Day: October 20, 2023

The Ghana Standards Authority has trained and employed about 300 Trading Standards Inspectors to help enforce standards nationwide. It is also to ensure goods imported and produced in the country are standardised. Professor Alex Dodoo, Director-General GSA, speaking at an event to climax a flag-raising ceremony of the World Standards Day in Accra assured stakeholders of the Authority’s readiness to protect the lives and well-being of Ghanaians by putting in place a solid infrastructure, which includes systems and people to ensure standardisation. The year’s event was on the theme: ‘Shared Vision for a Better World: Standards for Sustainable Development Goal 3(Good Health and Well-Being). World Standards Day is celebrated annually on October 14, to honour the joint efforts of numerous experts across the world who voluntarily develop the technical agreements which are issued as international, regional, or national standards. It also offers an opportunity to increase understanding of the importance of standards. He said the Authority was installing various management systems, including iso 9001, which would help them become efficient. He said having standards required that they were enforced, adding that in 2022 the Authority got a new Act which provided GSA powers to enforce these standards. ‘The coming into force of the National Quality Policy and GSA’s five-year strategic plan are to ensure the protection of society, lives and good health,’ he added. Ms Joyce Okoree, Director, Standards Directorate, GSA, said the event sought to raise awareness of the importance of standards to global development. She said the emphasis on providing a better and fair world with more sustainable activities was vital because humans keep degrading the environment daily in diverse ways which is affecting the health and well-being of citizens. ‘In a bid to create a better world for the present and future generations, adherence to standards is critical to make this shared vision a possibility,’ she added. She said the practical solutions provided by standards in all aspects of an economy have become more relevant as stakeholders sought to achieve the SDGs to build a better world. The Director said a world without standards would be a world full of chaos, social imbalances, collapsed businesses and failed communities where individuals only look out for personal gains and profit. She said standards had provided a fair playing field for all businesses and for consumers to get value for money in any exchange. ‘The SDGs can only be achieved through the collaboration of many public and private partnerships and the use of all available tools such as international standards and conformity assessment,’ she said. Ms Okoree said standards developed empowered nations with real-world solutions to address the targets set out in the UN SDGs. She said that developed by thousands of experts from all over the world, standards embodied global expertise and best practices to ensure goods and services are safe, sustainable, and work effectively and responsibly. She called on the government, stakeholders, partners, and the public to make use of the Authority’s standards to ensure an efficient and robust economy. Prof. Felix Mills-Robertson, the Board Chairman of GSA, said standards were the invisible threads that weave the fabric of progress. He said in the realm of healthcare, they were the guiding principles that ensure the safety, efficacy, and accessibility of medical services and products. ‘By adhering to these standards, we guarantee that the medicines we consume, the treatments we receive, and the technologies we rely on are of the highest quality,’ he added. He said the Authority was dedicated to fostering a culture of standardization in healthcare and they were committed to ensuring that our nation’s health sector is fortified by robust standards that guarantee the well-being of our citizens. He said through rigorous research, meticulous testing, and continuous innovation, they strived to elevate healthcare standards in Ghana, setting an example for the entire continent. He said by embracing cutting-edge technologies, ‘we can enhance medical research, improve diagnostics, and develop groundbreaking treatments.’ Prof Mills-Robertson said moreover, collaboration stands as the cornerstone of progress, and they must collaborate across sectors, borders, and ideologies to leverage our collective knowledge and resources for the greater good. He urged every citizen to recognize the importance of standards in shaping the present and safeguarding our future. ‘Let us be advocates for health and well-being, championing the cause of accessible healthcare for all. Let us demand that our governments, institutions, and industries prioritize the implementation of standards that protect our health and enhance our quality of life,’ he added. Certificates were presented to participants of the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) Essay Competition for the 2022/2023 Awards.