Day: November 25, 2023

Ghanaian appointed Board Member of Science and Impact Advisory Group


Professor Eric Yirenkyi Danquah, the Director of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana, has been appointed as an Inaugural Board Member of the Science and Impact Advisory Group of the newly launched UK-CGIAR Centre.

This was in a statement issued by WACCI and copied to the Ghana News Agency.

On November 20, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the launch of the UK-CGIAR Centre at the Global Food Security Summit in London, an event hosted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.

‘I am honoured to be appointed as one of the inaugural members of the Science and Impact Advisory Group of the new Centre,’ Prof Danquah stated.

The UK-CGIAR aims to support global food security by bringing together scientists from the UK and the CGIAR to form impact-focused research collaborations.

The UK-CGIAR Centre Science and Impact Advisory Group provides advice on the Centre’s strategic direction and offers independent assessment and opi
nion on project proposals elicited from project partners by the Secretariat on behalf of the Centre.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Speaker of Parliament calls for inculcation of values, ethics in pursuit of academic knowledge


The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Bagbin, has called for the inculcation of values and ethics in the pursuit of academic knowledge, describing it as equally vital.

‘In our pursuit of knowledge, let us not forget the values that underpin a just and compassionate society,’ he said.

Mr Bagbin said this when Professor Sam K. Afrane, the President of the Christian Service University College (CSUC), Kumasi, led a delegation to call on him in Parliament House as part of the School’s 50th anniversary celebration.

Members of the delegation included Mr Andrew Kingsley Doku, Registrar, CSUC; Pastor Samuel Eduamah; Reverend Justice Boffah Poku Mensah; the Director of Institutional Advancement Office and Public Affairs.

The visit was also to foster a stronger partnership with Parliament and explore avenues for collaboration in the realisation of its critical institutional projects as it marked 50 years of academic excellence.

It was also an opportunity to formally invite the Speaker to the School’s grand anniversa
ry durbar in September 2024.

Recognising the role of faith-based academic institutions in nation-building, particularly in the area of quality human resource development, Mr Bagbin urged the College not to relent in its efforts to influence society through sound doctrine.

Prof Afrane, in his remarks, commended the Speaker for his dynamic leadership in the promotion of Parliamentary democratic ideals in Ghana.

He mentioned four institutional projects in the area of installation of solar energy, the youth leadership development scholarship scheme, the acquisition of a 32-seater bus for the Nursing and Midwifery Department, and the upgrade of Information Technology infrastructure to enhance teaching, learning, and research.

Prof Afrane was optimistic that the successful implementation of the key projects would transform the institution and position it as a citadel of ethical and transformational leadership in societal advancement.

Recounting some achievements of the College, Prof Afrane mentioned that the U
niversity College had been adjudged the third in a nationwide licensure examination for three conservative years, by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

He also mentioned prominent alumni from the University, such as Prof Emmanuel Asante, former Chairman of the National Peace Council; Rt Rev Prof Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana; Mr Erastus Asare Donkor, the 2023 Journalist of the Year, (Multimedia Group); Mr Kennedy Kwasi Kankam, a former Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso and the Municipal Chief Executive Asokore Mampong and among others.

The CSUC, a liberal arts evangelical institution, based in Kumasi, has impacted the socio-economic development of Ghana for the past 50 years.

The University College began in January 1974 as a merger of two groups, the Ghanaian interdenominational evangelical institution and the expatriate missionaries. The first residential class which started with five students had since grown to become a reputable non-denominational Christian
University College in Kumasi, Ghana.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Lumen Mundi School for Special Children appeals for support.


Madam Margreet Carpay, Director of the Lumen Mundi School for Special Children in the Builsa North Municipality of the Upper East Region, has called on individuals and organisations to support the school to help improve the welfare of the children.

The school, established by the Lumen Mundi Foundation, Netherlands is mainly for children with mental or physical disabilities and also has a workshop that trains people on various technical skills, ranging from carpentry, welding, painting, and fashion design, among others.

It is thus seeking the support of individuals and organisations to donate clothes, food, books, or any financial support to help facilitate its operations and contribute to the general welfare of the children and the actualisation of their potential.

The Director made the appeal through the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of a donation exercise including food, soap, and diapers, among other items, by the Anglican Diocesan Development and Relief Organisation to mark World Children`s Day.

