The grand finale of the 2022 edition of the annual Public Speaking competition took place on Sunday, November 13, 2022 at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC). The contest which runs under the auspices of the Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin in collaboration with the cultural unit of the Ghana Education Service saw 6 schools from 5 zones who qualified to the final stage of the competition. Yaa Asantewaa Girls’ Senior High School was  represented by Ellen Owusuaa Darko and Tracy Afrah Frimpong who stood out among several  students from other schools consistently during the period of the contest. Ellen Owusuaa Darko from Yaa Asantewaa Girls’ SHS displayed dexterity in eloquence  with her presentation at the grand finale  thus emerging the winner and Best Orator for the 2022 National Public Speaking Competition with a tally of 76% of the total scores taking over from  Mfantsipim School who were winners of the previous edition of the annual contest. Ellen backed up her assertions with thought-provoking propositions on "Ghana’s Perspective on Green Recovery from Covid-19 ” which was the topic for discussion. Also, she  discussed intelligently whether distant learning should be encouraged in Senior High Schools or not. Odoben Senior High School came second  with 75% while Aburi Girls’ Senior High School also  placed 3rd with 74.3%. The 4th , 5th and 6th positions were taken by Tamale Senior High School with 73.7% , Adisadel College with 72%  and Achimota School with 68% respectively. Winners of the 2022 edition of the National Public Speaking Competition, Yaa Asantewaa Girls’ Senior High School won a cash prize of GHC 10,000 in addition to products from sponsors of the competition. Speaking to students and audience at the auditorium, Director of Public Affairs, Parliament House, Kate Addo, reiterated that it is paramount for Ghanaians to maintain a good environment to ensure keeping our country safe. The National Public Speaking Competition (NPSC) is an annual Public Speaking Contest which runs across Senior High Schools in Ghana . It is designed to discover, recognize and foster the dynamism, creativity and initiative of the Ghanaian youth in promoting a culture of patriotism and national development. The National Public Speaking Competition is aimed at building a genre of speakers who will use public speaking to influence society positively. It also offers students the acknowledgement and encouragement towards a successful career in public relations, compèring, film and advocacy. The competition was powered by DeeDeeGlobal. Watch the video and pics below Source: Jullie Jay-Kanz

Vice President, Dr. Bawumia says he is not aware of any meeting held by sacked Minister of State at the office of the Ministry of Finance, Charles Adu Boahen or a supposed 'appearance fee' as mentioned in Anas Aremeyaw Anas' Galamsey Economy Expose. The Vice President took to his Facebook page to make the announcement. In a post sighted by Thinknewsonline.com, the Vice President posted "I am not aware of any such meeting held by Minister Adu Boahen or a supposed 'appearance fee'". Dr. Bawumia added that his most cherished asset in life is his integrity adding that he will not allow anyone to use his name to engage in corrupt activities" "My most cherished asset in life is my integrity and I will not allow anyone to use my name to engage in corrupt activities" "My attention has been drawn to a video by Anas Aremeyaw Anas (as posted on his social media handle) showing the Minister of State for Finance, Mr. Charles Adu Boahen, apparently using my name, inter alia, to peddle influence and collect money from supposed investors" He stressed that if what the minister is alleged to have said is accurately captured in the video, then his position as a Minister of State is untenable. Dr. Bawumia noted that Mr. Boahen should be dismissed summarily and investigated. Below is a screenshot: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Minister of State at the office of the Ministry of Finance, Charles Adu Boahen says he does not want to be a distraction between the Akufo-Addo government and Ministry of Finance at this crucial moment hence his resignation. Mr. Adu Boahen took to his Facebook page to announce his resignation. In his post sighted by Thinknewsonline.com, he wrote "I do not however wish to be a distraction to Government and the Ministry of Finance at this crucial moment. Consequently I have submitted my resignation to the President of the Republic" Mr. Boahen added that he will however look forward to a full investigation which he hopes will reveal that he has not committed any act. "It has come to my attention that a documentary to be aired by Tiger Eye PI, and an article published in the Crusading Guide of today seeks to accuse me of brokering deals for the Vice President of the Republic" He described the move as an attempt to entrap him and other persons in 2018. Below is hiss Facebook post: . Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Information reaching Thinknewsonline.com indicates that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has fired the Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, Charles Adu Boahen. The sack comes over Dr. Adu Boahen's involvement in Investigative Journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas' Galamsey Economy Exposè. In a communique sighted by Thinknewsonline.com, it stated that President Akufo-Addo spoke to Mr. Adu Boahen after which he too the decision to terminate his appointment. Below is a copy of the release: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Head Coach for the Senior National Team, Black Stars, Otto Addo is expected to name his final 26-man squad for the World Cup scheduled for Qatar. According to sources, the Coach is confident that his 26-man squad will not only partake in the tournament but also make Ghana proud. He is expected to announce the squad at 11am today. Thinknewsonline.com will update readers on who and who makes it to the final 26-man squad for the World Cup. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Ghanaian Football Giant, Kumasi Asante Kotoko has rewarded its kitsman, Issah Amadu with a fully paid trip to Qatar to watch the 2022 Fifa World Cup. According to sources, the paid trip by Kotoko is an appreciation for his 28-year service to the club. Thinknewsonline.com has gathered that Issah Amadu has been Asante Kotoko kitman since 1994. Ghana will be partaking in this year's Fifa World Cup in Qatar. Ghana will face the likes of Portugal, Uruguay and South Korea in Group H. Head Coach for the Black Stars, Otto Addo is expected to name his final squad on Monday. See post below: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Jaguar has officially launched its new Land Rover at a UKsite Tour. The newly launched Land Rover was spotted have lots of Ghanaian Adinkra symbols as part of its design. The aim of the Adinkra symbols is said to promote their BlackFutures initiative. The car features Adinkra symbols, which originate from Ghana and represent concepts or aphorisms. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith Picture credit: Kwabena Nsafoah

The Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor has on Saturday, 12th November, 2022, co-Chaired the first ministerial meeting of the Forests and Climate Leaders’ Partnership (FCLP) with the United States’ Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, Secretary John Kerry, as the Minister's final participation in the ongoing COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Eqypt. The Meeting which was attended by twenty-eight (28) Ministers and five observer countries, was to develop a framework for 2023 and beyond to achieve the objectives of the Partnership. In his remarks, Hon. Jinapor pledged the commitment of the Government of President Akufo-Addo to work with members of the Partnership to deliver on forests and nature-based solutions to climate change. He also assured that he will use his leadership on the new Partnership to showcase Ghana’s climate actions and that of other countries as they synergize to work on addressing forest loss. He said forests and nature-based solutions can deliver up to a third of global climate solutions, and "Ghana, as a respected member of the international community, is fully committed to supporting global climate action". The FCLP is a new political forum that brings together governments and partners to work to implement solutions that reduce forest loss, increase restoration, and support sustainable development. It creates a platform for Heads of State and Government and their Ministers to combine their political efforts to accelerate global action to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030, while delivering sustainable development and promoting an inclusive rural transformation. Below are some pictures: Story by: Nadia Aidoo

The Minister of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Dr. Owusu Afriye Akoto, has expressed appreciation for the concerted effort of farmers within Volta Region for sharing knowledge with smallholder farmers. He gave the commendation on Friday, November 4, 2022, at the Volta Regional Coordinating Council(VRCC) in the Volta Region applauding the farmers for having embraced the initiative of Planning for Food and Jobs(PFJ). He said contrary to the political position held by farmers in the region at the onset of the program for which reason farmers in the region were one of the late group of farmers to wholly embrace the initiative, the program has chalk great success. He said regardless of the late acceptance of the initiative, the region had unearthed great agricultural potential in rice, oil palm and maize production. In addition, Dr. Afriye Akoto remarked that wholly accepting the projects had led to unearthing of the region as a good destination for huge pineapple plantation. Consequently, he tasked the Regional Agriculture Director, Mr. William Dzamefe, to fashion out measures to bring all satellite pineapple producers in the region under one umbrella. The aim, he noted, is to enable the farmers tap into the rich knowledge, skills and markets of Kaleawo Ltd., a large scale pineapple production, packaging and exporting company. He indicated that this company started its operations in the Central Region but had to look for other destinations due to excessive land-grabing by real estate developers. Presenting the overview of the progress of agricultural growth in the region, the Regional Agricultural Director, Mr. William Dzamefe, noted that his outfit was committed to attend to the concerns of the farmers in the region. On his part, the Farm Manager for Kaleawo Ltd., Mr. Seidu Labaran Mohammed, appealed for support in areas of inputs such as fertilisers and planting materials. He explained that such a move will lessen the burden imposed by inflation on the farmers. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Efforts are underway to make the Central Region a rice-producing hub. This, according to the Central Regional Minister, Mrs. Justina Marigold Assan, will enable the region to unleash its full agricultural potential in rice production. In pursuit of that, she revealed that a strong collaboration was being forged with Korea International Corporation, an expert organisation in upscaling rice production. Mrs. Marigold Assan was speaking to the media on Thursday, November 3, 2022, in Cape Coast, Central Region during the Minister of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Dr. Owusu Akoto Afriyie’s,, working tour in the region. The visit to the Central Region formed part of the minister’s second leg working tour in five regions across the country. Already, the tour has seen him visit Western, Western North and Central Regions. According to her, though her region was currently eighth on the log of rice-producing regions, Central Region was poised to move to the 7th position. She noted that talks were already ongoing in that regard. She gave the assurance that with the measures put in place one can only hope for the best from the region. She added that Central Region will institute a local market termed, "Farmers' Market where foodstuffs produced in the region would be assembled and sold to customers. Furthermore, Mrs. Marigold Assan indicated that there were ongoing efforts to ensure that Ghanaians eat fresh foods from the farms while guaranteeing the benefits of their nutritional value. In his response, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Akoto Afriye, pledged his support to ensure that the nation rakes in the benefits of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) in the region. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, George Mireku Duker has called on the general public to debunk any baseless allegation over the alleged killing of his bodyguard as speculated by some media outlets. According to the Deputy Minister, his bodyguard who is an officer of the Ghana Police Service is alive and kicking. In a communique sighted by Thinknewsonline.com, the Deputy Minister said "My attention has been drawn to news portal publication item by https://ghanaguardian.com/, https://filasconews.com and https://www.ghanaweb.com which alleges that, my bodyguard has been killed at a 'galamsey' site. I wish to state emphatically that, I have only one (1) bodyguard, assigned to me by the Republic. My bodyguard, an officer of Ghana Police Service is alive" The Deputy Lands and Natural Resources Minister who doubles as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tarkwa-Nsuaem Constituency further revealed that he does not have any other bodyguard anywhere nor have ever had a bodyguard with such name in the said publication. Mr. Mireku Duker also noted that the publication going round is not only misleading and fake but defamatory as hus detractors seem not stop at anything just to tarnish his hard won reputation. "In their scheme to cause massive damage to me they have linked a person whom I have no connections with whatsoever with intent to subject me to public ridicule and hatred, reduce my estimation in the eyes of right thinking members of the public, scandalize and embarrass me beyond measure" "I hereby entreat the public to disregard the publication since I do not have any association with the said alleged person nor do I have a bodyguard with such name" The Tarkwa-Nsuaem MP also urged media houses that has published the news item to withdraw the publication immediately and apologize thereon. "In any case within 48 hours or face the consequences of the law. I have since referred it to my lawyers for the necessary legal action" Background It will be recalled that news broke of a Ghanaian being shot and killed by three Chinese National at a mining site in the Western Region. The Ghana Police Service has however arrested the three Chinese Nationals who are assisting with investigations. Below is a copy of the release: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

3Media Networks has appointed Rashidatu Yasmine Abdulai as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The appointment, which took effect on November 1, 2022 coincided with the launch of 3Media’s new strategic direction conceptualized as ‘This is Culture’. Rashidatu Yasmine Abdulai brings to her new position over 17 years of experience and expertise in developing focused digital and traditional B2B strategies. She is a consummate and an accomplished Marketing Professional with a proven track record of generating new business through strategic negotiation while cultivating new relationships with key decision-makers. Rashida has a history of leading sales and marketing, customer experience management and credit and collections success across various sectors including telecommunications and ICT. The new CEO of 3Media Networks has worked in senior roles at MainOne, Busy Internet, Vodafone Ghana and Tigo/Millicom Ghana. Speaking on her new role, Rashidatu Yasmine Abdulai expressed excitement at the opportunity to join a young and vibrant team that is pushing the frontiers of television and entertainment in general. She said “I am excited to join 3Media Networks at this time where the company is set to redefine television and entertainment experience in Ghana. We are a young and vibrant team and I am confident and expectant on what lies ahead on the horizon for the 3Media.” She also expressed gratitude to the Board of 3Media for their confidence in her to lead the company into the future. She added that “This is a company with a very rich history in Ghana and across the West African Sub-Region and I am extremely grateful to the Board for having the confidence in me to lead the company into the future. It is a trust and confidence I do not take lightly at all and I will dedicate my time here to ensuring that the company continues in the cutting-edge delivery of media products that we are known for.” 3Media Networks is a media and events management company that has over the years become known for their innovation, originality and delivery of revolutionary media content and events concepts. Earlier this year, the company launched the 3Music TV Channel, a new and engaging music and lifestyle channel offering refreshing content to both young and old music lovers and entertainment enthusiasts. Below are some pictures: Credit: 3news.com