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Mentor young girls to attain dreams, aspirations – Ms Darkoa Newman

Ms Newman (arrowed) with other participants after the event

The Minister of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (MoGCSP), Ms Dakoa Newman, has urged women in higher positions to mentor young girls to achieve their dreams and aspirations.

According to her, young girls need mentorship and someone to serve as role models to shape their lives to become better women in future.

The Minister made this known at an event held in Accra to commemorate the International Day of the Girl Child 2024 on the global theme “Girls’ Vision for the Future.”

Organised by the Department of Children under MoGCSP, the International Day of the Girl Child focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights.

She noted that the ministry was committed to helping children achieve their dreams, however it was important to show respect to their parents and elders in the community.

Also, the Minister encouraged the girl-child to cultivate a strong spiritual foundation, fearing God and trusting in His divine plan to help shape her future and make her a responsible adult.

The Programme Officer for Adolescent Development and Participation at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Ms Grace Akua Gyan-Darkwa, emphasised the importance of investing in the girl-child as a way to secure a better future.

She stated, “When girls are educated, healthy, and safe, they are empowered to contribute to their communities and the economy.

At UNICEF, we believe in the power of girls to develop innovative solutions to the world’s challenges.”

Ms Gyan-Darkwa highlighted UNICEF’s commitment to advocating for the rights and empowerment of girls, which she believes would unlock their creativity and energy to drive positive change.

Furthermore, Ms Gyan-Darkwa urged the general public to listen to girls’ voices, invest in their education, and provide platforms for them to lead.

The Chief Director at MoGCSP, Dr Afisah Zakariah, acknowledged the courage, resilience, and hope demonstrated by girls despite numerous challenges.

“It is our collective responsibility to listen to their voices, invest in their education, and provide them with platforms to lead. Let us work together to create a world where every girl can contribute to a brighter, more equitable future,” she said.

Panel discussions featuring influential women from various organisations reinforced these messages, encouraging girls to be determined, focused, and confident.

By Cecilia Lagba Yada & Emmanuella Akimbi

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Committee probing petitions against Chief Justice to begin hearings tomorrow

The Committee set up by President John Dramani Mahama to inquire into three petitions filec against the Chief Justice, Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, will commence hearings tomorrow, Thursday May 15, 2025.

The five-member Committee chaired by Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang of the Supreme Court, was set up by the President in accordance with Article 146(6) of the 1992 constitution and in consultation with the Council of State, following a determination of a prima facie case against the Chief Justice.

The committee will sit three times a week and present their recommendations to the President upon completion of their work.

It would be recalled that President John Dramani Mahama recently suspended Chief Justice following the establishment of a prima facie case in response to three separate petitions seeking her removal from office.

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38-year-old man gets life imprisonment for killing Assemblies of God pastor in 2018

After close to seven years of trial, a seven-member jury on Wednesday, May 14, returned a guilty verdict in the murder case involving the killing of the Senior Pastor of the Central Assemblies of God church at Tema in 2018.

The convict, Francis Nabegmado, a relative of the deceased, inflicted a fatal knife wound on Rev. Dr. David Nabegmado on December 30, 2018, after alleging that the senior pastor was a false preacher who engaged in idol worship and human sacrifices.

After an hour of summing up by the judge, Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh, the jury retired briefly and returned with a unanimous guilty verdict.

Based on the unanimous verdict of the jurors who had previously studied the statements of the five witnesses called by the prosecution, and listened to the summing up process, the judge sentenced the 38-year-old to life imprisonment.

When he was offered an opportunity to comment on the verdict, the convict told the judge that he wanted to go home to meet his family.

“My Lady, I want to see my family, and I want to be taken to Yendi”.

When the judge told him she couldn’t make such an order for him to go and see his family in Yendi, the convict forcefully said, “I insist”.

Francis, who will now spend the rest of his life at the Nsawam medium security prison, had told the court throughout the trial that the decision to attack his uncle, Rev. Nebegmado, was driven by insanity, but that did not save him from receiving a life sentence.

Speaking briefly after the sentencing, Senior Pastor of the Assemblies of God church at Tema Community 4, Rev. Emmanuel Kwesi Ofori, said the church has been waiting for this closure for the past seven years and will soon issue an official statement.

Source: Myjoyonline.com