M
adam Carpay noted that the difference between these children and any other person was the assumption of normalcy, but the children with special needs also had the potential to realise their dreams and aspirations when they were given the needed care and support.

‘Just as ADDRO has given us this massive support, and I must say we are most grateful, individuals and other organisations can also come to our aid by providing us with books, clothes, or even empty aluminium cans for us to use in our practicals.

‘I came to Ghana as a volunteer with the Ghana Education Service and was asked by the Siniesi chief to start a special needs school. Special needs children have my heart, and I love to work with them, so with your support, we can well establish an accommodation for these children, which we are missing now,’ she added.

Mr Amoak Asumbisa Richard Squealla, Administrator, Lumen Mundi Foundation Ghana, reiterated that some of the children who were capable of acquiring skills would be given the needed training s
o that after school they would have something to do.

‘These children have challenges, and we are on the lookout to not risk their lives; however, those capable of acquiring technical skills would be given the needed support to impact their lives positively because these children are hardly accepted in our communities because they are seen as burdens,’ he stated.

He added that the workshop was open to people who had an interest in acquiring any of the skills being offered and encouraged the youth to take advantage of the opportunities.

Source: Ghana News Agency

23 WACWISA-UDS students from seven African countries graduate


Twenty-three students of the West African Centre for Water, Irrigation and Sustainable Agriculture (WACWISA)-University for Development Studies (UDS), from seven African countries, have graduated with various degrees during the university’s 24th congregation, held in Tamale.

They included two PhD, and 21 Master’s Degree students from Benin, DR Congo, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria Rwanda, and Uganda.

The graduation ceremony was graced by Professor Ahmed Abdulai Jinapor, Acting Director-General of Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Mr Rurangwa Theophile, Deputy High Commissioner of Rwanda to Ghana, Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, Northern Regional Minister, and Mr Yidana Zakaria, North East Regional Minister.

Professor Felix Kofi Abagale, Director of WACWISA-UDS, interacting with the graduates after the ceremony, expressed excitement at their feat, saying WACWISA was proud working with them, and supporting human capacity development.

Professor Abagale encouraged the graduates not to relent on their efforts
in innovation and research, aimed at supporting and contributing to addressing challenges associated with agriculture, climate change, food security and development in Africa.

Whilst thanking the staff of WACWISA as well as the various university stakeholders for their continued support, Professor Abagale expressed appreciation to funding agencies, partners and collaborators of the Centre, including the Government of Ghana, World Bank, Association of African Universities, GTEC, Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UNIDO, EU, GIZ, IRD/AFD, JICA amongst others.

He underscored the need to strengthen the collaborations and further support for research and capacity building.

With funding support from the World Bank and the Government of Ghana, WACWISA was established in 2019 by the UDS as a semi-autonomous Centre of Excellence to undertake cutting-edge research and training in irrigation, drainage, water resources management, sustainable agriculture, climate change and food and nutrition security.

The Centre, w
hose tagline is ‘Building Capacities for Sustainable Solutions’ has since provided scholarships to more than 100 scholars for Master’s and PhD studies as well as trained over 500 individuals in the form of short courses and facilitating access to modern laboratory and field research facilities for the conduct of cutting-edge research in its thematic areas.

Source: Ghana News Agency

All Nations University to begin Emergency Medicine Technology programme


The All Nations University is set to enrol students for a 4-year bachelor’s degree programme in Emergency Medicine Technology in the next academic year.

The emergency medicine technology is described as a medical specialty that trains people to diagnose, treat, and manage acute illnesses and injuries which require immediate medical intervention.

Dr. Samuel Donkor, Founder and President of All Nations University (ANU), announced during the university’s 30th graduation ceremony, that 258 undergraduates and 57 master students graduated.

According to him, the new degree programme would be the first in West Africa aimed at bridging the gap in pre-hospital care, a critical component for emergencies.

‘The longer one waits to go to the hospital, the less likely to survive emergencies, including heart attacks and strokes.’

While applauding Ghana’s healthcare system for improving access to care and health outcomes, he said ‘A well-trained emergency medical workforce can help streamline the healthcare system by re
ducing overcrowding in emergency departments and allowing for smooth transition from the scene of an emergency to the hospital.’

He stated plans were advanced to begin a degree programme in food technology to support the laudable planting for food programme.

This programme, according to him, would concentrate on ‘science and technology in the fields of food production, processing, preservation, food safety and quality control.

