Day: November 26, 2023

Faith Evangelical Mission Worldwide (FEMW) has instituted a memorial lecture to honour the memory of its late Founder, Chief Bishop Isaac Rex Noi.

The lecture, named the ‘Rex Noi Memorial Lecture’ was held at the Church’s auditorium at Mataheko in Accra over the weekend.

It celebrated the social, and spiritual stewardship of the Founder.

The maiden edition of the lecture formed part of the Church’s 50 years anniversary celebration aimed at conscientising the youth to draw lessons from the life of the Founder.

Eulogising the Founder, Dr Randy Abbey, a renowned Broadcaster and a member of the Church, said the three principles that made the Founder successful were Faith, Sacrifice and Humility.

On faith, Dr Abbey indicated that Chief Bishop Noi believed in the Bible concept that: ‘Faith without works is vain’.

He said based on that he worked tirelessly for God and mankind.

He said the Founder encountered a lot of challenges, but they did not deter him from achieving his dreams.

Speaking on the virtue of
sacrifice, Dr Abbey said Chief Bishop Noi sacrificed his earthly profession and heeded to the call of God.

He said the Founder, who once resided in the USA could have chosen to stay there and amass wealth, but he gave all that up and came back to Ghana to establish a church, saving a lot of lives.

Dr Abbey said humility propelled him to higher heights and that though great, the Founder related to people from all walks of life.

He, therefore, called on the youth to let faith, sacrifice and humility be their guiding principles.

Bishop Bobby Harley Neequaye, General Overseer, FEMW, also said the Founder, aside establishing a church, also had a school and a hospital to help humanity.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH) has called for urgent action in antimicrobial management and use, saying the response must be swift, co-ordinated, and unwavering.

In an address to commemorate the 2023 World AMR Awareness week, Dr. Samuel Kow Donkoh, President of the PSGH, said the event provided a unique opportunity to reflect on the critical problem of AMR and its profound impact on health, economies, and the very fabric of our societies.

Dr Donkoh said a major contributor to AMR was the indiscriminate and excessive use of antibiotics in human health care, animal husbandry, amd food production, among others.

It is estimated that if the use of antimicrobials in health systems are not efficiently controlled and drug resistant microbes continue to spread, AMR related illnesses could account for a staggering 10 million deaths worldwide by the year 2050.

‘As we commemorate the 2023 World AMR Awareness Week, let us remember that the choices we make today will shape the health and well-being of gene
rations to come,’ he said.

According to the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) report, in 2019 alone, an estimated 1.27 million lives were claimed directly by drug-resistant infections.

Africa has the world’s highest mortality rate from AMR related infections, resulting in over 27 deaths per 100,000.

He called on Ghana to have one voice with all stakeholders to ensure a real call to action before the 2030 SDG timelines as the world gears up to the United Nations high level meeting (UNGA) on AMR in 2024.

Dr Donkoh called on all policymakers in the AMR space, health professionals, pharmacy regulatory agencies, and the public to join forces in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.

‘Our collective action is crucial to stem the tide to contain the development and spread of AMR. As the leaders entrusted with shaping health and development policies, policymakers must prioritize and invest in initiatives that promote responsible antimicrobial use, surveillance, and research,’ he said.

Also
, the MOH, MESTI, MOFA, MOFAD and related agencies should ensure the full action of the reviewed National Policy on Antimicrobial Use and Resistance and its attendant Action Plan, to make it a timely document to support full implementation.

Dr Donkoh urged one-health professionals, including pharmacists, to play a pivotal role on the front lines of this battle, upholding the principles of antimicrobial stewardship, educating colleague pharmacists and other health professionals and the general public on the proper use of antimicrobials, and advocating for evidence-based practices to improve outcomes of individuals sick with microbial infections.

‘We call on government to support the AMR Platform and all relevant institutions to improve surveillance of AMR and other initiatives in the national action plan with strong regulatory and legal framework,’ he said.

Also, the Pharmacy Council and Food and Drugs Authority must ensure that antimicrobial agents like antibiotics are well regulated and accessible to thos
e who have prescription or allowed to stock and dispense while over the Counter Medicines Sellers should immediately stop the illegal stocking of antibiotics as this is prohibited by law.

‘We also ask Government to start the preparations by convening a national dialogue to brainstorm what messages need to fit into the African Union roadmap towards the UNGA 2024. Key areas on Governance, Financing and Evaluation of National Action Plans, and data require thinking through as a country,’ Dr Donkoh added.

On the economic front, AMR is projected to account for a loss of 3.8% of the world’s annual gross domestic product (GDP) and by 2030, the GDP shortfall due to AMR could amount to about US$3.4 trillion per year.

