Hundreds of residents from Dome-Kwabenya, Comet, Berekuso, Agyementi and Kitase have staged a peaceful demonstration to demand the immediate rehabilitation and completion of the Dome-Kwabenya–Berekuso–Kitase Road.

The protest, organised by the Dome-Kwabenya–Kitase Road Stakeholders Committee, was aimed at drawing attention to the worsening condition of the road and the challenges it poses to residents, commuters, transport operators and businesses in the affected communities.

Speaking to Citi News on Monday, August 17, the demonstrators said they had repeatedly engaged the relevant authorities over the years but had seen little meaningful progress.

One of the protesters described the road as a major challenge, saying its poor condition had made movement within the area difficult and disruptive.

“This is a peaceful demonstration for our roads to be fixed. The road has not been fixed in 20 years. We need our roads to be fixed,” another demonstrator said.

Residents also expressed concern about the health effects of the deteriorating road, particularly the dust generated by vehicles using the route.

They said the poor road conditions were not only affecting transportation but were also disrupting businesses and making daily activities increasingly difficult.

The protesters are therefore calling on the government and relevant authorities to prioritise the rehabilitation and completion of the road to improve transportation, protect public health and enhance living and business conditions in the affected communities.

The residents say they will continue to press for action until concrete steps are taken to address the long-standing road problem.

Source: Citi News

Financial literacy in schools is becoming an increasingly important topic as young people face a world where understanding money is essential for everyday life. From budgeting and saving to managing debt and making responsible financial decisions, students need practical knowledge that can help them navigate adulthood.

While schools traditionally focus on subjects such as mathematics, science, languages, and social studies, there is growing debate over whether financial education should also become a compulsory part of the school curriculum.

What Is Financial Literacy?

Financial literacy refers to the ability to understand and manage money effectively. It includes knowledge of budgeting, saving, spending, banking, borrowing, investing, insurance, and financial planning.

For students, financial literacy can provide practical knowledge that goes beyond what they learn in traditional academic subjects.

Why Financial Literacy Matters for Students

Young people eventually have to make financial decisions, whether they are managing pocket money, paying for education, starting a business, earning a salary, or planning for the future.

Teaching financial literacy in schools can help students understand the difference between needs and wants and encourage them to develop responsible spending habits.

Students can also learn why saving money is important and how small financial decisions can affect their future.

Teaching Students How to Budget

Budgeting is one of the most important financial skills students can learn.

A simple budgeting lesson can teach students how to track income and expenses, set financial priorities, and avoid unnecessary spending.

For example, students could be given a hypothetical monthly income and asked to plan how to allocate it among food, transportation, savings, education, entertainment, and emergencies.

Practical exercises like this can make financial education easier to understand.

The Importance of Saving

Financial literacy in schools can also encourage students to develop saving habits at an early age.

Students can learn why it is useful to save money for emergencies, education, business opportunities, or long-term goals.

Learning about saving can help young people understand that financial security often requires planning and discipline rather than simply earning more money.

Understanding Loans and Debt

Another important area of financial education is borrowing.

Students should understand that loans must generally be repaid and may include interest and other charges. Learning about responsible borrowing can help young people make informed decisions when they eventually use credit facilities.

Basic lessons about debt can also help students recognise the risks of borrowing more money than they can reasonably repay.

Digital Money and Online Financial Services

As digital payments and mobile financial services become increasingly common, students also need to understand how to use financial technology responsibly.

Schools can teach students about protecting PINs and passwords, recognising suspicious messages, avoiding financial scams, and keeping personal financial information private.

These lessons can help young people become more careful users of digital financial services.

Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship

Financial education can also support entrepreneurship.

Students interested in starting businesses can learn about basic accounting, pricing, profit, expenses, budgeting, and financial planning.

Understanding how money moves through a business can help young entrepreneurs make better decisions and avoid common financial mistakes.

Should Financial Education Be Compulsory?

Supporters of compulsory financial literacy in schools argue that every student will eventually have to manage money, regardless of the career they choose.

They believe financial education should not depend on whether a student’s family has the knowledge or resources to teach these skills at home.

