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Abigail strives for excellence in HR practice
• Abigail
Abigail Anakwa-Poh, a HR practitioner and banking professional is one of the students who graduated with distinction from the University of Ghana Business School last Saturday with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Human Resource Management.
For Abigail, the attainment of the new degree, which was secured through determination and hard work, is an achievement in the broader aim for higher quality knowledge and excellence in the corporate field, especially in the area of human resource management.
She exemplifies the many women pursing higher education while climbing the corporate ladder, amidst the challenges of keeping the home and managing private businesses.
Abigail currently works as the Customer Support Associate at the National Investment Bank where she oversees various aspects of people management, customer support strategies and execution, including training, employee engagement, customer engagement, and learning and development.
With over a decade of experience in the banking industry, Abigail has previously worked with some of the leading banks in Ghana including Absa Bank Ghana Limited and Consolidated Bank Ghana in various banking and administrative functions.
Endowed with a deep understanding of the banking industry and its associated HR challenges, Abigail believes HR practitioners can overcome the emerging challenges through innovative and inclusive HR strategies.
As a woman who is passionate about HR and continuous learning, the drive to pursue the HR MBA programme was motivated by her need to further sharpen her skills and knowledge to operate more effectively in supporting organisational growth.
She believes that combining her experience with the new knowledge from the MBA programme, would propel her for greater excellence in the workplace, enhance her personal brand, and help her to become a more valuable asset to her organisation in promoting productive employee experience.
“As HR practitioners, we play a critical role in building a better workplace for employees and creating value for the business. Our work has a positive impact not only on individuals and businesses but also on the nation as a whole.
“By attracting and retaining the best talent, providing a safe and inclusive workplace, and fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration, we contribute to the success of the organisation and the growth of the economy,” she said.
In the field of entrepreneurship, Abigail, an alumnus of Mfantsiman Girls Senior High and the African University College of Communication, has through her extensive industry knowledge and expertise, successfully built strategies that drive business growth and enhance employee experience.
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Swedru All Blacks back to winning ways, Roshan humble King Faisal
Sekondi Rospak FC made it eight wins in eight successive home games after three second-half goals from John Amoah, Joseph Ntow and Stephen Anthony Kofi. John Amoah opened the scoring in the 55th minute after a barren first half. Joseph Ntow added to the tally in the 56th minute before Stephen Anthony Kofi rounded things up in the 74th minute to give Rospak a 3-0 win over former Premier League side King Faisal.
Elsewhere at Swedru – leaders Swedru All Blacks humbled PAC Academy in an emphatic 2-0 win. Zayat Bubakari scored first for Swedru All Blacks in the 27th minute before Rudolf Junior Nana Kwasi Mensah made it 2-0 in the 34th minute. Swedru All Blacks are top of the table with 36 points – 4 points ahead of second placed Rospak FC.
Meanwhile, Former Premier League side Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs recorded their fourth successive home victory after beaten New Edubiase United 2-1 at the Robert Mensah Park. Enoch Odoom struck first for Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs in the 19th minute but Steven Asante equalized for New Edubiase United before halftime. After the interval, Godfred Eshun scored from distance in the 65th minute to help Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs secure all the points.
Here are the results in Zone Two
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Cervical Cancer alert: Avoid sex at early age
The Programmes Manager of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Mary Efua Commeh, has advised young girls to avoid sex at an early age.
This, she explained, will give the cervix the opportunity to mature before they become sexually active.
“You need to delay what we call the first sexual intercourse as much as possible to give the cervix the opportunity to mature before the person becomes sexually active,” she said.
Dr Commeh stated this in an interview with The Spectator in Accra on Tuesday as a part of the Cervical Cancer awareness month.
According to her, cervical cancer was the second leading female cancer in Ghana with a total of about 3,072 cases annually, and out of that, 1,815 deaths are recorded, representing more than 50 per cent.
She indicated that “If young girls are going to be sexually active, then you need to talk to your parents about being vaccinated.”
She explained that vaccinating young girls against human papillomavirus (HPV) has been found to be a very effective way of preventing cervical cancer.
“There are countries that started HPV vaccination years ago and they are not seeing any cervical cancers now because they would have eliminated most of the high-risk HPVs in their women. So if the high-risk HPV is not there, then obviously the results on cervical cancers are going to go down,” she added.
Dr Commmey said the HPV vaccination is recommended for young girls aged nine to 14 years, adding that it had been found to be highly effective, not just for cervical cancers but for other HPV-related cancers, such as anal cancers, cancers of the vagina, genital warts, amongst others.
She further elaborated that the idea is to put up a barrier before the HPV comes in and that once a young female encounters it, she is already protected.
She also mentioned that for cervical cancers, the main cause is called HPV infection, saying generally, all sexually active women acquire HPV at some point in their lives.
However, the Programmes Manager of NCDs at the GHS mentioned that the body has a way of clearing the HPV, explaining that it is a natural mechanism that goes on, unfortunately, there are a few women whose HPV persists.
Moreover, she noted that the numbers for Cervical Cancer tend to be much higher because at times, clients would wait, and try all sorts of medications before they finally report to the health facility saying “we actually lose some women before they get to the hospitals with over 75 per cent of the cases coming in its third and fourth stages.”
Dr Commey, therefore, called for public awareness while ensuring the availability of information for prevention and control.
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
