Mental healthcare is becoming a critical concern in Ghana but the country is still straining to attend to mental health needs of suffering and stigmatized citizens who the most vulnerable the in society.

They are often subject to discrimination, social isolation and exclusion, human rights violations, and an ancient demeaning stigma that leads to bereavement of social support, self-reproach, or the decaying or straining of important relationships.

Even though mental health is becoming a serious international health concern, many nations, specifically third world countries struggle to address the menace with the inadequate amount of resources being funneled into the non-physical sector of health.

Consequences of poor mental health also include being predisposed to a variety of physical illnesses, having a reduced quality of life, fewer opportunities for income, and having lower individual productivity which affects the total national output.

Poor mental health can also account for violence, drug trafficking, child abuse, pedophilia, suicide, crime, and other social vices. Over five hundred (500) mentally-ill patients are currently roaming the streets of Accra, Tema, and some other parts of the Greater Accra region.

An estimated three-point-one million Ghanaians representing10 percent of the estimated 31 million population of Ghana, have one form of mental disorder or another, with 16,000 having severe cases. Sourcing the data from the World Health Organisation, WHO, and the Ghana Mental Health Authority indicate that 41 percent of Ghanaians have psychological distress which is mild, moderate, or severe which costs the nation a 7 percent Growth Domestic Products loss.

Mental health problems can be categorized into four groups, those on the street, those at treatment facilities, like the psychiatric and general health facilities, those in the traditional and faith healing centres, and those in their houses and organisations who do not recognize their mental health illness, or who recognise but are not doing anything about it.

In view of this, Sege, the capital of the Ada West District in the Greater Accra region of Ghana is noted to host a high number of mentally-ill patients roaming the streets of the community causing public obstruction and nuisance to pedestrians, motorists, and traders.

Most of these mentally ill people are commonly seen on and along the main trans-ECOWAS highway carrying plastic materials and other forms of rubbish in attempts to cross the Accra-Aflao highway.

Some residents of the community speaking with the Ghanaianvoiceonline.com raised concern about the security threat these neglected mentally derailed persons pose to them.

Some of the interviewees criticized the Ada West District Assembly for not helping matters.

An officer of the District Assembly who spoke on condition of anonymity said most of these mentally retarded patients are transported and dumped in the Sege community at dawn by unknown people, adding that most of them cannot even speak the local dialect. She also attributed the challenge to the lack of funds by the Assembly to rehabilitate and integrate them, saying generally there is a need for systematic funding for such an exercise.

She told this portal that to be able to raise money to deal with such a problem, the Mental Health Levy captured in the Mental Health Act, 2012 (Act 846), must be operationalized to generate the needed funds to tackle the situation. She further explained that it was a systematic failure because the country’s mental health system is underresourced, hence inability to attend to related issues.

“Our social welfare system is inadedequately funded to respond to people who need support. Also, the situation is compounded by a breakdown in the nuclear and extended family systems, compromising the ability to support people who require care in such circumstances” she retorted.

She to this end underscored the need for more attention to be paid to mental health regardless.

According to the Sege residents, such persons do not only litter the streets, as they carry varrying rubbish, including empty cans, plastic bottles, and waste papers, but also pose danger to pedestrians, since some carry sticks and other offensive weapon along.

Some of the residents said although the government had an obligation to deal with the challenge, individual families also had a role to play in caring for their relatives who exhibit sings of mental unsundness before their situations deterriorate. This they added can be done by supporting such persons at the earlier stages, to enable them to undergo treatment before their condition become worse.

The concerned residents therefore appealed to the Ada West District Assembly and the Social Welfare Department as well as well-meaning Ghanaians to help remove mentally ill people on the streets of Sege which is a security threat.

By: Ghanaianvoiceonline.com

Bosphorus Expo with sponsorship from CRT Impex and ably supported by Ghana Chamber of Commerde and Industry (GCC) will be holding World Cooperation Industries Forum, an International Business Forum and Business to Business (B2B) meeting programmes scheduled for Thursday, the 21st day of July- Friday, 22nd July 2022 at Alisa Hotel, North Ridge- Accra Ghana.

WCI Forum, International Business forums

series was born in 2017. The first Forum was held in Antalya, Turkey. Wci Forum, which is organized to develop the trade potential of business people between Africa and Turkey.
is held every year in Ankara, Kinshasa, Abidjan and Accra.

The Forum will bring together, Ghanain, Turkish and West African Traders under one umbrella to meet, discover as well as collaborate.

Addressing the media in Accra, the convener of the delegation who doubles as the founder of WCI Forum,  Mr. Utku Bengisu, disclosed that the upcoming Forum is an important opportunity for traders who want to meet manufacturers and exporters from all Industry sectors in Turkey and develop their business.

“Those who want to meet the manufacturers directly, get their representatives and develop business with them can join the forum”, he
added.

Speaking further, the Founder of WCI, who is an Industrial Engineer by profession, explained that the WCI Business Forum is a multi sector  forum in which they want to discover two opportunities, especially Sub Saharan African countries’ Economy and Trade facilities.

