News
Covid-19: Tobinco donates food items to 2,000 poor households
Chairman of the Tobinco Group of Companies, Elder Samuel Nana Amo Tobbin I, on Sunday visited some poor communities in Accra to distribute 2000 boxes of packaged food items to the needy and the vulnerable.
The donation was aimed at supporting slum dwellers who had been deprived of their daily bread following the three-week lockdown imposed by the government to contain the rapid spread of the coranavirus.
Another reason for the house-to-house food distribution according to Nana Amo Tobbin I, was social distancing.
He explained that the overcrowding that characterised the distribution of food by some organisations was not the best as it poses health risk to the beneficiaries hence the need to use a safer method to distribute food to the needy.
According to him, the excitement and joy on the faces of some of the needy residents, was an indication that people genuinely needed help in these difficult times but they did not know where the help might come from.
Some of the beneficiaries who expressed their appreciation for the kind gesture said they starved on certain days. The arrival of the Tobinco trucks and vans was for them an answered prayer.
Nana Amo Tobbin I, commended individuals and corporate organisations for complementing government’s efforts to feed the needy in these difficult times and further called for more of such support as the nation combats the pandemic.
He suggested the use of mobile money as one of the methods to help the needy.
He urged all Ghanaians, particularly the vulnerable to observe all the personal hygiene protocols outlined by the government and health institutions to combat the pandemic in the country.
Tobinco first partnered the Church of Pentecost to donate medical supplies to nursing and midwife trainees followed by the donation of medical supplies worth over GH¢250,000 to the Ministry of Health to combat the pandemic in the country .
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
