Day: June 18, 2024

Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo, the overlord of the Waala Traditional Council, has bemoaned the deplorable Wa-Bole-Bamboi Road saying ‘It is giving sleepless nights to drivers and passengers and killing patients on referrals to hospitals in Tamale and Kumasi’.

He said the condition of the road made it harder to be called a road again; only the drivers who have been driving on it could locate it.

‘Drivers plying on it for the first time easily get missing and rather veered off into the bushes because the bush path and the road are identical in sight. Its dreadful condition makes it a nightmare in the true word’, the Wa-Naa lamented.

The Wa-Naa said this before the Road and Highways Minister, Mr Francis Asenso-Boakye, during a courtesy on him at his palace to start an inspection tour of the European Union and World Bank-funded feeder roads and other roads in the Upper West Region.

The Wa-Naa said hitherto, a journey of six hours from Wa-Kumasi had now become 15 15-hour journey by commercial vehicles and as a resu
lt, perishable goods transported from the southern sector got wasted because of the long hours spent on the road.

‘A major worry to our people has to do with patients on referrals to Tamale and Kumasi Teaching Hospitals for specialists’ medical attention, as they get to their destinations declared dead on arrival’, the Wa-Naa said.

‘It is that when patients are on referral to these hospitals, relatives start to prepare for their funerals because the roads will virtually kill them’, he added.

The Wa-Naa however commended the government for providing the region with two universities, which had developed excellent programmes to educate the teeming youth with skills to serve the manpower needs of the region in particular and Ghana as a whole.

He, however, expressed disappointment that the intake of students in the two universities had dwindled and attributed it to the poor road network, while government workers, especially some critical medical personnel were rejecting transfers to the region.

‘Equally, busi
nessmen and women have also found the region unattractive and are refusing to set up their enterprises due to the high cost of doing business regarding transportation and poor road network’, he stated.

Naa Pelpuo reminded Mr Asenso-Boakye of a promise made to the people of the region by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that he would fix the Wa-Bole-Bamboi Road and present it as a gift before the end of his tenure of office.

He said the people were hopeful to see the fulfilment of that promise because already the government had tarred the Wa-Charia, and Dobile-Kambali roads and work was ongoing on the Wa-Jongu road and ‘these give us reasons that we trusted he would deliver on his promise’, he said.

He appealed to the government to construct the Wa-Boli- Loggu and the Wa-Magazine roads, which he said were in deplorable conditions to facilitate the movement of people, goods and services, and provide traffic lights for the Kambali section of the road to help reduce accidents.

Responding to the Wa-Naa’s
request, Mr Asenso-Boakye said, the government had developed two options for the development of the Wa-Bole-Bamboi portion of the Wa-Kumasi Road; one being the parching of all the potholes and bad portion of the road to make it accessible for the movement of vehicles, after which government would consider asphalting it to enhance trade.

He assured the people of the region that the government would bring development to the region to improve livelihoods at the local level.

The Roads and Highways Minister inspected ongoing construction works on the Kamba River near Nandom after he had commissioned the EU Roads at Daffiama.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Nana Adwoa Gyeduaa, a queen-mother, has appealed for support to empower girls to bring the rising cases of teenage pregnancy in the Sunyani West Municipality under control.

She said teenage pregnancy was alarming in the municipality due to economic hardships and poverty, stressing many teenage girls were engaged in sexual perversion because their parents were poor, and therefore could not cater for their adolescent needs.

‘Pre-marital sexual practices among teenage girls are more of an anthem here’, the queen-mother stated, saying ‘The unholy behaviour of these girls is now difficult to control’.

Nana Gyeduaa said the situation worsened at Odomase, and its adjoining communities and was thereby impeding girl-child education, as many of the victims were out of school.

She was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview at Odomase after her enstoolment as the Benkumhemaa (left-wing queen) of the Odomase Number One Traditional Area.

Nana Yaa Adanse Poduo II, the Paramount Queen Mother of Odomase
Number Two Traditional Area took Nana Gyeduaa through traditional rites to seal her enstoolment, amid drumming and dancing.

Nana Gyeduaa bemoaned what she described as the uncontrolled pre-marital sexual practices, particularly, among girls in the area resulting in high population growth and unemployment and called for immediate measures to control the situation.

She said the situation was becoming disturbing because of peer influences which had made even some ‘innocent girls’ see sex as a pleasure and an ‘eye opener’.

Earlier, Nana Poduo II advised queen mothers to live moderate lives to command respect from their subjects and society.

She said queenship was reserved for the humbled and dignified royals and warned that she would not tolerate any queen mother in the area whose behaviour would expose Odomase Number One stool to disrepute.

Nana Poduo II called on the chiefs and people of the area to accord the new queen mother the required respect and support to achieve her vision for the town.

Source: G
hana News Agency

A 53-year-old businesswoman has been enstooled as the Benkumhemaa (left-wing queen) of the Odomase Number One Traditional Area in the Sunyani West Municipality, with the stool name Nana Adwoa Gyeduaa II.

Known in private life as Adwoa Badu, Nana Gyeduaa II occupied the family stool made vacant by her grandmother Nana Henewaa who died early this year after a short illness.

