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I’ll complete all unfinished NPP projects — Mahama assures
I’ll complete all unfinished NPP projects — Mahama assures
byLeticia Osei September 18, 2023 Reading Time: 2 mins read
Former President John Mahama (middle) interacting with Sheikh Usmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, the National Chief Imam. With them is Emmanuel Nii Ashie Moore, NDC Greater Accra Regional Chairman
Former President and the flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has vowed to complete all unfinished projects, including those initiated by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, should he be elected in 2024.
He said the NDC was a patriotic and well-meaning political party that believed in the spirit of continuity and was determined not to waste the resources of taxpaying citizens.
“I’m making a promise that when we come, we will continue all abandoned projects.
Even projects that this current NPP government does not finish, we will continue and finish because they are funded by taxpayers’ money, so when you abandon them, you’re wasting the money of Ghanaians,” he said.
The former President said this on Saturday, September 16, 2023, at the NDC Greater Accra Regional Zongo Caucus Stakeholders Forum in Accra.
The forum brought together representatives of various Zongo and Muslim sects and institutions within and outside the party to share their experiences and discuss topics of mutual interest to create social connections and a sense of community.
One notable personality at the forum was the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Usmanu Nuhu Sharubutu.
Mr Mahama made the promise after accusing the current administration of neglecting landmark projects that his party started, particularly in Zongo communities, before leaving office in 2016.
“When we were sharing the E-Blocks, several of them were allocated to the Zongo and Muslim communities but many of those schools have been abandoned. We have done a lot in our Zongos but we are not the type who come with a paper and read. Our people can see for themselves the work the NDC did when we were in office,” he stressed.
Mr Mahama expressed his gratitude for the immense support his party had been enjoying from the Zongo communities and Islamic fraternity over the years and pledged to never take it for granted.
In this regard, he said the party would continue to collaborate and engage them periodically in order to capture grievances and concerns and work towards addressing them.
“We appreciate that support and that’s why anytime we come to power, we try to make sure that when we are sharing the National cake and development, the Zongos get their fair share,” the 2024 NDC flag bearer added.
He used the opportunity to urge all citizens who had come of age to participate in the ongoing limited voter registration and equally exhorted the officials in charge to desist from discriminatory practices against persons they perceived not to be Ghanaians mainly based on their names.
“Everybody came from somewhere and that is why Ghana is a strong nation.
We are united in our diversity and cultures so we must know that we are all Ghanaians and have equal rights to be recognised as such,” the former President said.
Goal
The NDC Greater Accra Regional Zongo Caucus Coordinator, Ismaila Ali Horoya, said the caucus organised the forum because it recognised the immense potential within the neighbourhoods and it was a collective responsibility of all members to harness that potential and provide opportunities for the Muslim youth.
The NDC Greater Accra Regional Chairman, Emmanuel Nii Ashie Moore, called for greater unity within the party as it prepared for the upcoming elections and called on all to rally behind the regional chapter’s “Agenda 25” and added that “Greater Accra will strive to add 500,000 votes to the total votes.
Credit: Graphic.com.gh
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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