“And we want to promote Sub Saharan African countries in Turkey because our country is very big. And we have more than 4 million companies in Turkey and with a total  population is 85 million , 19th  biggest economy in the world” he stressed.

According to Mr. Bengisu, Turkey is  strategically located in the world, thus;  very close to Africa as well as to Europe.  He also disclosed that, more than 10,000 African companies opertate in Turkey as a result of earlier forums.


Mr. Bengisu further stated that  Turkey ihas more than 4 million companies and they are looking for trade partners in Africa and most of the Turkish business people wants to discover African business and African opportunities.

“we are bringing 51 Turkish businesses for this event in multi sector Industries, including furniture , construction, automotive design, textile, chemical, steel, iron and machinery and other sectors and you can find your best partners during the Forum”, he added.  Also the Funder of WCI Forum hinted,  this organisation we are trying to promote Turkish  manufacturing strategy, Turkish high technology and Turkish people abilities.

The convenor made it known during the media engagement that, his outfit is inviting Business people from Ghana and neighbouring countries with a  focus on   Togo, Burkina Faso and Benin.


During the B2B sessions, Mr. Bengisu observed,  participants wil have the opportunity to meet with Turkish Exporters and manufacturers where these  groups will introduce their technologies to their African partners with their African partners with product presentations and further pieces of information .

Mr. Bengisu urged participating business owners to take this excellent opportunity to develop cooperation, join the WCI Forum, meet the manufacturers directly, improve themselves and their businesses.

By: Kingsley Asiedu

The High Court in the South Tongu District of the Volta Region has exposed a Group purported to be elders from Fievie Traditional Area challenging the legitimacy of the Soga Family.

Out of envy and jealousy these crop of faceless elders and one Francis Lawe aka Francis “Soga” filed a suit against a Soga family member, Zikpuitor Negble Godson for contempt over an announcement to inform the general public on the vacancy on the Soga Royal Stool.

Lawyer Awuku Doe-Atakli, who doubles as Stool father for Fievie Traditional Area, and Counsel for these faceless persons and Francis “Soga” were seeking the court to convict this real Soga family member (ie. Zikpuitor Negble) for contempt.

They claimed the respondent, Zikpuitor Negble was contemptuous for announcing to the general public of the vacancy on the Soga Royal Stool last year, 2021 on behalf of the family who are the main custodians of the Royal Stool.

The content of the announcement made was, “the Principal Elders and the entire members of the Soga Family, home and abroad wish to inform the general public that, after the departure of the occupant of the Soga Royal Stool, Togbe Avudzagra Soga I, who was duly gazzetted as Dufia of Sogakope, there was NOT any form of enstoolment or installation of a successor to the Togbe Soga Stool”.

“The Principal Elders of the Soga Family further wish to inform the general public to disregard any form of directive(s) from whoever holds himself as the Dufia of Sogakofe”.

This announcement did not go down well with these unscrupulous and faceless persons, who, information to Modern Ghana revealed that they have fiticiously installed a convicted criminal, Freeman Lawe aka Freeman “Soga” as chief of Sogakope; and they quickly ran to seek for legitimacy from the Judicial Committee of the National House of Chiefs, NHC, Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

That notwithstanding, Her Ladyship Justice Doreen G. Boakye Agyei (Mrs.) ruled in favour of the Real Soga family that the announcement was legitimate, and she dismissed the request of the desperate plaintiff, Francis Laweh aka Soga and his faceless assigns from Fievie who were seeking the court to convict the respondent (ie. Zikpuitor Negble) for contempt.

Her Ladyship, Justice Boakye-Agyei further explained in her judgement that the announcement the Soga family made through the perceived contemnor was to urge the general public to exercise restraint until they come up with the legitimate chief on the Soga Royal Stool at the appropriate time.

The Sogakope High Court also exposed the Counsel to the applicant (Francis), Awuku Doe-Atakli, stool father, Fievie Traditional Area, of his inability to understand and ground his contempt case against the Respondent (Zikpuitor Negble) of Soga family on the well-known grounds for contempt.

The discerning people of Sogakope suspected that the contempt suit filed against Zikpuitor Negble Godson of the Soga Family was a scheme being ocastrated by these faceless and desperate elders including Fievie Stool father who ran to National House of Chiefs, NHC, Kumasi, to seek the Judicial Committee to stop the Soga family from installing a legitimate Dufia of Sogakope.

Sogakope High Court even detected that in their suit at NHC to injunct the Soga family from installing a chief, they did not make mention of installing someone or Freeman “Soga” as the new chief for the area; as they hid that to outwit the Judicial Committee of the NHC at Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

Court documents from Senchi available to Modern Ghana further indicated that Freeman “Soga” who these unscrupulous faceless persons have fiticiously installed as the chief of Sogakope was convicted for stealing seven fingers of tilapia fish at Juapong in the Eastern Region.

Out of their bitterness and envy, the faceless crop of these elders of Fievie including their Lawyer Stool father, schemed to make Francis “Soga” aka Abiz-bay, a by-force Soga Stool father and challenging the capacit

Story By: Gator A. Edudzi/Modern Ghana