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GRI marks International Day of the Girl Child
Dignitaries at the event with the children in a photograph
Ghana Reads Initiative (GRI) has marked the International Day of the Girl Child in Accra with a call on stakeholders to provide better conditions for the girl child to thrive.
The day which was marked on the theme “Our time is now… yes we can make it” was aimed at recognising the rights and potential of girls in the country.
The day was also used in celebrating Accra’s recognition as the 2023 United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Book Capital for 2023.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Director of the Girls Education Division at the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mrs Gifty Asiedu, said the day was set aside by the United Nations (UN) as one of the tools to compete for better conditions and rights for girls in a world where opportunities will be equally accessible to all.
She said girls faced unique challenges such as marginalisation, gender based violence and limited opportunities across all sectors in various forms.
She identified other challenges as access to education, nutrition, legal rights, medical care, forced marriage, and others.
Mrs Asiedu said Accra’s recognition as the world capital was a testament to the power of knowledge and literacy as a tool to equip the next generation with skills.
“Both have the unique ability to educate and enlighten. As we celebrate this achievement, we also recognise the importance of ensuring that girls have the same access to books, education, and information as their male counterparts,” she added.
Mrs Asiedu said education was not just a pathway but a key to unlocking the potential of girls, and that it was important to invest in their education and provide a safe and supportive environment for everyone to learn and grow.
A Queen from the Teiko Tsuru We, Manye Naa Ameley Tesaa urged the pupils to read in order to get information and knowledge and encouraged them to save to buy books for themselves.
She urged parents to build relationships with their children so that they would be able to confide in them.
The Board Chairperson of Ghana Reads Initiative, Tina Aforo-Yeboah called for increased attention and resourcing of key areas that would enable girls realise their rights and achieve their full potential.
She urged the children to learn how to read and write stories of their own, saying “last year we unveiled a book written and authored by a nine-year old girl with support from Adwinsa Publications Limited.”
Ghana Reads Initiative (GRI) has marked the International Day of the Girl Child in Accra with a call on stakeholders to provide better conditions for the girl child to thrive.
The day which was marked on the theme “Our time is now… yes we can make it” was aimed at recognising the rights and potential of girls in the country.
The day was also used in celebrating Accra’s recognition as the 2023 United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Book Capital for 2023.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Director of the Girls Education Division at the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mrs Gifty Asiedu, said the day was set aside by the United Nations (UN) as one of the tools to compete for better conditions and rights for girls in a world where opportunities will be equally accessible to all.
She said girls faced unique challenges such as marginalisation, gender based violence and limited opportunities across all sectors in various forms.
She identified other challenges as access to education, nutrition, legal rights, medical care, forced marriage, and others.
Mrs Asiedu said Accra’s recognition as the world capital was a testament to the power of knowledge and literacy as a tool to equip the next generation with skills.
“Both have the unique ability to educate and enlighten. As we celebrate this achievement, we also recognise the importance of ensuring that girls have the same access to books, education, and information as their male counterparts,” she added.
Mrs Asiedu said education was not just a pathway but a key to unlocking the potential of girls, and that it was important to invest in their education and provide a safe and supportive environment for everyone to learn and grow.
A Queen from the Teiko Tsuru We, Manye Naa Ameley Tesaa urged the pupils to read in order to get information and knowledge and encouraged them to save to buy books for themselves.
She urged parents to build relationships with their children so that they would be able to confide in them.
The Board Chairperson of Ghana Reads Initiative, Tina Aforo-Yeboah called for increased attention and resourcing of key areas that would enable girls realise their rights and achieve their full potential.
She urged the children to learn how to read and write stories of their own, saying “last year we unveiled a book written and authored by a nine-year old girl with support from Adwinsa Publications Limited.”
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
News
National Cathedral: We can’t halt salary payments because project is on hold – Dr. Joyce Aryee
Dr. Joyce Aryee, a member of the National Cathedral’s board of trustees, has dismissed concerns about staff payments, including those of CEO Dr Paul Opoku-Mensah, during the construction halt as “ridiculous.”
Her response follows growing concerns over the project’s stalled progress and its impact on staff salaries.
Speaking on the sidelines of a symposium organized in collaboration with TD Jakes’ divinity school on Monday, October 14, Dr Aryee said, “If a project is on hold, it doesn’t mean that people are not working to keep it going. I’m surprised, I don’t even want to comment on it, as ridiculous as this. No, I won’t comment.
She further challenged the logic behind the concerns, adding, “So you establish an organisation, the organisation should stop because you don’t have money to continue a certain aspect of the organisation. Is that it? Answer it yourself.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah, Executive Director of the National Cathedral, has sought to clarify misconceptions surrounding the project, emphasizing that it goes beyond being just a church building.
He highlighted the potential benefits the cathedral could bring, including revenue generation and showcasing Ghana’s rich cultural heritage to the world.
The National Cathedral project has faced strong opposition, with critics questioning the appropriateness of government involvement and raising concerns about a lack of financial transparency.
However, Dr. Opoku-Mensah remains optimistic, particularly following a symposium held in collaboration with TD Jakes’ divinity school. The event aimed to educate the public about the broader functions of the cathedral.
Envisioned as a historic landmark, the cathedral is intended to serve as a sacred space for religious activities. Additionally, it will feature Africa’s first Museum of the Bible, a collaboration with the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.
“The symposium is just conceived as the National Cathedral’s response to what in Ghana we perceive to be the return initiatives and offer a pathway mediated by faith to connecting Ghana to the African diaspora,” she said.
This collaboration will seek to develop a Pan-African community to collectively work to address historical, racial and contemporary of Africa’s contributions to theology practice.
She said, “We seek to demonstrate the conveying functions of the National Cathedral, the National Cathedral project is often misunderstood, conceived almost entirely as a physical church building. The National Cathedral is more than a church and it includes critical national, continental and global conversations.”He congratulated TD Jakes’ divinity school for taking students across the African continent.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
News
NPP-NDC clash at Mamobi: One person arrested
One person has been arrested in Connection with the clash involving members of the New Patriotic Party(NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Mamobi in Accra on Sunday.
“The Ghana Police Service wishes to assure the general public that investigation into the disturbances that occurred between supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Mamobi in Accra, yesterday, Sunday 13th October 2024, is still ongoing,” the police revealed in a statement today.
They concluded, “So far, one person has been arrested in connection with the incident and the Police are working around the clock to get all identified perpetrators arrested to face justice.”