Nana Yaa Adanse Poduo II, the Paramount Queen Mother of the Odomase Number One Traditional Area took the new sub-queen through the traditional rites to seal her enstoolment at a colourful ceremony held at Odomase, the municipal capital.

She entreated the chiefs and people of the area to accord the new sub-queen the required respect and dignity and support her to enable her to achieve her vision for the area.

Nana Poduo II cautioned the sub-queens in the area against arrogance and entreated them to respect the people they reigned over.

As the embodiment of women, she emphasised that queens were enstooled to serve the people and advised t
he new queen to help identify and tackle the pressing needs of the women and girls in the area.

Nana Poduo II congratulated Nana Gyeduaa II and expressed the hope that with her support and that of the sub-queens, the traditional council would be able to address issues inimical to the growth and development of women in the area.

On her part, Nana Gyeduaa II expressed appreciation to the chiefs and people of the area and pledged to exercise her responsibility in diligence.

She was later carried shoulder-high by the people on the street of the Odomase township amid dancing and drumming.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Police Service says it has commenced an investigation into the death of two persons in the Wa Municipality of the Upper West Region.

The two incidents were recorded today, Tuesday, June 18, 2024, at the Wa East Education Service office and the Wa Model JHS School, a police brief said.

‘We would like to assure the public, especially the residents of Wa, to remain calm as the Police work to get those involved arrested to face justice,’ it added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister has commended Muslim women for their immeasurable contributions to the rapid economic growth and development of the region.

However, she called on them to do more and spend much of their resources on the education of their children, especially, Muslim girls.

That would enable their children to grow and become responsible adults and national assets and occupy enviable positions, but not liabilities.

The Regional Minister gave the commendation when she visited and interacted with some Muslim women at the Zongo Community in Sunyani and highlighted the need for the women to promote environmental sanitation too.

‘Your sacrifices in nurturing the Muslim child into a more responsible one will definitely go unnoticed,’ Madam Owusu Banahene said and advised the women to attach importance to the petty business they were doing.

She said the role of Muslim women in the upkeep of the family remained essential, hence the need for them to find something worth doi
ng to economically empower them to be able to support and provide for the needs of their families.

Madam Owusu-Banahene also advised the women to live in accordance with the tents of Islam, love and care for each other and endeavour to continue to live peaceably with people with different faiths.

She said peaceful co-existence among Muslims, Christians and people with other faiths and religion was required to push the holistic development of the region and the nation forward.

‘It is also your responsibility to take good care of the aged among you to acquire Allah’s blessings,’ the Minister advised the women.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Suicide is a serious public health issue that has impacted individuals, families, and communities all around the world since records began.

It is a complicated phenomenon with profound psychological, societal and environmental implications.

Understanding the causes, and knowing how to provide support can help to prevent it and give hope to individuals in crisis.

Suicide has become one of the top causes of death worldwide, especially among young people. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 700,000 people die by suicide each year.

Suicide has far-reaching consequences for families, friends, and communities, as well to the severe loss of life.

Suicide never occurs on a single factor, according to experts, instead, it comes from a complicated interaction of numerous variables which include; mental disorder, trauma and abuse, misuse of substances, social isolation, socioeconomic factors.

To prevent such health issue from happening, it would involve an all-inclusive approach, including indiv
iduals, communities and organizations.

Few points of strategies can help reduce the number of suicides that occur yearly and they are;

First, such people can be taken to the mental health care for treatment, counselling, or medications can be given to them because they might be suffering from mental illness.

Secondly, public awareness can be raised, that is; organizing education programmes to raise the knowledge of suicide warning signals and how to respond can help lower stigma and encourage people to seek help in communities.

Another could be supportive network; breaking it down, supportive network could include family and friends.

Such people can provide emotional support to persons who are at risk. We can also limit the access to typical suicide weapons such as knives, hazardous drugs and indepth media reportage on suicide.

Mostly, people who end up trying to commit suicide but failed need to be watched over or there should be follow-up care by offering mental health assistance and developing safety
measures.

There are ways society can support persons suspected to be considering suicide and they are;

The need to provide a non-judgmental ear to listen to them. Allow them to communicate their feelings and worries to without interruption.

Sometimes family members, friends or helpers should be direct and bold to ask if by any chance they are thinking about suicide. If it happens to be so, they need to be talked through it. Direct questions can provide clarity and show that you care.

You ensure that they are not left alone by staying with them. If possible, remove all means of self-harm.

You need to seek professional help if you think you can’t do it alone. Call a mental health professional, a crisis hotline or even an emergency service, according to the Samaritans, a British mental health advocates.

Then do a follow-up, that is, continuous checking and providing assistance to the victim.

In summary, suicide is an awful occurrence that highlights the importance of mental health treatment, social suppor
t, and public awareness.

Understanding the causes and how to provide support can help prevent suicide and give those in need some hope to live.

Remember that reaching out and providing a lifeline can help save lives. If you or someone you know or love is struggling, don’t be afraid to seek assistance or help. Let’s all join hands to help save lives.

Source: Ghana News Agency