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Afua Asantewaa poised for longest singing marathon
Determined Afua Asantewaa
When Afua Asantewaa Owusu Aduonum, a highly ambitious Ghanaian lady announced on social media about two weeks ago, her intentions to break the Guinness World Record (GWR) for the Longest Singing Marathon (Singathon), many thought it was just a publicity stunt.
But the narrative changed few days after, when she officially launched her bid to take up the audacious challenge from December 24 – 27 at Akwaaba Village,Airport in Accra.
She is expected to sing for 117 hours within the period in order to break the record set by India’s Sunil Waghmare for 105 hours in 2012.
Afua Asantewaa must be able to sing over 3,000 songs with each song not more than two minutes. She would also sing strictly Ghanaian songs as part of efforts to promote Ghanaian music from gospel, highlife, hiplife to Afrobeats and more.
Afua Asantewaa, when she succeeds would be the second African lady this year, to break the GWR amidst huge support from social media, after Nigerian Chef, Hilda Baci stole the headlines earlier, with her successful attempt for the Longest Cooking Marathon.
Asantewaa’s courage has attracted the attention of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) who are on board as logistics and venue sponsors with Jamila Home coming in as the official furniture sponsor with their unique designs to set the right ambiance for the event.
She is also supported by Electroland Ghana limited as Electroland sponsors.
Mrs Afua Asantewaa Aduonum is a Broadcast Journalist, a Television Host, an Entrepreneur and a Women Empowerment Advocate.
She is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of ASKOF Productions, initiators of the Global Outstanding Women’s Awards, Africa Outstanding Women’s Awards, the Founder of Pose4Africa and Teen Queen Ghana beauty pageants.
She is also the founder of Miss Kidi Africa and the prestigious Ghana Outstanding Women Awards (GOWA) which has been running for the past six years.
The awards over the years, honoured distinguished Ghanaian women from various sectors including politics, business, sports, entertainment, entrepreneurship and innovation and media.
Afua Asantewaa is a very determined woman, beautiful, intelligent, and friendly with a great sense of humour and God fearing.
She is married to Mr Kofi Owusu Aduonum, a Journalist. The lovers tied the knot in 2016.
She also studied at the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) in 2014 where she attained a degree in Journalism after which she did her internship with the Multimedia Group.
Afua Asantewaa has also engaged in several charity works aimed at supporting women and children while promoting entrepreneurship among the youth.
Though passionate about singing and attempted a career in music in the past, Afua Asantewaa is not a recognised musician in Ghana but has a decent voice to embark on her GWR challenge.
“I was hoping an established Ghanaian musician would take up the challenge but since no one was coming out, I decided to take the big step to make Ghana proud,” she told The Spectator in an interview.
“I love to sing and want to use my talent to make a mark for Ghana. This is about Ghana and we must all support the attempt,” she added.
She called on the Ghana Health Service, DJs and corporate Ghana to come on board to support her bid.
Already, some Ghanaian celebrities including Sefa, Shata Wale and Nana Ama McBrown and a few corporate entities have thrown their weights behind Asantewaa.
With the level of support from Ghanaians on traditional and social media, Afua Asantewaa is set to make the nation proud and inscribe her name into the GWR.
By Michael D. Abayateye
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FA President, Vice-President, football family pays last respect to late Kotoko fan Nana Pooley
President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku led a delegation from the Ghana Football Association and the football fraternity to mourn with Asante Kotoko and pay last respect at the funeral of devoted fan, Yaw Frimpong, better known as ‘Nana Pooley’, on Thursday March 6, 2025, in Kumasi.
The funeral, held at the Heroes park, Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi saw a strong representation from the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and key members of the football fraternity.
President Okraku and Vice-President Mark Addo attended the funeral alongside key football industry players.
The President, was joined by his team of Executive Council members, Regional Football Association Chairmen, Club Executives and officials from the GFA to show support and solidarity to Asante Kotoko and bid farewell to the passionate fan.
The late Nana Pooley, who passed away painfully last month, was interred at Ahafo Kukuom Royal Mausoleum on Thursday March 6, 2025.
The final funeral rites attracted football administrators, supporters and enthusiasts from across the country, as the fraternity celebrated the life of a true loyal fan of the Porcupine Warriors in particular, and Ghana football in general.
Nana Pooley, known for his unwavering support and dedication to Asante Kotoko, was highly regarded by the club and its supporters.
His funeral drew a significant crowd, as football officials, fans, and well-wishers gathered to honor the memory of the passionate fan who played an important role in fostering the vibrant fan culture of Asante Kotoko.
This gathering reflects the unity and shared respect in Ghana football, as the football family stood with Asante Kotoko during this difficult time.
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NHIA set to boost its cybersecurity and IT Infrastructure
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), in partnership with a leading private cybersecurity solutions provider in Ghana, CyberHawk Limited, is advancing the Authority’s digital infrastructure to ensure seamless operations.
This is to safeguard the Authority’s digital technologies and maintain the trust of active members of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
In this context, the NHIA Management Information System (MIS) Directorate in the Head Office, on February 11, 2024, launched a three-day brainstorming session on the organization’s cybersecurity enhancement agenda.
The MIS Directorate Ag. Director, Mr. Daniel Blankson explained that the collaborative meeting aimed to scrutinize the NHIA’s Information Technology architecture, identifying potential risks and gapsto enhance its cybersecurity posture.
“By leveraging CyberHawk Limited’s expertise, the NHIA seeks to fortify its defenses against cyber threats, protecting sensitive information and maintaining the trust of its members.”
Mr. Blankson applauded the synergy between the two organizations and underscored the Authority’s commitment to embracing cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions to drive its mission forward.
The Head of Information Security and Standards Unit, in the MIS Directorate, Mr. Ebenezer Hooper, highlighted the Authority’s significant milestone on the digital transformation journey.
According to him, the NHIA is actively engaged in fully adopting and implementing modern digital systems to improve its operations.
He said, “The three-day brainstorming meeting will culminate in the development of a robust IT infrastructure, as well as strategic plans to translate security implementations into tangible IT cost savings for the organization.”
“There is the need to form a steering committee or IT advisory committee, operated under the Board, so that they can pay more attention in protecting the huge IT investment while ensuring cyber security-related policies are well protected,” he added.
The Project Manager of CyberHawk Limited, Mr. Chetan Narayana Murthy, lauded the collaboration and anticipated that it would empower the NHIA to implement comprehensive cybersecurity measures.
According to him, “This is a huge project that will greatly benefit the NHIA by implementing robust cybersecurity measures, safeguarding their systems, and ultimately protecting the sensitive information of NHIA members and healthcare providers.”
A Senior Manager of IT infrastructure, Mr. David Asare Addo, and his colleague, a Senior Manager of Applications, Mr. Enock Afanyi, with the MIS Directorate, gave an overview of the NHIA’s current technological landscape.
Present at the meeting were representatives from the Claims, Membership and Regional Operations (MRO), Research, Policy, Monitoring, and Evaluation (RPME), Corporate Affairs, the Audit, Administration, and Human Resource Directorates.
Story By : Vivian Arthur