Dr Donkoh said the theme for this year’s WAAW is, ‘Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance Together,’ which underscored the collective responsibility to addressing the global challenge.

‘AMR knows no borders. It is a threat that transcends nationalities, demographics, and socio-economic status.’

When the
se antimicrobials become less effective or entirely ineffective, we face the grim prospect of routine medical procedures becoming life-threatening, and the once-treatable infections transforming into persistent threats.

Moreover, the increased healthcare cost associated with prolonged treatments of non-responsive drug resistant infections, loss of productivity due to illness, and the potential disruptions to food production systems amplify the economic burden of AMR, Dr Donkoh added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Daniel Baffour-Awuah, Executive Director of Workforce Development International, has called for more investment in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), and Science Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics to eradicate unemployment in the country.

He said TVET offered direct skills and knowledge to help one to become self-employed and create employment for others.

He said persons who went through skills training only required start-up capital, but those who passed through the main academic system had to wait to be employed by institutions and organisations.

He said this at the 22nd graduation and induction ceremony of Chartered Institute of Administrators Consultants Ghana (CIAMC) in Accra. It was on the theme: ‘Reshaping Education Aligning Assessment With Curriculum And Delivery, And The Role Of Professionals in Reshaping The Process Of Education.’

He indicated, impacting STEM on students’ learning could be achieved when teachers were well-resourced, digitally literate and understoo
d how to integrate ICT into their curriculum.

Dr Awuah appealed to stakeholders, private individuals and non-governmental institutions to complement government’s efforts in ICT development in educational institutions.

He said entrepreneurial skills was very essential, hence, students’ must be thought how to write entrepreneurial proposals to enhance their skills and knowledge.

He appealed for sustainable funding to be used by institutions and individuals with capable skills in technical and vocational occupations.

‘We need to put premium on TVET because its returns are more beneficial and high’, he added.

However, he said all these can be achieved when TVET and STEM were prioritised by both government and the private sector.

Additionally, administrators and industry players must coordinate to engage and organise workshops and training for students’.

He said people should desist from having the perception that TVET was for the poor and dumb in society.

Ehunabobrim Prah Agyensaim VI, Chief Executive Off
icer (CEO), Industrial and Engineering Services Limited, encouraged professional administrators to be prepared and humble themselves to learn extra more to acquire knowledge in other fields.

He advised the youth to be resilient and save towards the growth of their businesses to help make significant gains and expand them.

He called for collaboration of all stakeholders to make TVET achieve its desired impact.

The CEO said government alone could not provide jobs for the large numbers of unemployed youth, hence self-employment was the reliable answer to the challenge.

‘Many young people are deprived, disadvantaged and marginalised and could not afford the basic business necessities and, thus, start-up capital to begin a simple enterprise was very important to them,’ he said.

TVET was the bedrock of the country’s economic development, adding, ‘It is relevant today as it was yesterday and it would be in the future’.

The graduates were encouraged to be agents of practicing TVET and STEM in their fields of or
ganisation, and were tasked to bridge the gap between administrators and industry.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Care Love Charity Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, has advocated for more support from women-based organisations in fighting violence perpetrated against women and children.

It said the prevalence rate kept increasing through interventions and, policies among others have been implemented to fight the canker.

Stigmatization and poverty were the reasons causing the rise of the menace, thus collective efforts by all, especially women-based organizations should help fight it to the barest minimum.

Ms Martha Jonah, Executive Director of Care Love Charity Foundation, made the submission after a health walk with young girls within the Mfantseman Municipality at Saltpond.

The health walk formed part of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence on the theme: ‘Unity: Upholding the dignity of women and girls for an enlightened society.’

The day was used to preach and advocate against gender-based violence within communities and the country at large.

It was also to create awareness and publ
icise the need to fight gender-based violence against women and children in the country.

It was jointly organised by the National Youth Authority (NYA) and Care Love Charity Foundation with support from the Government of Ireland.

Ms Jonah noted that the long procedures for reporting sexual violence had prevented many victims from coming upfront to report perpetrators.

She called on the government to resource the Social Welfare Department to take charge of the prosecution of perpetrators of sexual violence in the country.

On her part, Mrs Anita Nana Seguah Ansah, the Regional Director of NYA, advised victims not to relent but to report perpetrators to the appropriate authorities for the necessary actions to be taken against them.

She said her outfit was committed and ready to collaborate with all stakeholders willing to join the fight to ensure its reduction in the Region and the country at large.

Source: Ghana News Agency