However, some people argue that school curricula are already crowded and that financial education should be integrated into existing subjects rather than introduced as another compulsory subject.

A possible solution could be to teach financial literacy through mathematics, business studies, social studies, entrepreneurship, and practical school projects.

The Role of Parents

Schools cannot be expected to provide all financial education. Parents and guardians also have an important role to play.

Simple activities such as teaching children how to save part of their allowance, compare prices, plan spending, or set financial goals can reinforce lessons taught at school.

When schools and families work together, young people may have more opportunities to develop responsible financial habits.

Preparing Students for Adult Life

Education is not only about passing examinations. It should also prepare young people for real-life responsibilities.

Understanding money is one of those responsibilities. Students who develop financial knowledge early may be better prepared to make informed decisions about education, employment, business, saving, and spending as they grow older.

Conclusion

Financial literacy in schools could give students practical skills that they can use throughout their lives. Teaching young people about budgeting, saving, responsible borrowing, digital financial safety, and financial planning could help them make better decisions as adults.

Whether financial literacy should become a compulsory subject remains open to debate, but there is growing recognition that understanding money is an important part of preparing students for life beyond the classroom.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has published the list of candidates cleared to contest the party’s 2026 Regional Executive Elections in the Western North Region, with voting scheduled for Sunday, August 16, 2026.

The notice of poll issued by the Western North Regional Executives Election Committee outlines contests for 11 positions, including Regional Chairperson, First and Second Vice Chairpersons, Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Treasurer, Organiser, Women’s Organiser, Youth Organiser, Nasara Organiser and Communication Officer.

The election will see several aspirants compete for the top regional positions, while one candidate has been listed unopposed for the Nasara Organiser position.

Chairperson race

Four candidates are on the ballot for Regional Chairperson.

They are:

Mcdaniels Nyame

Pious Vincent Abakah

Martha Kwayie Manu

Benjamin Armah

The Chairperson position is expected to be one of the closely watched contests as the party seeks to strengthen its regional structures.

First Vice Chairperson

Two candidates are contesting the position of First Vice Chairperson:

Eric Theophilus Tandoh

George Kwame Ackah

Second Vice Chairperson

The Second Vice Chairperson position also has two candidates:

Godfred Kwabena Agyei

Francis Afanyо Kwaku

Secretary

The race for Regional Secretary features two candidates:

Samuel Kofi Abiaw

Felix Foster Ackah

The Secretary will play a key role in coordinating the administrative and organisational activities of the regional party structure.

Deputy Secretary

Three candidates have been listed for Deputy Secretary:

Emmanuel Atta-Marfo

Victor Nkrumah Arthur

Evans Austin Brew

Treasurer

The Treasurer position will be contested by:

Victoria Owusu Fuachie

John Armah Kye

Organiser

Four candidates are competing for the Regional Organiser position:

Gabriel Doh

Kwabena Boahen

Kwabena Musah

Isaac Amanor

The Organiser position is particularly significant to the party’s grassroots mobilisation and election preparations.

Women’s Organiser

Two candidates have been listed for the Women’s Organiser position:

Patricia Boakye

Janet Danso

Youth Organiser

The Youth Organiser race has two candidates:

Gideon Brenya Agyapong

Othniel Kwabena Amankwah-Asiedu

The winner will be responsible for leading the party’s youth mobilisation and engagement activities in the region.

Nasara Organiser

The Nasara Organiser position has only one candidate.

Abubakar Yunus is listed as unopposed, meaning he does not face another candidate for the position.

Communication Officer

Two candidates are contesting the Communication Officer position:

Harry Yaw Addo

Derrick Danso

The Communication Officer will be expected to play a central role in communicating the party’s policies, activities and positions to the public and the media.

Polling date

According to the notice, voting for the Western North Regional Executives Election was scheduled for Sunday, August 16, 2026.

The notice lists the candidates according to their ballot numbers and indicates that the election is being organised by the Western North Regional Executives Election Committee.

With contests spread across the various regional executive positions, the election is set to determine the next crop of leaders responsible for managing the NPP’s affairs in the Western North Region.

