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Ghanaians to spend more on Valentine’s gifts
Ghanaians may have to spend more on valentine’s gifts for their loved ones this Valentine’s Day following the increase in prices of the products.
A survey conducted by Ghanaian Times in some suburbs of Accra including, Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Kaneshie, kokomlemle, and Makola among others, suggest that at least gifts have increased by half the prices that they were sold last month.
For example, a bar of chocolate that was sold at GH ₵ 10 last month was now sold at GH ₵ 15 as now and a love teddy bear sold at GH₵ 150 was now sold at GH ₵ 200.
The current prevailing price appears to be of grave concern to some consumers.
A businessman, Kojo Nti, who was out hunting for a gift for his loved ones said, he had been walking all day trying to get things at reasonable prices for his mother and girlfriend but his effort proved futile.
He noted that he wanted to buy a teddy bear, a bouquet of flowers, and a branded perfume for his girlfriend but he was exceeding his budget, so he had to leave one out to be able to get something for his mother because the prices of gifts were too expensive.
Mr. Nti pleaded with traders to reduce the prices of goods to a reasonable one, so customers can buy to express affection to their loved ones in this month of love.
The manager of Anjou Beauty at Darkuman, Hannah Amanquah said she had plans of surprising her boyfriend this month since it was a month of love and also her boyfriend’s birth month but due to the current prices of gifts, she had to cancel those plans.
She said, she would not be able to buy him anything for valentine’s or his birthday because the prices were too much for her.
Wisdom Dela, who said he normally buys chocolate because he likes it, said, he was shocked to hear the current price of the 100g bar of chocolate he usually buys at Kaneshie market.
He said, he bought it for GH10 at the same place just three weeks ago, only to go there yesterday and it was sold to him at GH₵15.
Therefore, he had to buy the one that was sold at GH₵10 which was previously sold for GH₵5 last month.
“The increased in the prices of chocolate is a big blow to us chocolate lovers because if you look at the prices as compared to the products, it is too much,” he said.
He recommended producers and traders look beyond Valentine’s Day when pricing their goods because there were people who bought those products regardless of the time of the year.
A trader at Makola market, Mabel Ofosu said the increase in products was not because of Valentine’s Day but rather they were selling it according to how they bought it from the wholesale.
She said some manufacturers have also increased their product due to increase in demand, so they were also selling at a rate they could also make a little profit.
“People should not look at the increased in products and show affection to their loved ones, there is no price greater than love so show your people the love they deserve,” she added.
BY CECILIA LAGBA AND GRACE SEY-ANSAH
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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
