News
President grants presidential charters to 2 varsities
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has granted the Pentecost University College in Accra and the All Nations University College in Koforidua presidential charters to operate as fully-fledged universities.
The two university colleges have transitioned into autonomous universities with the capacity to award their own degrees and diplomas, and will now be known as Pentecost University and All Nations University.
They are the second and third colleges to be given a presidential charter under the Akufo-Addo administration, following Ashesi University in 2018.
President Akufo-Addo congratulated the two institutions and said that they have gone through a period of academic mentorship and supervision by mentoring public institutions.
He said both universities have, over the past decade, demonstrated sufficient capacity in their governance, finances, academic matters and infrastructural development.
They have gone through rigorous accreditation and quality assurance processes of the National Accreditation Board, he said, stressing that based on the satisfactory recommendation of the board, the two institutions deserve to be awarded the charter.
“I am pleased to announce that Pentecost University and All Nations University have fulfilled the requirements and are considered to be in a good position to manage their own affairs as fully fledged tertiary education institutions”.
“They have been able to establish structures which will enable the respective institutions to forge ahead in the management of their academic programmes,” he said.
The two universities have gone through a period of tutelage by their mentoring universities, the University of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and the University of Cape Coast.
This, according to the President, has led to the adoption and incorporation of best practices as required by the National Accreditation Board and the Council for Tertiary Education.
He entreated management of the universities to continue to improve and introduce more innovative programmes and courses which will develop skills needed to help develop the country.
By Yaw Kyei
News
Craze for x’mas shopping: Crowded markets, low patronage
Vendors of food and other wares associated with the Christmas celebration have expressed surprise at the low patronage despite the increased number of visitors to some of the major markets across the capital.
Four days to the celebration(Christmas), the markets are filled with various products ranging from food, clothing, livestock and many other stuff, but according to the vendors, patrons are doing more ‘window’ shopping.
The Spectator on visits to some of the markets in the capital, notably the Odawna, Makola, Accra Central Business District, New Town and others made similar observations as shoppers crowd them but did little in terms of purchases.
The paper also observed that majority of vendors, originally selling other wares have switched to product related to the festive season.
What it means is that there are a lot more clothes, food and vegetables, livestock and poultry, toys, firecrackers, drinks of different types and many others on display.
The markets have also stretched to the pedestrian pavement, leaving very narrow spaces for commuters to move about freely.
That, in addition to a few of the female vendors dressed in coloured attires to reflect the occasion, has heightened the euphoria, leaving the low sales as the only headache for the vendors.
Speaking with this paper, they sounded very optimistic, believing that sales would improve in the last few days to the yuletide.
According to them, there was the opportunity to sell beyond Christmas as the New Year celebration offers similar opportunity to trade the same wares.
They urged patrons to throng the markets to shop since prices were quite moderate and products affordable for all.
News
Retirement service for Elder John Ackom-Asante,3 others
Retired Deputy Editor of The Spectator, Elder John Ackom-Asante, was last Sunday honoured by the Church of Pentecost Windy Hills District in Kasoa in the Central Region, with a retirement thanksgiving service, after serving for 26 year as an Elder of the church.
He was honoured with a citation and certificate of service along with three other elders who served in the capacity for various years.
Elder Ackom-Asante was baptised at the Darkuman Central Assembly in 1979 and ordained as an Elder in 1997.
The citation read “Your selfless service, zeal, willingness to relate wholeheartedly and your desire to effect change has gone a long way to shape the lives of many people in the church and the nation over the 26 years of your dedication to the service of the Lord.”
Elder Ackom- Asante held many positions at the Darkuman Central Assembly, Obuasi in the Ashanti Region and Tema, serving in various capacities as youth and evangelism ministry leader and marriage counsellor.
He was the founding member of the Darkuman Christian Fellowship, a member of the Greater Accra Christian Fellowship; member of Bible Society of Ghana; founding member Obuasi Chapter Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship International and founding member of New Times Corporation Christian Fellowship and Chaplain, Methodist University Tema Campus 2009- 2010.
As a professional journalist, Elder Ackom-Asante combined effectively and efficiently his duty as a member and elder of the church and the demands of his profession, with admiration from the church, kith and kin, till his retirement on December
From Alhaji Salifu Abdul-Rahaman, Kasoa
