Editorial
Protect and empower adolescent girls
Many adolescent girls in Ghana are subjected to pressures from society, including early marriage, which hinders their growth and well-being and prevents them from reaching their full potential.
These pressures include, but are not limited to, financial, educational, psychological, and emotional challenges.
Adolescence is the period of life between childhood and adulthood from the ages of 10 to 19. They are an essential component of society and may make a positive impact on their communities and families both now and in the future.
Throughout this period, they grow quickly in terms of their physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development which has an impact on their emotions, thoughts, decision-making, and interactions with the outside environment.
Also, they are vulnerable at this point and need to be protected. In order for adolescent girls to make decisions that will define their adult lives with parental guidance, parents must ensure that their daughters have a solid foundation of knowledge and strong values.
Although adolescents require parental or guardian protection, they also require some degree of independence to make decisions for themselves because they are still young.
Ghana was the first nation in history to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1990. While governments have developed and implemented various legal and institutional structures to support the empowerment of adolescent girls through this ratification, more work is needed to ensure that adolescent girls’ rights are fulfilled.
The Spectator is in favour of this since it will enable them to completely confront their own issues and make a positive contribution to their own lives.
In order to support Ghana’s overall development toward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) asserts that continuous and coordinated investments in the rights and welfare of teenage girls are necessary.
According to a research titled “Protecting and empowering adolescent girls in Ghana,” many girls between the ages of 10 and 19 – especially the most marginalised and vulnerable – have their possibilities hampered by early pregnancy, violence, and an overwhelming amount of domestic responsibilities.
In order to support Ghana’s overall development toward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) asserts that continuous and coordinated investments in the rights and welfare of adolescent girls are necessary.
According to the survey, 10 percent of adolescent girls had sex before turning 15, and early pregnancies raise the risk of maternal mortality, which is the main cause of death for teenage girls.
Adolescent girls’ education may be interrupted or curtailed by child marriage. For this reason, “it is imperative to prioritise their education, protection, health and well-being to not only fulfil their fundamental rights but also contribute to the peace, security and sustainable development of the entire country.”
Let us protect and empower adolescent girls to fulfil their dreams in life.
Editorial
ECG PowerApp: A mixed bag of technical issues, uncredited payment concerns
Dear Editor,
On February 18, 2020, the former Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, launched the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) PowerApp, a mobile application designed in-house by staff of ECG.
It was to improve its service delivery to its customers.
The development of the app also meant that customers of ECG would now have the opportunity to purchase power and pay bills using their mobile phones.
That means customers of ECG would no longer have to join long queues to purchase power, but could now do that at their own convenience and in the comfort of their homes.
According to the Communication Officer, the PowerApp has increased annual revenue growth for the company.
He said as of April 2024, the new application system had increased its annual revenue growth by 128 per cent as compared to the old system at negative seven per cent.
Despite these reasons for which the app was developed and the benefits it has brought to ECG, there have been growing concerns among a section of the public on its use.
Some have argued that they were not credited after using the app to recharge their prepaid meter while the money was deducted from their MoMo accounts.
Such experience has made some customers vow not use the app to recharge their prepaid meters but rather go to prepaid vendors nearby to purchase credit. Some are even prepared to travel to far places to purchase prepaid credits.
I think such experience does not speak well of ECG because it could affect public trust in the company in its service delivery. This is the more reason why the ECG has to take the concerns raised by its customers seriously.
Kofi Bruce,
Mampong
Editorial
Our women can deliver
Dear Editor,
I write to congratulate the women that have so far caught the attention of President John Dramani Mahama for ministerial appointment.
So far, over 10 women have been vetted already and they all gave a very good account of themselves and I hope that they perform to the best of their abilities.
This is a good sign from President Mahama who demonstrated a strong resolve to provide an enabling environment for the women to be part of decision making by choosing a woman as his Vice President.
And true to his word, a number of women have been appointed in ministerial positions and others as presidential staffers.
I believe the other appointments to come would also have women making the cut.
This would be a morale booster for the young women out there who thinks that their position is the kitchen or in a man’s house as a wife.
This is a clear case of women given the urge to aim to rise above what society and traditional norms have set for them. I wish them well.
Maame Atta,
Kokompe