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Restore, a Foundation for Reconstructive Surgery from the USA, is undertaking a mega free plastic reconstructive surgery at the Ho Teaching Hospital (HTH). The surgery, which is being undertaken in collaboration with the HTH, would come from 6th to 10th November 2023. Mr. Ken Mensah, a Coordinator of the programme, in a telephone interview with the Ghana News Agency on Thursday, said the Foundation was made up of doctors from several countries, including the USA, United Kingdom and some African countries. He said Dr. Michael Obeng, a renowned Ghanaian Plastic surgeon domiciled in the United States, would lead the team to undertake the surgery. Mr. Mensah said the cases to be treated include congenital limb deformities such as extra digits, syndactyly, congenial facial deformities like cleft lip and palate, post traumatic deformities of limbs and face and post burn construct of all body areas. Others are soft tissue trumours, benign or malignant, all breast anomalies, congenital or acquired, soft tissue effects and genital anomalies. The coordinator said all patients would be screened and those, who required laboratory tests would do so. He said that although the surgery was free, patients would pay for all laboratory services. Mr. Mensah said the screening and booking for the surgery ends on 27th October 2023. He urged all interested people to register at the HTH Customer Care Unit Central Out-Patients Department. Mr. Mensah reminded all patients to come along with a valid Health Insurance card.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Agrihouse Foundation has secured sponsorship from Yara Ghana for its 13th Annual Pre-Harvest Agribusiness Conference and Exhibition scheduled for October 24 to 26, 2023, at the Agrihouse Agri-Village Training and Demonstration Centre in Kudula, Tamale, in the Northern Region. As part of their contribution to the event, Yara Ghana will lead field demonstrations and training sessions, engaging more than 2000 farmers, a statement issued by Agrihouse Foundation and copied to the Ghana News Agency, GNA, has said. The 13th Pre-Harvest Agribusiness Conference and Exhibition, themed ‘Connecting the Unconnected: The Farmer, the Input Dealer, and the Processor,’ aims to provide market linkages, education, and opportunities to individuals across the entire agricultural value chain. Yara’s Expert agronomists will provide guidance, high-quality, crop-targeted fertilizers to support participants in their quest to produce nutrient-rich, high-quality food to strengthen local communities, the statement said. Ms. Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, the Executive Director of Agrihouse Foundation expressing appreciation noted, ‘Our partnership with Yara Ghana is a source of immense pride for us at Agrihouse Foundation. ‘Yara Ghana has consistently demonstrated its commitment to Ghana’s agricultural sector by sponsoring our Annual Pre-Harvest event for the past 13 years. This level of dedication is truly remarkable and exemplifies what can be achieved when the private sector collaborates with organizations like ours to empower our farmers and promote sustainable agriculture’. Ms. Akosa noted Yara Ghana’s pivotal role in promoting the agricultural sector, and emphasized that Yara Ghana stands out as an exemplary corporate organization. The three-day event encompasses conference sessions, presentations, exhibitions, and a marketplace for fostering business-to-business interactions. The Pre-Harvest Agribusiness Conference and Exhibition serves also as a dynamic platform, facilitating contract negotiations for farmers and strengthening the capacity of smallholder farmers, Farmer-Based Organizations (FBOs), Aggregators, Processors, and other key players in the agricultural value chain. According to Agrihouse, participants will also have the opportunity to engage in practical and immersive sessions aimed at providing deeper insights into best practices and capitalizing on the multitude of opportunities within the agriculture sector. These sessions encompass commodity break-out discussions, intensive training programs, farmer-buyer matchmaking dialogues, panel education sessions, field demonstrations, keynotes, and exhibitions-all of which contribute to showcasing and promoting businesses while fostering networking opportunities. Ms. Akosa also acknowledged Yara Ghana’s role in enhancing the participation of women in agriculture, emphasizing that the company’s support has been instrumental in fostering gender inclusivity within the sector. ‘Yara Ghana’s initiatives have not only improved crop yields but have also uplifted the lives of many female farmers. Their commitment to women in agriculture is commendable, and it aligns perfectly with our mission to empower all farmers’. The Pre-Harvest Agribusiness Conference and Exhibitions event, for the past 12 years, has provided and created market linkages and built the capacity of over 150,000 value chain actors and stakeholders. Beneficiaries range from farmer groups, buyers, development partners, policy makers, agribusinesses, ICT professionals, and aggregators. Others include input dealers, equipment and machinery dealers, transporters, financial institutions, telecommunication companies, out growers, civil society, and processors.