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Nana Ansah Kwao IV, making outstanding change in his jurisdiction
Poised for making development and transformation as a double edged-sword in his capacity as a chief, his pledge to ensuring that the narrative of inequality was changed in order to ensure gender parity in rural settings is achieved through sound and innovative policies in his kingdom and the country at large.
Despite a challenging impediment on him as a dyslexic, a condition that made it uneasy to exhibit his writing prowess, Nana Ansah Kwao IV, Chief of Akwamu Adumasa has surmounted all hurdles to become a beacon of hope to his society.
His unquenchable quest to bring freedom, sanity and decorum among his subjects was worth the cause as a good leader which made his rule more successful and an accomplished one.
Securing an indelible mark on his throne, Nana Ansah Kwao IV is of the assertion that “we must be planting trees today for tomorrow’s children to harvest and enjoy its fruits”.
According to him, the above statement is to ensure that the current generation lives a life that would impact and make life more comfortable for the future generation.
The Spectator in an interview with Nana Ansah Kwao IV delved into his noble life and his persevering nature to make the society a safer haven for all.
Lineage
Hailing from a fortunate royal family called the Sintim Misa, Nana Ansah Kwao IV comes from a well educated family where his late grandfather, Rev. G.K. Sintim Misa was the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana for 12 good years.
He was born to Kwame Danso Misa, a royal from Abomusu, the Akyempim Hene of Kyebi in the days of Kuntumkunnumkum and Nana Esi Danso Misa who hails from Adumasa in the Eastern Region.
According to him, his line of inheritance is matrilineal so he is a native of Adumasa and a royal in the family.
Education
With a staunch educational family background, Nana Ansah Kwao IV was enrolled in various schools but struggled through his early stages due to his dyslexic condition.
“I changed schools because of my dyslexic nature, some of the schools I attended include Jack N Jill, St Martin de Porres, North Ridge School, Mpraeso Secondary School, Accra Academy among others,” he recounted.
Nana Ansah Kwao IV enrolled at the Methodist University College, Dansoman-Accra and bagged a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing.
Professional Achievements
Determined to be a change agent in his community, Nana Ansah Kwao IV had been practicing as a marketer both locally and internationally.
According to the astute chief, he gathered experiences from managing his father’s hotel and pharmacies after his O’ Level, where he learned customer satisfaction as a tool in marketing.
He later travelled to the United Kingdom (UK) where he worked with top notch shoe industries and popular automobile giants including Peugeot, Mercedes Benz and Audi by exhibiting sterling performances in the area of marketing.
“I really enjoyed life while working in the UK because it was an exposure to learning great things in the field of marketing,” he said.
Union of the stars
“In the year 2006, I started my radio show in the UK where the show ranked number two on the most listened to shows in the UK. When I came to Ghana and joined Rainbow radio, I met Oheneyere Gifty Anti who came there for a sponsorship and I realised she looked prettier than on TV. We linked up and dated in secret for three years until we tied the knot and we are blessed with a child,” he narrated.
Succession to the throne
His succession to the throne was a flexible and a peaceful one which made his transformation as a chief worth emulating.
Nana Ansah Kwao IV told The Spectator, the throne he occupied at Adumasa was vacant for 10 years, and the person to be enstooled was his mother’s bigger brother but he was too old to sit on the throne.
In an agreement, they wanted me to be the chief to make impact in the town through development and transformation.
“The first time I went to Adumasa was in October 2010, and by January 24, 2011, I was installed as the Chief of Adumasa,” he recalled.
According to the change agent, there were times natives of Adumasa did not want to associate themselves with Adumasa because it had no phase of development but now they are all proud to mention that they are natives of Adumasa everywhere they found themselves.
Successes/Transformations
His passion for girl-child empowerment made him put measures in place to ensure that, girls in the community were protected from all forms of abuses and were given equal opportunities.
He wanted at least every 5-year-old child in Adumasa to be able to read, so this made his wife Oheneyere Dr Gifty Anti open a well-stocked library in Adumasa to improve literacy rate in the town.
Nana Ansah Kwao IV paid Jolly Phoenix, a literacy training network to champion the cause of how to read and write among the children in Adumasa.
