and laid an ambush at the site.
At about 5:30 pm the same day, four-armed men arrived at the site, fired indiscriminately, and robbed the miners of their gold concentrate. The police team on surveillance intervened, resulting in an exchange of gunfire.
Three of the suspects, Abu Abubakar, Musah Latif, and Gideon Takyi, sustained gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead on arrival at St Martins Catholic Hospital at Agroyesum. Dominic Ofori escaped at the time but was later arrested and put before the court.
The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has assured the public of its continued commitment to combating violent crimes and bringing offenders to justice.
The Ashanti Regional Police Command has arrested 45-year-old Isaac Boafo, also known as “Duabo King,” for allegedly publishing false news intended to cause fear and panic.
Police said the arrest follows a viral TikTok video in which Boafo claimed that four officers at the Central Police Station in Kumasi engaged in inappropriate conduct with commercial sex workers during night patrols in Asafo.
Officers from the Police Intelligence Directorate (Ashanti Region) apprehended Boafo after receiving intelligence about the video.
During questioning, he admitted to creating the video to attract views and engagement online, and acknowledged that he could not prove the allegations.
Boafo also admitted making comments about the President of the Republic for content purposes and could not defend those statements.
He has been formally charged and is in detention as investigations continue.
The Ashanti Regional Police have warned the public against publishing or sharing false information on social media, noting that such acts can cause fear, panic, and damage reputations.
They said anyone found engaging in similar conduct will face legal action.
By: Jacob Aggrey