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Emmanuel Gemegah, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Keta in the Volta region, has donated 400 student armchairs worth GH?250,000 to the Keta Nurses and Midwifery Training College (NMTC). The move was to help curb some infrastructural challenges facing the school. Mr Gemegah, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the donation was to help mitigate the challenges of the school. He further said the donation received funding from the Municipal Assembly’s Internally Generated Fund (IGF). ‘This School is training several good nurses, midwives, and others who always give us quality healthcare, and this is how we can also support them for now,’ he said. Mrs Mabel Kafui Torku, Principal of the College, who received the items on behalf of the management, expressed gratitude to the MCE for the kind gesture. She promised the chairs would be used for their intended purpose to help improve and promote quality teaching and learning in the School. Madam Torku further revealed other challenges facing the school, which include inadequate student dormitory, lack of computer laboratory, inadequate teaching and learning materials, lack of teachers’ bungalows, and others. ‘One of the most challenging issues is how our students are scattered in the town, exposing them to all forms of risk due to insufficient dormitory.’ She also revealed that the school would continue to do its best to bring the best out of the students regardless of the challenges they faced. Madam Torku also appealed to corporate organisations, individuals, and others to help solve their reigning challenges.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A new report on the current mental health and human rights situation in Ghana has been launched by a coalition of non-governmental organisations in the country, spearheaded by MindFreedom Ghana. The report was presented to the UN Human Rights Council in January 2022 as part of the 4th Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and Ghana was reviewed on January 24, 2023. The UPR is a one-of-a-kind procedure that examines the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States on a regular basis. Mr. Dan Taylor, Executive Secretary of MindFreedom Ghana, said in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency on Thursday that his organisation compiled the report that reviewed the human rights situation of people with mental health conditions in Ghana. He said the shadow report was put together through a nationwide consultation process, and that the report aimed to draw the Human Rights Council’s attention to ongoing instances of systemic and structural challenges in Ghana’s human rights response to protect, promote, and secure the human rights of people with mental health conditions. It also urged Ghana to implement suggestions made by non-governmental and civil society groups working for and on behalf of those suffering from mental illnesses. However, the report underlined Ghana’s improvement during the previous third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review. The new report is one of three that served as the foundation for Ghana’s assessment on January 24, 2023, when the UN Human Rights Council’s UPR Working Group assessed Ghana’s human rights record for the fourth time in a webcast meeting. It required States to outline the actions they had taken to carry implement recommendations made during previous reviews that they agreed to pursue. They were also asked to highlight recent advancements in their country’s human rights record. Ghana’s delegation to the meeting, according to the statement, was led by Mr. Godfred Yeboah Dame, the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice. Mr. Taylor further mentioned that since its first meeting was held in April 2008, all 193 UN member states have been reviewed three times within the first, second, and third UPR cycles. The UPR is a United Nations process conducted under the auspices of the Human Rights Council with the aim of improving the human rights situation globally and addressing violations in all countries. Every member state of the United Nations goes through this comprehensive review of its human rights practices every five years. Ghana’s first, second, and third UPR reviews took place in May 2008, October 2012, and November 2017. MindFreedom Ghana submitted the detailed shadow report on mental health and human rights to the United Nations Human Rights Council on July 14, 2022, with contributions from 26 mental health non-governmental and civil society organisations to aid in reviewing Ghana’s situation. The assessments were based on Ghanaian national reports and information, as well as reports from independent human rights experts and groups known as Special Procedures, human rights treaty bodies, and other UN agencies. It also included information from other parties, including national human rights authorities, regional organisations, and civil society groups.

Source: Ghana News Agency