Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has held a bilateral meeting with Mr Selwin Hart, Special Advisor to the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General on Climate Action and Just Transition in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

A statement issued by the Office of the Vice President said she accepted Mr Hart’s condolences on the recent tragic helicopter crash that claimed the life of eight prominent Ghanaians including two cabinet ministers.

It said the two went on to discuss the critical importance of advancing global climate action in 2025.

The Vice President reiterated the fact that climate change recognizes no national borders.

“Since many of the causes of climate change are man-made, we must find sustainable and fair solutions together,” Vice Opoku-Agyemang stated.

She stressed the injustice of climate impacts, noting that poorer countries, who contributed the least to the crisis, often bear the heaviest burdens.

“Rising sea levels, particularly affecting small islands and coastal communities, have led to pressing issues such as migration and food insecurity,” she stated.

She urged the United Nations to amplify voices of the vulnerable countries globally and advocated for a multidimensional and Pan-African approach, where countries share strategies, integrate adaptation measures, and scale up solutions collectively.

The Vice President highlighted Ghana’s ongoing initiatives, including the use of floating solar panels at the Bui Dam to diversify energy sources, and the work of institutions such as the University of Energy and Natural Resources in preparing citizens to sustain climate-related policies.

She emphasized that climate solutions must go hand in hand with reforms to the international financial architecture, as unsustainable debt servicing continues to divert resources away from critical sectors such as education, healthcare, and climate adaptation strategies.

“We need a holistic approach to climate, debt, and development challenges. Fairness, equity, and accountability must guide global action if we are to achieve just and lasting solutions,” the Vice President said.

The Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) has inaugurated its Tema Central Sub-Metro Council, with a call on the sub-metro to help increase revenue to facilitate development. 

Ms Ebi Bright, the Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), in a speech read on her behalf by Mr John Nana Owu, the Tema Metropolitan Coordinating Director, commended the sub-metro for increasing its revenue and urged them to do more. 

Ms Bright said by law the sub-metro was entitled to 50 per cent of what it collected, adding that the TMA had been strictly following the provision. 

She gave assurance of the TMA’s sustained commitment towards providing them with the needed support to make the sub-metro functional and a model for local development. 

The MCE explained that the inauguration followed the replacement of appointed members of the Council in accordance with the Local Government Act and the legislative instrument that established the TMA. 

The sub-metros, she stated, help to strengthen grassroots governance and development for the people, adding that they acted as a direct link between the community and the Assembly for the voices of residents to be heard and their issues catered for. 

She reminded assembly members of the relaunch of the national sanitation day and their duties to ensure that their electoral areas were clean, reminding them that President John Dramani Mahama had made sanitation issues a key indicator for the performance of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs). 

Meanwhile, Mr Emmanuel Swanzy Martin has been elected as the Tema Central Sub-metro Chairman after he garnered 16 votes as against his contender, Mr Anthony Kow Sam-Anoon, who received four votes out of the 20 total votes.

Mr Martin, in his acceptance speech, expressed gratitude to the Councilors for the confidence reposed in him, indicating that he did not take lightly the responsibilities placed upon his shoulders, and pledged to build upon the foundation laid by his predecessor.

He said he would be guided by the task from the MCE for them to improve revenue, ensure good sanitation, and orderly development to make the community healthier and more conducive.

He further assured that he was committed to working hand in hand with Councilors, traditional authorities, civil society organisations (CSOs), and residents, stressing that government was a shared responsibility.

Mr Alexander Afenyo- Markin, the Minority Leader, has encouraged students from the Volta Region with his personal life experience to inspire them to achieve greater heights in education.

“We have seen life a bit and so, if people talk about poverty, I know what it is…

“I have seen poverty before, but here I am. So, please don’t give up. God has many ways of opening doors for everyone. Never give up on yourself,” he emphasized.

Mr Afenyo-Markin, also the Member of Parliament for Effutu in the Central Region, gave the advice when he presented GHS 105,000 to 33 university students from the Volta Region to pay their tuition fees.

