Bongo: Divisional Queen mother wins national award
The Divisional Queen mother in Bongo-Feo in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region, Pognaba Agamboka Felicia has won a national award in the "Science and Technology category” at this year’s Ghana Chieftaincy Awards (GCA) held in Cape Coast.
The award scheme seeks primarily to reward traditional rulers who are impacting their respective communities in the country.
The event, jointly organized by Obokese Foundation and the National House of Chiefs Secretariat in Cape Coast in the Central Region attracted a lot of dignitaries including traditional and religious leaders and the academia.
Speaking to the media in an interview in Bongo on Friday about her return to the region with the award, the Queen mother told the media that she thought she was just serving humanity — little did she know that she would win such an award.
She explained that as a Queen mother and professional teacher, realizing that majority of students in her community had challenges when it comes to studying Mathematics, Science and Technology, she decided to organise extra classes for them at the community level with her own resources.
The Divisional Queen mother who indicated that she extended the initiative to the basic schools in her traditional area, said a significant impact has been made in the academic performance of the students and pupils.
The Queen mother who explained that as part of the programme, award schemes were organized after competitions in Mathematics, Science and Technology. She indicated that based on the success story of the programme, the District Directorate of the Ghana Education Service had adopted the concept.
During such competitions, the beneficiaries were given books, pens, bags, and menstrual pads to help with teaching and learning.
She indicated that she had formed a Virgin Girls Club at the community level where she holds Sexual Reproductive Health talks with the youth particularly young girls aimed at curbing teenage pregnancies in the area.
She acknowledged the contributions of the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council, Rural Initiatives for Self-Empowerment and the Community Development and Advocacy Centre for collaborating with her to prosecute such an agenda and appealed to local musicians who engage in profane songs to desist from such phenomenon to avoid corrupting the youth morally.
Pognaba Agamboka underscored the need for the inclusion of Queen mothers in the Regional and National House of Chiefs as well as the Council of States to empower them to contribute their quota to national development.