Mr Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, the Majority Leader in Parliament, has called on citizens to desist from politics of insults and engage in positive debates to ensure peace in the lead-up to Election 2024. He said citizens should pay attention to the promises and policies proposed by the various political parties and make decisions in the best interest of the development of the country. 'It is not about the insults; it is not about the name calling and it is not about the extremist views. It is about the future of our country,' he noted. Mr Afenyo-Markin, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu in the Central Region, made the call at the 84th Anniversary and Speech and Prize Giving Day of the Aggrey Memorial A.M.E Zion Senior High School. The anniversary, sponsored by the 1999-year group of the Aggrey Memorial Old Students Association (AMOSA '99) was on the theme: 'Developing Character for a New Ghana: The Responsibility of all Stakeholders in Education.' Mr Afenyo-Markin cautioned Ghanai ans not to be misled by the heated squabbles they sometimes witnessed on the floor of Parliament, indicating that about 99 per cent of the issues were agreed upon by consensus. 'MPs don't fight in Parliament,' he stressed. The Majority Leader rallied all stakeholders, including teachers, parents and policymakers, to nurture and support the youth as they grew into the future leaders of the country. 'As we look towards developing a new Ghana, let's remember that the strength of our nation lies not just in the wealth of our resources but also in the character of our people,' he said. 'In the Ghana that we desire, we aim to thrive not just economically, but become a beacon of integrity, resilience and unity and the role of education is very paramount.' Narrating how he stood resilient in his political life experiences; the MP urged the students never to give up if they were to succeed in life, saying, the lessons learnt both inside and outside of the classroom would shape the future of the nation. Mr Afenyo -Markin encouraged parents to make time and pay close attention to their children's development and life challenges including depression. Rev. Dr Emmanuel Donkoh, the Rector of the Christian Leadership University and leader of the Abundant Life Bible Church, urged citizens to prioritise honesty and integrity in their personal lives for development. 'As we look towards the future of our nation, let us affirm our recommitment to upholding the virtues of integrity, honesty, forgiveness, perseverance and humility and impart these virtues to the next generation,' he said. The highly patronised ceremony was spiced up with cultural displays and fascinating drills by the school's cadet. The event also saw Madam Kate Annan-Wilberforce, the Headmistress, handing over the headship to Madam Dorothy Adentwi Hayford as the new head of the school. The outgoing Headmistress touted the achievements within her four-year tenure against all the odds. She said the school had financial and other challenges including dilapida ted structures when she took over, but with the support of her management team, teachers, old students and other stakeholders, she was able to institute measures to turn its fortunes around. She created a synergy with her management team to change the atmosphere of the school to a more disciplined academic one. Again, with support from some old students, the school was able to acquire 27 projectors and rewiring of the various classroom blocks to enhance academic work. Madam Annan-Wilberforce said the school was working to add entrepreneurship as part of its subjects and touted the good grades they had achieved in WASSCE over the years. She commended all groups and individuals for lending her their support and urged them to give the same support to her successor. At the end of the programme, Amosa '99 handed over the mantle of sponsorship and development of the school to Amosa 2000. Many students were honoured for distinguishing themselves in various fields of academics. Source: Ghana News Agency Namibia Needs Me Project held a civic education dialogue with students from the University of Namibia (UNAM) Rundu Campus on strengthening democratic participation here on Tuesday. The project is implemented by the Namibia Institute of Democracy and the Hanns Seidel Foundation and is funded by the European Union. Speaking at the event, Senior Project Officer of Namibia Needs Me, Naita Hishoono, said the project encourages citizens to get involved in the country's democratic institutions such as the National Assembly etc. As Namibia is preparing for its Presidential and National Assembly elections, set for late November, citizens will have to understand where in the electoral cycle they will be involved, she said. Hishoono urged Namibians to get themselves registered for the upcoming elections and to make sure they read the various political parties' manifestos to keep leaders accountable once elected. 'Citizens should vote for political parties understanding what these parties can do for them. Thus the N amibia Needs Me Project is about informing citizens about their rights, their responsibilities and how they can involve themselves in political processes in the country,' she said. Hishoono said during these dialogues they are explaining who the institutions are, the procedures as well as the processes. 'We are informing citizens to strengthen their relationship with their leaders and decision-makers. So that in the end we have informed and conscious citizens who know what their rights are,' she noted. As target groups a central focus of the project is the youth demographic, she said, adding that senior secondary school learners from various schools across the country will partake in civic education training sessions as well as University students who will also engage in dialogues providing them with a platform to raise their voices. Commissioner of the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) and English Lecturer at the UNAM Rundu Campus, Dr Gerson Sindano, while applauding the project for its work, said: ' This is the best way to capture young people's imagination for them to have the will to take part in elections.' This, he noted should be the work of every member of society to participate in promoting civic education. Sindano said voter participation in the past years during polls has gone down however with more civic education this trend could change this year. Source: The Namibia Press Agency
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