Day: March 24, 2024

The Women’s Ministry of the Global Evangelical Church, (GEC) has embarked on evangelism in major markets throughout the country.

The Women clad in their uniform held placards some of which read only: ‘Jesus Saves, With Jesus All Things Are Possible and Jesus is Coming Soon’.

Some of the markets evangelised in Accra included the Anyaa, Amasaman, Agbogbloshie, Madina, Malata, Kasoa, and Dodowa markets.

Presbyteries outside Accra also evangelised all the major Market places in Ghana, Togo and Cote d’Ivoire, among others.

Rev. Mrs. Patricia Akpene Tegbe-Agbo, the National Coordinator for the Women’s Ministry of the GEC,

giving a general overview of the exercise, said, the decision to embark on the Market Evangelism was in fulfillment of a divine mandate for the Great Commission.

She said those found in the market spaces were also in the plan of God and must be reached out to with the Gospel of Christ.

She said the vision of the Women’s Ministry, which is not different from that of the mother Church, was to
bring all to the saving knowledge of Christ and make holistic impact on society.

She revealed that, the Market Evangelism was the prelude to similar ones in the offing.

‘As Women of the Global Evangelical Church, every quarter we shall reach out with the Gospel of Christ. The maiden one as we have seen is the Market Evangelism. The next quarter will be Street Evangelism where we shall take the Gospel of Christ to all the major streets in the Country and beyond.’

That of the third quarter shall be Community Evangelism. This is to enable us to get the Good news to the unreached in our communities, especially the ghettos.

Rev. Mrs. Tegbe-Agbo, who also participated in the Market Evangelism in Accra, said the Ministry planned to support souls won with clothes and to nurture them to achieve their God-given potentials.

Rev Mrs. Mercy Kpeglah, the Accra Presbytery Women’s Ministry Coordinator, who led the Women in Accra, said they used the Gospel Hand Message to assure those they evangelised of how God loves al
l humankind regardless of our sins and shortcomings.

She said, Jesus out of love had to die and was raised up for the deliverance of all people taking away eternal damnation and condemnation.

‘Thus, if anyone believes in the atoning work of Jesus and also believes in him as the son of God, that person shall never perish but will have everlasting life’, she said.

She said, ‘some of the people we engaged gave their lives to Christ and we prayed for the success of their businesses as well as the sick and the afflicted.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Women’s Ministry of the Global Evangelical Church, (GEC) has embarked on evangelism in major markets throughout the country.

The Women clad in their uniform held placards some of which read only: ‘Jesus Saves, With Jesus All Things Are Possible and Jesus is Coming Soon’.

Some of the markets evangelised in Accra included the Anyaa, Amasaman, Agbogbloshie, Madina, Malata, Kasoa, and Dodowa markets.

Presbyteries outside Accra also evangelised all the major Market places in Ghana, Togo and Cote d’Ivoire, among others.

Rev. Mrs. Patricia Akpene Tegbe-Agbo, the National Coordinator for the Women’s Ministry of the GEC,

giving a general overview of the exercise, said, the decision to embark on the Market Evangelism was in fulfillment of a divine mandate for the Great Commission.

She said those found in the market spaces were also in the plan of God and must be reached out to with the Gospel of Christ.

She said the vision of the Women’s Ministry, which is not different from that of the mother Church, was to
bring all to the saving knowledge of Christ and make holistic impact on society.

She revealed that, the Market Evangelism was the prelude to similar ones in the offing.

‘As Women of the Global Evangelical Church, every quarter we shall reach out with the Gospel of Christ. The maiden one as we have seen is the Market Evangelism. The next quarter will be Street Evangelism where we shall take the Gospel of Christ to all the major streets in the Country and beyond.’

That of the third quarter shall be Community Evangelism. This is to enable us to get the Good news to the unreached in our communities, especially the ghettos.

Rev. Mrs. Tegbe-Agbo, who also participated in the Market Evangelism in Accra, said the Ministry planned to support souls won with clothes and to nurture them to achieve their God-given potentials.

Rev Mrs. Mercy Kpeglah, the Accra Presbytery Women’s Ministry Coordinator, who led the Women in Accra, said they used the Gospel Hand Message to assure those they evangelised of how God loves al
l humankind regardless of our sins and shortcomings.

She said, Jesus out of love had to die and was raised up for the deliverance of all people taking away eternal damnation and condemnation.

