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Fentuo Tahiru Fentuo’s Ode to Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings

In this deeply personal and nostalgic reflection, sports journalist Fentuo Tahiru Fentuo recounts how a single act of policy intervention changed the course of his life and set him on the path to journalism. Growing up in Vamboi, a small farming village near Tumu in Ghana’s Upper West Region, he describes how traditional expectations for boys revolved around labouring on family farms — until the 31st December Women’s Movement (DWM) built the village’s first school in 1991. The young Fentuo became one of the first pupils enrolled in the DWM Day Nursery, a decision that his father made despite social and economic pressure to keep him on the farm. His first encounter with formal education led to an unforgettable moment — reciting a rhyme before the then–First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, during the school’s commissioning ceremony. That experience, he recalls, sparked his lifelong fascination with the English language and storytelling. Fentuo’s journey, as told in this piece first published on 12 November 2024, is both a tribute to Mrs. Rawlings’ visionary initiative and a powerful reminder of how access to education can transform lives. Through his story, he underscores the enduring value of inclusive educational policies — from the DWM’s community nurseries to Ghana’s Free SHS programme — as vital instruments for empowering the next generation and reshaping entire communities.