News
Family planning an economic intervention – NPC boss
Dr Leticia Adelaide Appiah, Executive Director of the National Population Council, has advised Ghanaians to see family planning as an economic intervention to societal hardship.
She gave this advice exclusively to The Spectator in an interview last week in her office in Accra.
She indicated that, the well-being of a society and a nation as a whole stemmed from family planning, which was the reliable way to get rid of unwanted pregnancies and pre-term babies.
According to the Medical Doctor, unwanted pregnancies which mostly resulted in pre-term babies incurred additional costs to cater for such babies by the state.
These babies, she said, mostly grew up to become deviants in the society since they never had good parental guidance to help them accomplish their dreams.
She added that society survived on “relevant education”, hence there was the need for quality formal education for every child, and “when such child is deprived of that, it breeds the grounds for a dangerous community”.
“If you keep children out of school, they do not harness their God-given talents and are full of ignorance, where ignorance is a disease which breeds poverty,” she noted.
Dr Adelaide Appiah stated that “giving birth is not a talent” and asked the young girls to focus on their education than becoming mothers at their tender age.
On her part, the growth and development of a nation hinge on family planning which is a progress for individual’s to have a harmonious living.
“In fact, good parenting helps children develop their social, emotional and academic skills, as these qualities are needed for sustainable individual, community, national and global development,” she stressed.
Dr Appiah said if individuals accepted family planning as an economic intervention, the community also became resilient leading to a resilient nation as well.
Occupying a statutory obligation as the Chief Advisor to the Government of Ghana on well and effective population management for the betterment of Ghanaians, Dr Appiah promised to deepen her commitments in tackling population issues in the country.
“National Population Council (NPC) would continue to educate and sensitise policy makers, policy implementers and the general public on the importance of effective population management; and to appreciate the need for improved and sustained quality of life,” the Executive Director reiterated.
According to her, “NPC constantly advocates and orchestrates effective population management that meets the socio-economic development of all, and this conscious effort starts with planning the family as the unit of societal progress.”
She further stated that, the success story of any nation hinged on good, responsible, disciplined, kind and stable parents.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
News
The Catholic Archdiocese of Accra to embark on Environmental Prayer Walk Against Galamsey
The Catholic Archdiocese of Accra in collaboration with the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious – Ghana (CMSR-GH), is organizing an Environmental Prayer Walk Against Galamsey on Friday, October 11, 2024, at 10am.
The walk will start from the Cathedral and end at Christ the King Parish, Cantonment.
According to a statement signed by Metropolitan Archbishop, Most.Rev. John Bonaventure Kwofie, this initiative reflects our civil, communal and religious commitment to our country and its ecosystem which is being destroyed.
In a statement issued, the church noted that “We shall engage in a Peaceful Prayer Walk, praying the Rosary which is our weapon against any adversaries. We shall congregate at the Holy Spirit Cathedral, Adabraka, to pray, go through the principal streets and end with Holy Mass at Christ the King Grotto, Cantonment, We shall present a petition to the Presidency at the Jubilee House.”
He asked all Priests to read this letter and announce this Prayer Walk in all Churches in the Archdiocese on Sunday, October 06, 2024, adding that Each Parish Priest or Priest-in-Charge is expected to bus his parishioners and support this event with bottles of water.
“I also ask the Knights of St.John International and Ladies Auxiliary, and the Knights and Ladles of Marshall to be present in their uniform and assist in coordination and maintenance of order,” the statement added.
“All Priests, Religious and Lay Faithful are expected to be present to show their commitment to our Country and its environment. May our Blessed Lady, who we beech in earnest prayer in this walk, intercede for our beloved country Ghana,” the statement concluded.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
News
Democracy Hub: Ama Governor, eight other protesters granted GH₵70k bail each
Ama Governor and eight other Democracy Hub protesters have been granted bail, each set at GH₵70, 000 with two sureties.
As part of the bail conditions, the accused must report to the police once a week and deposit their Ghana cards at the court registry.
This decision follows an appeal against an earlier ruling by the circuit court, which denied bail to the nine individuals.
They are part of a group of 53 people charged with unlawful assembly, unlawful damage, assaulting a public officer, and offensive conduct conducive to breaching the peace.
These charges stem from their alleged involvement in disturbances during a protest against illegal mining (galamsey).
Despite opposition from the state, the court granted the bail application submitted by the defense lawyers. The other eight individuals granted bail include Emmanuel Gyan, Emmanuel Kwabena Addo, Ziblim Yakubu, Oheneba Prempeh, Philip Owusu Kobina, Desmond Akisbik, Von Coffie, and Sadik Yakubu.
Their release comes after protests demanding the release of the detained protesters erupted in Ghana and the UK. In Ghana, activists staged a three-day protest chanting slogans and holding placards that read “Free the Protesters” and “Justice for Democracy.”
The demonstrators emphasised the importance of the right to peaceful assembly and urged the government to respect citizens’ voices.
Simultaneously, supporters gathered outside the Ghana High Commission in the UK expressing solidarity with the protesters in Ghana and calling for the immediate release of all individuals arrested during the demonstrations.
Many attendees waved Ghanaian flags and carried signs bearing messages of support, drawing attention to the ongoing struggle for democratic rights in Ghana.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