‘Thus, if anyone believes in the atoning work of Jesus and also believes in him as the son of God, that person shall never perish but will have everlasting life’, she said.

She said, ‘some of the people we engaged gave their lives to Christ and we prayed for the success of their businesses as well as the sick and the afflicted.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

The contribution of education to every well-developed society cannot be overstated as it goes a long way to shape a person’s overall wellbeing in terms of character, intellect, social and financial standing.

It also helps gain financial and social independence and develops a healthy mindset that propels personal, individual and community advancement.

Education is, thus, a multi-faceted and indispensable tool for the progress and prosperity of a nation and drives economic growth, reduces poverty, enhances human capital, and contributes to cultural preservation.

In a broader sense, education, both formal and informal, is vital for a country’s development because it equips its citizens with the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to enable them to contribute to economic growth, foster innovation and participate effectively in democratic processes.

Education has countless crucial benefits for a country?and individuals seeking a prosperous future?because it opens doors for better opportunities, boosts pe
rsonal growth and confidence for the?strengthening of?societies’ progress.

The?promotion of social progress by empowering individuals with?the ability to make informed decisions about their lives and fostering tolerance, diversity and social cohesion, reducing societal inequalities?for a just and equitable society are all the resultant effects of education.

Enhancement of a country’s global competitiveness by producing skilled workforce capable of adapting to rapidly changing technological and economic landscapes could not be?possible?without a?strong education system, which tend to attract foreign investment, stimulate innovation, and maintain a competitive edge in the global market.

Another?essential?aspect of?education?is to nurture and provide information to citizens who could actively participate in democratic processes to?encourage critical thinking, civic engagement and the ability to hold government officials accountable, while promoting gender equality and development.

Education and Examination

Formal education is attained progressively from the basic through secondary to the tertiary level. Throughout the various levels, examination plays a crucial role.

The school examinations (internal) and external examination bodies like the West African Examination Council (WAEC) all help in determining the progress of a pupil or student to the next level.

Before a pupil or student is examined, it is expected that the necessary knowledge will have been imparted through effective teaching and learning.

In that regard, it is expected that having been taught and prepared well by the schools, ideally, examinations will be malpractice-free, but the reverse has been the case in recent years.

The question then is why?the rampant examination malpractices, some of which result in dire consequences like subject cancelations and withholding of results by the WAEC?

In any case no one is ready to take responsibility?for those shameful?acts.

West African Examination Council’s Report

A report by the Public Affairs Dep
artment?of the?WAEC, in?an update on the conduct of?West African Senior?School Certificate Examination?(WASSCE) last year,?must?be a wake-up call to all to?make conscious efforts to prevent and end examination malpractices to safeguard the future of?the nation.

?

In the report, WAEC stated it was overwhelmed by widespread examination malpractices recorded at various examination centres as the?National Intelligence Bureau and the Police?busted hundreds of students with foreign materials, impersonators and invigilators aiding in a malpractice cartel and trading questions for various sums of money.

It is alleged that some of the invigilators charged between GhC500.00 and GhC1000.00 to assist students during examinations.

The practice gave?those candidates?a certain sense of entitlement and,?therefore, they wanted to be allowed to have their way.

The story?is not different from the Basic Education Certificate?Examination (BECE) and even at the tertiary level.

Mr?Anthony Kwasi Logodzo, the Branch Controller
of the?WAEC?Office?for the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions, said some of the common examination irregularities detected in 2023 were foreign materials on candidates in the examination halls.

He confirmed to the Ghana News Agency?(GNA) in Sunyani?that?quite a number of the candidates were caught with prepared notes and pages torn from their textbooks with the intention to using them to answer questions.

Mr Logodzo said the team from his office?almost every day?recorded some incidents of malpractices at some examination centres, and that to curtail the situation?all those involved?should be identified?and sanctioned.

He noted that teachers, parents, invigilators and even some school authorities facilitated the malpractices, adding that the trend had been worrying and undermining the integrity of the examination.

He conceded to the national challenge, which must be eradicated through a shared?responsibility to maintain the credibility of the examination in the coming years.

Causes of Malpractices

Researc
h has?shown the most common causes of malpractice in Ghana are the pressure to meet high parental demands for excellent results, bad study habits, desire to avoid failure, anxiety and poor supervision.

Others are the lack of basic learning resources, inadequate seating arrangements, the congested nature of the examination rooms or halls, bad teaching techniques and schools’ desire to come on top of results ranking tables.