According to the noble chief, literacy rate in Adumasa has increased from 36 to 89 per cent, where majority of the students could read.
“Though the school is “syto”- a government school, I run it like a proprietor of a private school, where every teacher and head of departments report to me with their lesson notes,” he stressed.
Having education at heart and championing it to perfection to the benefit of all, the chief organises debates among the school children in the palace to improve the public speaking skills of the pupils.
As an environmentalist, he ensured that trees and wildlife in Adumasa were protected.
He also organises programmes for the youth and pupils in the town to remain focused on their aspirations in order for them to contribute their quota to society in future and under the auspices of resourced persons.
Linguistics
Nana Ansah Kwao IV, the father of four children, speaks English, Twi, and Ga and has in-depth knowledge in the traditions of Ghanaian linguistics.
Leisure/Delicacy
Nana Kwao Ansah IV loves to ride motorbikes to experience the fresh wind and is also fan of tennis ball.
He enjoys eating any meal with ripe plantain either fried, boiled or grilled.
Admonishment
He advised the general public to ensure that, whatever decision or action they embarked upon should be futuristic for the unborn generation to benefit from.
“Whatever decisions you take today should not only affect generations yet unborn, it must also be beneficial to those alive and must be worthy, and accountable to God and your ancestors,” he cautioned.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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ASWIM lauds Prof Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang
The Association of Women in the Media, (ASWIM) has congratulated Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang on her historic achievement as Ghana’s first female Vice President.
The association said her trailblazing journey with sterling accomplishments from academia to politics, is undoubtedly, a vivid inspiration to countless women and girls across Ghana and Africa.
This was contained in a statement signed by its president, Mrs Mavis Kitcher, and copied to The Spectator on Tuesday in Accra.
“ASWIM celebrates your remarkable career, marked by numerous firsts, including the first female Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, (UCC), and the first female to hold a professional chair in Ghana, (UCC),” the statement said.
It said the accomplishments of Prof Opoku- Agyemang were clear testament to the brilliance, resilience and resourceful nature of the complete beautiful African woman.
“As she takes on this new role, ASWIM proudly lauds her commitment to education, women’s empowerment, distinguished public service and patriotism and is very confident that her pursuit of excellence, love for humanity, humility, decency, modesty and commitment to the welfare of the vulnerable will characterise Ghana’s political leadership and public service,” the statement added.
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
Entertainment
Demolition of Fantasy Dome unfair — Mark Okraku-Mantey
Months after the Fantasy Dome was dismantled to make way for construction at the Ghana International Trade Fair site, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr Mark Okraku-Mantey, has expressed concern over the manner the facility was destroyed.
In an interview on Daybreak Hitz with Andy Dosty, Mr Okraku-Mantey criticised the handling of the dome’s dismantling, suggesting that it could have been done without causing damage.
“I don’t think that leadership gave instructions that they should do what happened. The structure was a prefab but I hear the people destroyed it. That one, we cannot defend it. It is unfair to him (owner). Sometimes, you give instructions and people will go and do things that will make you look bad,” he stated.
When asked about any punitive measure against the workers responsible for the destruction, Mr Okraku-Mantey clarified that the Trade Fair does not fall under his ministry.
He said he had previously contacted the owner, Leslie Quaynor, to discuss relocating the dome, and even suggested the National Museum as a potential site, though it was too small.
The demolition of the 20,000-seater Fantasy Dome occurred on March 16, 2024.
According to Dr Agnes Adu, CEO of the Ghana Trade Fair Company Limited, the action was taken after multiple notices were given to Quaynor to vacate the premises for redevelopment, as per their tenancy agreement.
Dr Adu noted that all previous tenants had complied except for the Fantasy Dome.
Quaynor, in an interview with JoyNews, confirmed that his lease had ended, and was in the process of relocating the dome.
He had requested an extension, which was denied, leading him to seek a writ and an injunction from an Accra High Court to halt the demolition.
Despite this, the demolition proceeded, causing significant damage to the structure.
Quaynor described the incident as a major setback, not only for his business but also for the entertainment industry, which relies on venues like the Fantasy Dome.
