By GBC,Valentia Tetteh
Copyright gbcghanaonline
BY Valentia Tetteh
The Duo Concept Foundation has joined this year’s Ghana Association of Writers and Book Festival (GAWBOFEST) with a powerful message on youth empowerment and the fight against child marriage. As part of the festival, the Foundation organized the Up Girl Project, a “read and conversation” programme centred on the book Talata, the Child Bride, published by Adwinsa Publications Ghana Limited. The novel tackles the pressing issue of child marriage in Ghana, with a strong focus on protecting the girl child.
The event brought together students from second-cycle institutions in Accra for an engaging session of reading, mentorship, and open discussions on how knowledge acquisition can help young people make informed decisions and resist harmful practices such as early marriage.
The Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Dr. Abdul Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, who is also the Member of Parliament for Wa Central, encouraged the students to cultivate a lifelong reading habit. He shared personal experiences of how poetry shaped his worldview and underscored the benefits of writing as a tool for personal growth and social change.
Also present was the Member of Parliament for North Dayi, Joycelyn Quashie, a well-known child rights advocate. She urged law enforcement agencies to strengthen measures to end child marriages and the sexual exploitation of minors. The MP donated mathematical sets to students who actively participated in the discussions, reaffirming her commitment to supporting vulnerable children through education and social interventions.
The Coordinating Director of the Public Affairs Subdivision of Parliament, Kate Addo, who also doubles as the founder of the Duo Concept Foundation, highlighted the importance of reading and referenced existing laws that protect children’s rights. She encouraged participants to use these legal frameworks to safeguard the welfare of Ghana’s youth.
Executive members of the Duo Concept Foundation reiterated that the Up Girl Project is one of the organization’s key interventionist programmes designed to empower young people through literature and dialogue. The Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, also engages in philanthropic activities aimed at bridging social gaps and equipping Ghanaian youth with the tools needed for personal and community development.
This year’s GAWBOFEST provided an ideal platform for the Foundation to reinforce its mission of promoting literacy, protecting child rights, and inspiring the next generation of leaders to create a society free from early and forced marriages.