Conclusion

It is time for the Ghana Education Service and WAEC to jointly institute measures and initiate actions against those individuals and groups, either candidates, invigilators or supervisors involved in the malpractices.

This can be done through diverse measures like strict adherence to the rules governing the examination, while punishment and sanctions are meted out to the culprits in order to prevent marring the integrity of examinations held in Ghana.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The contribution of education to every well-developed society cannot be overstated as it goes a long way to shape a person’s overall wellbeing in terms of character, intellect, social and financial standing.

It also helps gain financial and social independence and develops a healthy mindset that propels personal, individual and community advancement.

Education is, thus, a multi-faceted and indispensable tool for the progress and prosperity of a nation and drives economic growth, reduces poverty, enhances human capital, and contributes to cultural preservation.

In a broader sense, education, both formal and informal, is vital for a country’s development because it equips its citizens with the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to enable them to contribute to economic growth, foster innovation and participate effectively in democratic processes.

Education has countless crucial benefits for a country?and individuals seeking a prosperous future?because it opens doors for better opportunities, boosts pe
rsonal growth and confidence for the?strengthening of?societies’ progress.

The?promotion of social progress by empowering individuals with?the ability to make informed decisions about their lives and fostering tolerance, diversity and social cohesion, reducing societal inequalities?for a just and equitable society are all the resultant effects of education.

Enhancement of a country’s global competitiveness by producing skilled workforce capable of adapting to rapidly changing technological and economic landscapes could not be?possible?without a?strong education system, which tend to attract foreign investment, stimulate innovation, and maintain a competitive edge in the global market.

Another?essential?aspect of?education?is to nurture and provide information to citizens who could actively participate in democratic processes to?encourage critical thinking, civic engagement and the ability to hold government officials accountable, while promoting gender equality and development.

Education and Examination

Formal education is attained progressively from the basic through secondary to the tertiary level. Throughout the various levels, examination plays a crucial role.

The school examinations (internal) and external examination bodies like the West African Examination Council (WAEC) all help in determining the progress of a pupil or student to the next level.

Before a pupil or student is examined, it is expected that the necessary knowledge will have been imparted through effective teaching and learning.

In that regard, it is expected that having been taught and prepared well by the schools, ideally, examinations will be malpractice-free, but the reverse has been the case in recent years.

The question then is why?the rampant examination malpractices, some of which result in dire consequences like subject cancelations and withholding of results by the WAEC?

In any case no one is ready to take responsibility?for those shameful?acts.

West African Examination Council’s Report

A report by the Public Affairs Dep
artment?of the?WAEC, in?an update on the conduct of?West African Senior?School Certificate Examination?(WASSCE) last year,?must?be a wake-up call to all to?make conscious efforts to prevent and end examination malpractices to safeguard the future of?the nation.

?

In the report, WAEC stated it was overwhelmed by widespread examination malpractices recorded at various examination centres as the?National Intelligence Bureau and the Police?busted hundreds of students with foreign materials, impersonators and invigilators aiding in a malpractice cartel and trading questions for various sums of money.

It is alleged that some of the invigilators charged between GhC500.00 and GhC1000.00 to assist students during examinations.

The practice gave?those candidates?a certain sense of entitlement and,?therefore, they wanted to be allowed to have their way.

The story?is not different from the Basic Education Certificate?Examination (BECE) and even at the tertiary level.

Mr?Anthony Kwasi Logodzo, the Branch Controller
of the?WAEC?Office?for the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions, said some of the common examination irregularities detected in 2023 were foreign materials on candidates in the examination halls.

He confirmed to the Ghana News Agency?(GNA) in Sunyani?that?quite a number of the candidates were caught with prepared notes and pages torn from their textbooks with the intention to using them to answer questions.

Mr Logodzo said the team from his office?almost every day?recorded some incidents of malpractices at some examination centres, and that to curtail the situation?all those involved?should be identified?and sanctioned.

He noted that teachers, parents, invigilators and even some school authorities facilitated the malpractices, adding that the trend had been worrying and undermining the integrity of the examination.

He conceded to the national challenge, which must be eradicated through a shared?responsibility to maintain the credibility of the examination in the coming years.

Causes of Malpractices

Researc
h has?shown the most common causes of malpractice in Ghana are the pressure to meet high parental demands for excellent results, bad study habits, desire to avoid failure, anxiety and poor supervision.

Others are the lack of basic learning resources, inadequate seating arrangements, the congested nature of the examination rooms or halls, bad teaching techniques and schools’ desire to come on top of results ranking tables.

