News
88 Ellembelle women graduate from Adamus Resources skills training
Ms List(right) with CEO of African Investment Consortium, Kwasi Agbley (left) and Chairman, Kofi Graham, inspecting the products displayed at the exhibition.
Eighty-eight women received certificates in skilled development under the Adamus Resources Limited (ARL) Women Empowerment Project (WEP) at a graduation ceremony held at Ampain in the Ellembelle district of the Western Region.
They also received start-up kits.
The graduands, as part of the event, showcased their talents in soap, bleach, pomade-making, hair styling among others.
The ARL-College of Beauty Arts and Entrepreneurship (CBAE), took the students through make-up artistry, hair technology, products formation, millinery and accessories for three months.
Speaking at the event on Saturday, the General Manager of ARL, Mr Alex Mensah Hagan, expressed the company’s desire to ensure the development of host communities.
One of such approaches, he mentioned, was the WEP, which he added, would transform the economy of women in Elllembelle.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ARL, Ms Angela List, was optimistic that the achievement of WEP, so far, demonstrated the capacity of the women to aspire higher, stating that “the display of the products at the exhibition is an inspiration to us.”
The Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, who chaired the event, said WEP was an opportunity to enhance the economic status of women in Ellembelle.
He said, if women in Ghana were endowed with employable skills, communities in the region would take charge of production and national development.
“Entrepreneurship is the only way. If the people of the Western Region have the skills and own the productive assets, they can be rich. If you want to be rich, own the productive assets and be competitive in both Ghana and the world. With these skills, you will never go hungry,” he stressed.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellembelle, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, said WEP was important “because mining will one day be over and what is key is what we do with the communities.”
He said “I am excited that despite the challenges, the 88 women successfully graduated in just three months of intensive skills training programme. Employment is a national security issue and so provision of skills is key.”
Mr Armah announced that he would liaise with Adamus Resources to ensure another batch of 2,000 people are enrolled under the programme to also train the youth in skills development.
Other speakers at the graduation were the CEO of CBAE, Rebecca Donkor, CEO of the African Investment Consortium, Kwasi Agbley and the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Ellembelle, Kwasi Bonzo.
From Clement Adzei Boye, Ampain
News
Craze for x’mas shopping: Crowded markets, low patronage
Vendors of food and other wares associated with the Christmas celebration have expressed surprise at the low patronage despite the increased number of visitors to some of the major markets across the capital.
Four days to the celebration(Christmas), the markets are filled with various products ranging from food, clothing, livestock and many other stuff, but according to the vendors, patrons are doing more ‘window’ shopping.
The Spectator on visits to some of the markets in the capital, notably the Odawna, Makola, Accra Central Business District, New Town and others made similar observations as shoppers crowd them but did little in terms of purchases.
The paper also observed that majority of vendors, originally selling other wares have switched to product related to the festive season.
What it means is that there are a lot more clothes, food and vegetables, livestock and poultry, toys, firecrackers, drinks of different types and many others on display.
The markets have also stretched to the pedestrian pavement, leaving very narrow spaces for commuters to move about freely.
That, in addition to a few of the female vendors dressed in coloured attires to reflect the occasion, has heightened the euphoria, leaving the low sales as the only headache for the vendors.
Speaking with this paper, they sounded very optimistic, believing that sales would improve in the last few days to the yuletide.
According to them, there was the opportunity to sell beyond Christmas as the New Year celebration offers similar opportunity to trade the same wares.
They urged patrons to throng the markets to shop since prices were quite moderate and products affordable for all.
News
Retirement service for Elder John Ackom-Asante,3 others
Retired Deputy Editor of The Spectator, Elder John Ackom-Asante, was last Sunday honoured by the Church of Pentecost Windy Hills District in Kasoa in the Central Region, with a retirement thanksgiving service, after serving for 26 year as an Elder of the church.
He was honoured with a citation and certificate of service along with three other elders who served in the capacity for various years.
Elder Ackom-Asante was baptised at the Darkuman Central Assembly in 1979 and ordained as an Elder in 1997.
The citation read “Your selfless service, zeal, willingness to relate wholeheartedly and your desire to effect change has gone a long way to shape the lives of many people in the church and the nation over the 26 years of your dedication to the service of the Lord.”
Elder Ackom- Asante held many positions at the Darkuman Central Assembly, Obuasi in the Ashanti Region and Tema, serving in various capacities as youth and evangelism ministry leader and marriage counsellor.
He was the founding member of the Darkuman Christian Fellowship, a member of the Greater Accra Christian Fellowship; member of Bible Society of Ghana; founding member Obuasi Chapter Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship International and founding member of New Times Corporation Christian Fellowship and Chaplain, Methodist University Tema Campus 2009- 2010.
As a professional journalist, Elder Ackom-Asante combined effectively and efficiently his duty as a member and elder of the church and the demands of his profession, with admiration from the church, kith and kin, till his retirement on December
From Alhaji Salifu Abdul-Rahaman, Kasoa