NOTICE OF POLL-WESTERN NORTH-1

Ghana and the Netherlands have signed a special Letter of Intent aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the fight against illicit drugs and drug markets.

The agreement was signed by Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and the Minister of Justice and Security of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, D.M. Van Weel, during the Dutch Minister’s official visit to Ghana.

According to Mr Ablakwa, the agreement builds on the Accra Call to Action and reflects the commitment of both countries to providing stronger international leadership in tackling the growing threat posed by illicit drugs.

He said the drug trade continues to have devastating consequences, particularly for young people, while placing pressure on public health systems, undermining the rule of law and contributing to human rights violations.

“Genuine and reliable international collaboration” will be critical to dismantling criminal networks and disrupting drug markets, Mr Ablakwa noted.

He said the cooperation between Ghana and the Netherlands is expected to contribute to efforts to tackle the trafficking of cocaine, synthetic drugs and illicit financial flows associated with organised crime.

The Foreign Affairs Minister expressed confidence that closer international cooperation would help the two countries confront criminal networks responsible for flooding their markets with illegal drugs and criminal proceeds.

The Letter of Intent therefore marks a renewed commitment by Ghana and the Netherlands to deepen collaboration, share expertise and strengthen collective action against the international drug trade.

The initiative also positions both countries to work together in protecting young people, safeguarding public health and strengthening the rule of law in the face of the growing global drug threat.

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Ghana has received five newly designated diplomatic representatives from Nigeria, India, Lebanon, Australia and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), as the country continues to strengthen its relations with key international partners.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, announced the development in a post shared on his X page, where he said Ghana was delighted to welcome the new envoys and expressed confidence in their role in advancing the country’s diplomatic relationships.

According to Mr Ablakwa, he formally received the open letters of the five envoys in an atmosphere marked by honour, duty, warmth and friendship.

The newly designated representatives are:

H.E. Shehu Ilu Barde – Nigerian High Commissioner-Designate to Ghana.

H.E. Surinder Bhagat – Indian High Commissioner-Designate to Ghana.

H.E. Fouad Khazzaka – Lebanese Ambassador-Designate to Ghana.

H.E. Keara Shaw – Australian High Commissioner-Designate to Ghana.

H.E. Emmanuel Kalenzi – UNIDO Resident Representative to Ghana.

Mr Ablakwa said the arrival of the new diplomatic representatives presented an opportunity to further deepen Ghana’s longstanding partnerships and cooperation with the respective countries and international organisation.

The engagement with Nigeria is particularly significant given the longstanding historical, cultural, economic and people-to-people ties between Ghana and Nigeria. Both countries remain key partners within West Africa and continue to cooperate on regional and bilateral matters.

Ghana’s relationship with India also spans several areas, including trade, investment, education, development cooperation and diplomatic engagement. The appointment of a new Indian High Commissioner-Designate is therefore expected to provide an avenue for further strengthening those ties.

The new Lebanese Ambassador-Designate will represent Lebanon in Ghana at a time when both countries maintain diplomatic relations and cooperation across a range of areas.

Australia is another important partner for Ghana, with bilateral engagement covering development cooperation, education, governance and other areas of mutual interest. The designation of Keara Shaw as High Commissioner is expected to contribute to continued diplomatic engagement between the two countries.

Meanwhile, the appointment of Emmanuel Kalenzi as UNIDO Resident Representative underscores Ghana’s engagement with the United Nations agency responsible for promoting inclusive and sustainable industrial development.

Mr Ablakwa’s announcement forms part of Ghana’s broader diplomatic efforts under the current administration to deepen international partnerships and advance cooperation with countries and multilateral institutions.

The Foreign Affairs Minister also reaffirmed Ghana’s welcoming posture towards diplomatic representatives, stressing the importance of friendship and constructive engagement in moving the country’s international relations forward.

His post was accompanied by photographs of the engagements with the newly designated envoys.

The development comes as Ghana continues to position its diplomatic relations as an important tool for advancing national interests, strengthening economic partnerships and promoting cooperation on shared international and regional priorities.

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