Conclusion

It is time for the Ghana Education Service and WAEC to jointly institute measures and initiate actions against those individuals and groups, either candidates, invigilators or supervisors involved in the malpractices.

This can be done through diverse measures like strict adherence to the rules governing the examination, while punishment and sanctions are meted out to the culprits in order to prevent marring the integrity of examinations held in Ghana.

Source: Ghana News Agency

After one of the most serious terrorist attacks in Russian history, in which gunmen fired indiscriminately at concert-goers at a venue on the outskirts of Moscow, killing 133 people, many questions remain.

Another 152 people were injured, with many of them remaining in critical condition on Sunday, according to a report from the state news agency TASS, which cited the Moscow regional Civil Protection. Five children are reportedly among the injured.

Russia observed a national day of mourning on Sunday.

The Islamic State (IS) militia claimed responsibility for the deadly attack on the concert hall Friday night.

Eyewitnesses reported the perpetrators shot indiscriminately at visitors and that they heard explosions in the building before a major fire broke out.

Russian President Vladimir Putin hinted at a Ukrainian connection to the assault, without providing any evidence. Putin also claimed that the perpetrators of the attack attempted to flee in the direction of Ukraine.

Ukraine has adamantly denied any r
esponsibility for the attack.

Intelligence services from the United States and other Western countries at the beginning of March warned of a potential imminent terror attack in Moscow. However, Putin dismissed the warnings as a Western provocation.

On Saturday, the so-called Islamic State’s propaganda channel Amak published a picture of four people whose faces had been blurred.

Armed with assault rifles, pistols and bombs, the fighters had dealt Russia a ‘heavy blow,’ the statement said, adding that the attack targeted ‘thousands of Christians in a music hall.’

During the night, heavy machinery cleared debris from the grounds of the Crocus City Hall.

According to the authorities, the clearing and recovery work should continue until at least Sunday evening.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Kofi Nugo, a 49-year-old farmer, has been arrested by the police for allegedly shooting his brother, Robert, and one Hunor Adza after a misunderstanding ensued between them at Agbedorkofe in the Agotime-Ziope District of the Volta Region.

Adza’s conditions is said to be stable with Robert ‘s critical as he was rushed to the Ho Teaching Hospital.

Police sources have confirmed the incident and said investigations have been activated.

An eyewitness, who wanted to remain anonymous, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that on the evening of Thursday, March 21, Kofi Nugo, accompanied by Hunor Adza, came to see his mother, Madam Agbowugbe Abadzivor, who was then in a meeting at AgbedorKofe.

He asked his mother to follow him to his house for some discussions but his mother refused resulting in Kofi Nugo applying force by dragging her.

The source said, his brother, Robert, who was also at the meeting, asked Kofi to stop that action, which he refused, leading to Robert pushing Kofi to the ground.

This infuriated Kof
i Nugo, who then rushed to his house and returned wielding a gun in an attempt to shoot his brother.

Hunor Adza, who was a bystander, was mistakenly shot by Kofi Nugo, the source told the GNA.

Robert then rushed to rescue Hunor Adza, who was then crawling on the ground. Kofi Nugo, realising he had shot the wrong person, opened fire again on Robert, hitting the abdomen and chest.

He absconded after the incident but was later arrested by the police from his hideout on Friday, March 22, currently assisting the police in investigations.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Environment and Agroforestry Foundation (EAF), an environmental non-for-profit organisation in Sunyani, has organised a capacity building workshop for participants on its restoring farmland, riparian ecosystem, and livelihood improvement project in the Bono Region.

Held at Berekum in the Berekum East Municipality of the Bono Region, the programme also saw the launch of a six-year project, being funded by TerraFund for AFR100, an international funding consortium established in 2021, comprising the World Resources Institute, One Tree Planted, Realize Impact and Barka Fund.

It was attended by about 100 participants, including 70 participating farmers from four project beneficiary communities – Namasua, Oforikrom, Tainso and Berekum.

Other participants comprised representatives of the Forest Services Division (FSD) of the Forestry Commission (FC), the Berekum East Municipal Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), the Municipal Assembly.

The tradi
tional authorities of the four beneficiary communities, the leadership of Fulani herdsmen, media and Green Waterhut, an environmental and water conservation non-governmental organisation, headquartered in Sunyani, were all present as stakeholders.