“I’m offering a helping hand, so take advantage of it. learn, build capacity and move on…Life has never been easy, it’s rough but with your faith in God, trust me, no danger can befall you…

Out of you, there will be MPs, ministers, president, great businessmen and women someday.

“It’s a great pride for me to support one of my own,” the legislator stated.

“Each day has its own promises. Difficult times will come. At 47, I know what I am talking about…Life is like that. Take it easy, go through difficult times and it shall be well,” he stated.

The Effutu legislator continued his narration: “Recently I was telling some kids that when I started life some of my mates I had wanted to marry and their parents said “no, today, they regret it.

“My daughter told me that she went to a very prominent person’s home and the person said: “Oooh, your dad is very intelligent”… and I said: “Don’t mind her. At one time, if she knew how my future would be, she would have allowed me to take her daughter. I was then skinny, and she couldn’t see the blessing ahead,” Mr Afenyo-Markin recalled, amid laughter from the audience.

The Effutu legislator said it took the benevolence of his friends’ parents to gain admission to secondary school.

Additionally, he said, it was Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom’s Bursary that enabled him to pay his final year and SSSCE registration fees.

The legislator indicated that his biological father who was an Agric officer lost his job at age 39 and his mum, a “Pupil teacher” did not have enough money to provide all his basic needs, hence he hassled to take care of himself through undertaking menial jobs to pay his university fees.

Mr Gideon Senator Xorvi, the President of Volta Students Association, University of Ghana, on behalf of his colleagues, expressed gratitude to Mr Afenyo-Markin and pledged to study hard to justify the investment made in their education.

Mr Afenyo-Markin’s biological father, Moses Apetogou Kofi, hails from Tsiame in the Keta Municipality of the Volta Region while his mother is a Fante from Winneba in the Central Region.

Mr Afenyo-Markin has quite an impressive educational background despite challenges in the formative years.

He studied law at Buckingham University and later pursued a master’s degree in international politics and security studies at Bradford University. His commitment to education and youth development is evident in his initiatives, such as the “One Teacher, One Laptop” programme and the construction of 14 libraries in his constituency

Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has called on African political parties to focus on delivering prosperity rather than merely seeking political power.

Addressing the inaugural African Political Parties Summit in Accra, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said politics that did not pursue the wellbeing of citizens “is empty,” and urged parties to prioritise national interest and long-term development.

“Our people do not ask us to perform politics for their own sake. They deserve politics that translates into food security, decent jobs, functional schools, accessible healthcare, efficient infrastructure, security and justice,” she stated.

“They expect us to focus not just on the next election but more importantly on the next generation,” she added.

The three-day summit is being held under the theme “From Politics to Prosperity: Strengthening Inter-Party Collaboration for Africa’s Development and Economic Transformation.”

It brought together over 160 delegates from across Africa, and served as a platform for dialogue, consensus-building, and inter-party cooperation aimed at strengthening democratic governance and catalysing economic transformation.

A 2024 Afrobarometer Report revealed that 66 per cent of Africans preferred democracy, with majorities rejecting one-man rule (80%), one-party rule (78%), and military rule (66%).

However, 53 per cent were willing to accept military intervention if elected leaders abused power, and support for elections declined by eight per cent across 30 countries.

Mr Jeff Radebe, Special Envoy of the President of South Africa, expressed concern over declining trust in political parties, stating: “If our politics does not lead to prosperity, then it is nothing more than destruction.”

He emphasised that national strength depended on governance quality rather than resource abundance, and criticised the prioritisation of personal and party ambitions.

“The citizens of Africa that we serve do not need manifestos. They cannot build their futures on political promises that dissolve after elections,” Mr Radebe said.

Mr Fifi Kwetey, General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, noted growing disillusionment among African youth and called for structural reforms within political parties.

He said Africa’s capacity “is far enormous than our challenges” and urged participants to explore ways of using political parties to fulfil public aspirations.

The summit will also witness the adoption of the implementation framework of the African Political Parties Initiative (APPI), a flagship platform for sustained inter-party engagement and capacity development