News
E/R: Boarding student delivers on campus, attempts to dump baby
A boarding student of Oyoko Methodist Senior High School (OMESS) in Koforidua has delivered a baby boy at a dormitory in the school.
According to sources, some of her mates heard a baby crying at dawn in the corridor of the dormitory.
They curiously moved out and to their surprise the student was carrying the baby to allegedly dump it into a nearby latrine on campus.
They alerted the senior house mistress who rushed to the scene to take the baby and mother to the Eastern Regional Hospital.
They were admitted and have been discharged.
Management of the school has informed and invited parents of the Arts -one(1) student to a meeting for a decision to be taken for the collective good of both mother and baby.
Teenage pregnancy cases in the Eastern region continue to increase.
The situation worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when schools were shut down for nearly a year.
A total of over 10,000 teenage pregnancy cases were recorded in 2021 in the Eastern region, according to Ghana Health Service.
This has necessitated some interventions such as “back to school” where Ghana Education Service staff move to communities to encourage pregnant and teenage mothers to return to school.
In Akyemansa District for instance, “Safe and Protective Environment for Adolescent Development (SPREAD)” project is being implemented in 40 rural communities in the district by Ark Development Organization (ADO), an NGO with support from UNICEF in partnership with Global Affairs Canada to curb alarming teenage pregnancy, assist pregnant students and teen mother’s return to school.
“Cross your leg;100% cross your leg” is a slogan coined to cause behavioral change in that regard.
The project officer of Ark Development Organization, David Kwaning says 89 of 369 adolescent mothers recorded in 2020 have so far been identified for assistance to go back to school or enrolled in economic empowerment program or legal aid.
“Per what the Ghana Education Service gave us, we have about 369 adolescent mothers in the district as at 2020.so we are to identify them and then assist them in three ways. Some of them have to go back to school, others too need justice, other too need health assistance. So we have identified 89 of the Adolescent mothers” David Kwaning Project Officer said.
Meanwhile the NGO is initiating legal action against a man who took undue advantage of a 12 year old vulnerable girl who dropped out of school after her father died, exploited her in child labour, defiled and impregnated her.
The project has reached 1,577 out of target adolescents of 2000 with four months to end.
Source : Ghana/starrfm.com.gh/Kojo Ansah
News
NPP condems arrest of Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has condemned the arrest and detention of Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah by operatives of the National Security.
In a statement signed by the General Secretary, Justin Kodua noted that “This unlawful action by the marauding operatives of the National Security is the latest installment of the ongoing series of state-sponsored attacks on the media by the NDC government, in their desperate attempt to silence the media and curtail press freedom.”
According to the him, “The Party condemns in no uncertain terms this state-sponsored lawlessness and commends the many well-meaning Ghanaians who spoke loudly against this shameful conduct by the National Security. We also commend the young people and the team of lawyers who stormed the National Security Secretariat this evening to see to the release of the abducted journalist.”
“The NPP wishes to remind President Mahama and his government that the Ghana that was bequeathed to them on January 7, 2025, was a free country. It was the bastion of democracy, underpinned not only by the existence of functioning democratic institutions but also by our unflinching commitment to upholding press freedom as enshrined in Chapter 12 of the 1992 Constitution,” they added.
Read the full statement below
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCH 19, 2025
*NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY CONDEMNS THE UNLAWFUL ARREST OF VETERAN JOURNALIST, OKATAKYIE AFRIFA MENSAH BY NATIONAL SECURITY OPERATIVES*
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) condemns the unlawful arrest and detention by operatives of the National Security, of Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah, a veteran journalist, who has been critical of the John Mahama administration.
This unlawful action by the marauding operatives of the National Security is the latest installment of the ongoing series of state-sponsored attacks on the media by the NDC government, in their desperate attempt to silence the media and curtail press freedom.
The Party condemns in no uncertain terms this state-sponsored lawlessness and commends the many well-meaning Ghanaians who spoke loudly against this shameful conduct by the National Security. We also commend the young people and the team of lawyers who stormed the National Security Secretariat this evening to see to the release of the abducted journalist.
The NPP wishes to remind President Mahama and his government that the Ghana that was bequeathed to them on January 7, 2025, was a free country. It was the bastion of democracy, underpinned not only by the existence of functioning democratic institutions but also by our unflinching commitment to upholding press freedom as enshrined in Chapter 12 of the 1992 Constitution.
In line with this commitment, the country also went through the painstaking process of repealing the Criminal and Seditious Libel Law in 2001, a process that was spearheaded by the immediate past President, H.E Nana Addo Akufo-Addo, who was then the Attorney General of the Republic.
It is therefore completely repugnant and unacceptable for the John Mahama administration to be using State Security to intimidate political opponents as well as media personnel in a bid to silence all critical voices This, in fact, is an egregious affront to our democratic and constitutional tenets.
We call on the Ghana Journalist Association, the Media Foundation of West Africa, Civil Society Organizations, and all stakeholders to join us in demanding an immediate cessation of this tyranny and growing culture of state-sponsored attacks on the media.
Enough is enough.
…Signed…
JUSTIN KODUA FRIMPONG
GENERAL SECRETARY
News
We have built enough buffers to pay all DDEP obligations – Finance Minister Ato Forson
Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has assured banks that the government has built sufficient financial buffers to meet all Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) obligations this year.
Speaking at a high-level meeting with over 22 Managing Directors of banks, he reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fiscal responsibility and restoring confidence in the financial sector.
“We do not intend to default,” Dr. Forson declared.
“All outstanding holdouts have been paid, and we have put in place the necessary buffers to ensure that every single DDEP obligation for this year will be met.”
The Minister explained that these buffers were created through fiscal discipline, strategic investment cuts, and prudent resource allocation.
As part of this approach, the government has reset goods and services expenditure to 2023 levels and is working to achieve a primary surplus of 1.5% to sustain economic stability.
He also announced plans to submit a fiscal responsibility rule to Parliament, which will set a debt ceiling that the Ministry of Finance cannot exceed.
This measure aims to prevent excessive borrowing and reinforce financial discipline.
Beyond ensuring timely DDEP payments, Dr Forson revealed that the government is taking deliberate steps to reduce reliance on the Treasury bill market.
By improving coordination between fiscal and monetary policies, the government aims to stabilize interest rates and ease liquidity pressures on the banking sector.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
