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Work together to end open defecation -NCCE to stakeholders
The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has charged relevant stakeholders to work together to end open defecation so Ghana could achieve its SDGs which Ghana has less than seven years to attain.
Mrs Ophelia Ankrah, the Eastern Regional Director said communicable diseases such as, cholera and diarrhea would continue to plague the nation if pragmatic and collaborative efforts are not put in place to arrest the situation.
Speaking at a journalists empowerment forum, organised by the Media Coalition Against Open Defecation (MCODe) with support from World Vision Ghana in Koforidua, the training was to accelerate the fight against open defecation in the region as Ghana works towards eradicating it by 2030.
The Regional Director said, “We are challenged during the rainy season, which exposes us to various diseases such as cholera, Malaria and diarrhea stressing the need for OD to be eliminated.”
She however commended the Media Coalition Against Open Defecation (MCODe) for initiating a relentless nationwide advocacy to end the practice by 2030.
Mrs Ankrah said the Commission, at the regional level, would collaborate with other stakeholders to ensure that “we all fight against the problem and deal with it holistically.”
“We will work with M-CODe Eastern Regional Branch to upscale the fight; we need to fight on towards attaining open defecation-free status in the region,” she said.
Mr Francis Ameyibor, M-CODe National Convenor, said the coalition was seeking to create a synergy for media practitioners and other stakeholders to work together, identify challenges and operational gaps towards a common goal in the fight against open defecation.
The journalists empowerment forum event formed part of “M-CODe 2023 Anti-Open Defecation nationwide advocacy efforts,” supported by World Vision Ghana, he said.
Mr Yaw Atta Arhin, World Vision Ghana’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Technical Coordinator, said while Ghana had made remarkable progress in respect of access to safe water, it was regrettable that same could not be said of environmental sanitation.
“Progress towards universal access to improved sanitation and ending open defecation continues to be very slow,” he said.
Mr Arhin charged the coalition to upscale its efforts across the country through innovative programmes, the engagement of celebrities as open defecation free ambassadors, and the use of social and traditional media to consistently drum home the message.
Representatives from the Eastern Regional Coordination Council, the Regional Environmental Health Office, NCCE, Regional SHEP, and the Ghana Education Service (GES), participated in the forum.
Others were the Ghana Health Service, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice,(CHRAJ) and the Community Water and Sanitation Agency(CWSA).
BY BENEDICTA GYIMAAH FOLLEY
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Focus on more pressing issues like Galamsey, not hate speech – Ellen Ama Daaku to Mahama
An aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia,Ellen Ama Daaku has advised President John Dramani Mahama to shift his attention from social media hate speech to more urgent national issues such as illegal mining.
Speaking in an interview, she noted that the President’s recent comments about tracking the IP addresses of people who spread hate speech were unnecessary.
According to her, President Mahama must first define what he considers to be hate speech before seeking to punish people for it.
Ms. Daaku argued that the President himself had benefitted from hate speech and social media attacks in the past when he was in opposition.
She said even during his time in government, he described his opponents and their tribesmen in unpalatable terms, which later drew complaints from former President Nana Akufo-Addo to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
She stressed that harsh criticism of leaders on social media should not automatically be considered hate speech, adding that former leaders, including former President Nana Akufo-Addo had all been subjected to it.
“He is only feeling what Nana Akufo-Addo went through for eight years,” she remarked.
While acknowledging the need to regulate misconduct online, Ms. Daaku insisted that going after social media activists should not be a priority.
She noted that many political activists, including herself, had been insulted and attacked online but never called for arrests.
She concluded that President Mahama should focus his energy on solving pressing problems such as galamsey and the economy instead of concentrating on critics on social media.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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Prof Alidu Seidu files nomination for Tamale Central seat
The newly elected parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Tamale Central, Prof Alidu Seidu, has submitted his nomination forms to the Electoral Commission.
As of 10:00 a.m. today, he was the only person who had filed to contest the seat.
Nomination of candidates will close at the end of the day.
Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana Legon, Prof. Alidu Seidu won the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries in the Tamale Central constituency with a landslide victory.
The elections, supervised by the party’s Elections and IT Directorate in the Northern Region, saw Prof. Seidu poll 840 votes out of the total valid ballots cast.
His closest contender, Lawyer Hanan Gundadow Abdul-Rahaman, secured 536 votes.
The other aspirants could not make significant gains, with Dr. Seidu Fiter obtaining 44 votes, Aliu Abdul-Hamid 23 votes, and the rest recording fewer than 10 votes each.
In all, 1,500 ballots were cast, with 6 ballots rejected and 7 spoilt ballots recorded.
The results were signed and declared by Dr. Arnold Mashud Abukari, NDC Northern Regional Director of Elections and IT.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) held parliamentary primaries in Tamale Central to choose a candidate for the upcoming by-election following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed. Dr. Mohammed, who also served as Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, tragically died in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District on August 6, 2025, alongside seven others.
His passing left the Tamale Central seat vacant, as required by Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled the by-election for September 30, 2025. While the NDC moved quickly to open nominations and vet aspirants, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) announced it would not contest the seat, citing the need to respect the somber circumstances and promote national unity.
By: Jacob Aggrey