Mrs Emma Baah Agyapong, the Founder/Director of EAF, in an overview, said the project was the Foundation’s contribution to achieving the Government’s commitment to restoring two million hectres of degraded farmlands.

It would also support the achievement of ‘Africa’s ambitious journey of restoring 100 million hectares of degraded farmlands by 2030,’ she said.

Mrs Agyapong, who doubles as the project coordinator, said besides the restoration of degraded farmlands and its adjoining riparian forests sharing border with the Tain II Forest Reserve, it would improve the livelihoods of community members for sustainable forest management in the region.

As part of the project’s plan to use; ‘Participatory Rural Approach’ to achieve the goals, the capacity of locals would
be built to fully participate during the implementation and monitoring activities.

Mr Francis Brobbey, the Sunyani District Manager, Forest Services Division, assured of the Division’s support for the successful implementation of the project.

He said the Government’s commitment to restoring two million hectares of degraded forest and farmlands was a sole mandate of the Forestry Commission, and that if the EAF, through TerraFund, was helping to achieve that, it was vital for the FSD to fully support it to realise the set goals for the success of the Green Ghana Project.

Mr Hassan Sali, the Berekum East Director of MoFA, expressed the enthusiasm of the Ministry to collaborate in achieving the objectives of the project.

The MOFA had a target in climate smart agriculture and agroforestry and would support farmers to achieve the project’s target, he said.

Assistant Divisional Officer I Issahaku, the Berekum Municipal Deputy Commander of the GNFS, expressed worry over the number of fire incidents recorded in t
he municipality in 2023, saying as at mid-February 2024, bush fires had the highest percentage of fire incidents recorded.

He, however, pledged prompt response and support of the GNFS to fighting fires and related incidents in and around the project sites.

Mr Kofi Adjei, the Berekum East Municipal Chief Executive, commended the EAF and TerraFund for AFR100 for choosing the municipality for the project.

He lauded the traditional authorities of the project beneficiary communities for releasing vast tracts of land for its implementation.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Reverend Father Theophilus Addo-Botchway, Assisting Priest, Saint Anne Anglican Church, Abeka, has urged Christians to live life of sacrifice as they commemorate Palm Sunday.

In his message themed: ‘My Expensive Sacrifice,’ based on Mark 14: 3, he said Mary Magdalene, who was seen as a sinner, sacrificed expensive oil to prepare for Christ’s death and burial.

That remarkable act, he said, served as an example for Christians to follow by sacrificing something precious unto God.

‘So, as God is about to sacrifice His Son for us, we also have to sacrifice something for Him,’ he said.

He added: ‘In the olden days, the Israelites sacrificed human beings and animals. In our days, Christ has died for us, so we don’t need to sacrifice animals and human beings again.

‘Whatever God has blessed us with, we have to sacrifice that thing for Christ,’ he said.

Rev Addo-Botchway noted that God had blessed His people with many gifts and talents that Christians could apply to serve God.

He urged Christians to help th
e work of God by giving their money, time, and possessions.

Rev Addo-Botchway stressed that: ‘As a Christian, for your sacrifice to be acceptable unto God, you must go deep within your heart and search for the most expensive thing that you can sacrifice unto the Lord.’

Rev Fr Dr Samuel Quartey, the Parish Priest, St Anne Anglican Church, said Palm Sunday signified the bold decision that Jesus took to enter Jerusalem regardless of the consequences that awaited him.

He said Christians must also be bold witnesses for Christ so that others may know the victory of the sacrifice that Christ had brought to mankind.

‘Palm Sunday also teaches us to be humble, loving and steadfast in the Lord, as Christ’s victory is an assurance that even though the Christian life will be full of trials, persecutions and tribulations, through it all, God will be there to save us and bless us,’ he noted.

As Ghana prepared for the 2024 General Election, Rev Quartey called on the country’s political party leaders to let Christ be the
ir example by humbling themselves.

He said: ‘In elections, is either you win or you lose. So when you win, you give glory to God. When you lose too, you give glory to God.

‘It’s God that appoints leaders. It’s God that appointed Jesus to come and die for mankind.

‘As we go into elections, Christians must pray to God for Him to grant the nation victory as He granted Jesus Christ victory over the devil.’

Rev Quartey urged Christians to be channels of peace and unity throughout the elections to maintain the nation’s stability and speed up growth and development.

The Church Choir led the congregation to sing the Passion according to Saint Mathew with meditations on Jesus’ trial, death, victory over sin, and mankind’s reconciliation with God.

Source: Ghana News Agency