The university’s Space Systems Technology Laboratory (SSTL) initiated a space education revolutionizing project called the African Space Station Project with the goal of promoting space education in Africa.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Exporters should be diligent, stick to standards of European market


Mr Nicholas Gebara, Team Lead, Compete Ghana, has called on exporters to be diligent in their line of duty and stick to the standards of the European market.

He said it was the responsibility of the exporters to make sure that documentation was in place, and also in the supply chain, all raw materials and products being exported conformed to the requirements needed.

‘There are requirements in terms of how much pesticides to use, fertilizer to use, the way things are grown organically and inorganically, but there are levels of the requirement to comply to, and it is also the responsibility of the exporter to help farmers comply,’ the Team Lead added.

Mr Gebara made the call during the final meeting for key stakeholders in Trade on the National Traceability System and Early Warning Mechanism in Accra, organised by the European Union (EU)-funded Compete Ghana Programme, under the auspices of the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Compete Ghana engaged relevant agencies in the import and export value chain to i
mprove the existing Ghana-EU early warning mechanism under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).

This was to enable them to generate and disseminate timely and meaningful warning information to enable exporters and agencies in the export and import value chain to identify non-compliant exports to the EU and respond in an appropriate manner.

The Team Lead said the traceability system and early warning mechanism mostly related to the development of systems to enhance the capacity of the public sector to provide the right information and trace products in case they were contaminated.

‘This will help to reduce the rejection of Ghana’s food export commodities on the European Union Market,’ he added.

Mr Gebara noted that the standards were set by the EU to give assurance and protection to consumers in the market, adding that, ‘it helps consumers to believe that when they consume products from anywhere in the world, they are safe, and even if something happens, they can trace it back and take measures,’ he s
tressed.

The Team Lead advised farmers and exporters to comply with the EU standards and food safety regulations to avoid warnings and bans on goods exported to the EU.

Mr Prudence Attipoe, Deputy Director, Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD), Ministry of Food and Agriculture, said farmers were registered unto the system with their coordinates and geographical locations of the farm including crops grown.

He added that these were linked with the exporters who were the controllers of the system.

The Deputy Director said each exporter had an interface within the system that they had been trained to use, adding that every activity conducted on the farm was recorded in the system just as good agricultural practices were done on the farm.

‘So, we are able to trace every activity done on the farm including planting, weeding, spraying, trapping and harvesting to the park house and to the export zones where our inspectors inspect the items before issuing a Phyto-sanitary certificate for e
xport,’ he added.

Compete Ghana symbolically handed over the software for Early Warning Mechanism, E-Phyto and E-Trace to the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Source: Ghana News Agency

GEA holds workshop to upgrade skills of Ketu South hairdressers


The Ketu South office of Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), formerly National Board for Small-Scale Industries (NBSSI), has organised a workshop to upgrade the skills of some 40 hairdressers in the Municipality.

The two-day workshop, which featured Madam Mabel Somi of Second Image, Aflao, taught the participants, who are a group of clients of the Agency, the various types of dreadlocks and how to make them.

Madam Rabiatu Ibrahim, the Ketu South Officer, GEA, speaking to Ghana News Agency, said the workshop formed part of plans drawn for their clients for 2023, with the aim to support their business growth.

She explained that the selection of the 40 for the workshop was based on data available on them which informed the training to give them maximum impact.

Madam Ibrahim underscored the need for small businesses and artisans to be registered with the Agency, saying there were countless advantages of becoming a client of GEA, which included tailored business development services and expert guidance towards th
e growth of their respective enterprises.

She called on those in the small-scale sector, including dressmakers and entrepreneurs in Ketu South to call on her office to become clients and embrace the limitless opportunities in store for them.

A participant who identified herself only as Francisca of Franca’s Allure, Aflao described the workshop as ‘very powerful’ because it helped them to differentiate the various types of hair braids popularly known as ‘rasta.’

‘We used to call every braid, rasta. But from this workshop, we know the distinctions. For dreadlocks, for example, we learnt of different types including sister’s lock, locking and lock extension and how to make these different types,’ he said.

Another participant, who gave her name as Rachel of El Beraka Hair Salon, Tokor, said she was so happy with the opportunity and noted that with her upgraded skills in dreadlocks, she would provide a more satisfying service to her clients to attract more clients to her shop.

Source: Ghana News Agency