Day: November 27, 2023

Mr Brian Acheampong, the Minister for Food and Agriculture and Mrs Mavis Hawa Koomson, the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Monday jointly launched the 2023 Agrifest to help Ghana achieve food security and resilience by 2028.

The three-day exhibition, which is part of the Farmers’ Day celebration week, saw actors in the agricultural value chain from across the 16 regions, display wide food crops, items and products, clothing and machinery in Accra, for viewing and sale.

Among the items were locally produced yoghurts, cereals, cash crop powder, mushroom and soda pastries, palm, groundnut and coconut oil, legumes, manure, fertilisers, weedicides, tractors, African fabrics, cocoa and shea products.

Mr Acheampong said the government was embarking on a journey towards Ghana’s attainment of food security and food self-sufficiency by 2028, hence, had developed a five-year strategic food security plan from September 2023, which included the Agrifest.

‘It is important to showcase the tools they
will employ to help achieve the food security. Input dealers, farmers, regional and district agriculture offices, fisheries departments across the country and a lot of stakeholders will help to achieve that,’ he said.

The Minister said Ghana could only attain food security and resilience through the hard work of farmers, hence it was very important to honour and encourage them to do more for the economy.

‘It is important for all Ghanaians to come on board to march the journey together for us to achieve our food security and resilience. We believe with the trajectory we have embarked on as a country, we will be food-secured and resilient by the next five years,’ he added.

Mrs Mavis Hawa Koomson, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, said Agrifest was a young innovation towards the Farmers’ Day and lauded the Minister for Food and Agriculture for the efforts towards the programme.

She called on all stakeholders to join forces to honour the hardworking farmers, ‘who without, there would not
be any food on the table’, adding: ‘Let’s do this in a grand style’.

The 39th edition of the National Farmers’ Day celebration on the theme, ‘Delivering Smart Solutions for Sustainable Food Security and Resilience’, will be held on the campus of the University of Mines and Technology, Western Region on Friday, December 01, 2023.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Government is not taking chances in respect of securing Ghana’s stability, peace and security ahead of the 2024 General Election, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has assured.

He said his Administration was determined to leave behind a country in harmony, devoid of confusion and rancor.

‘I ask all of you to continue to pray for Ghana’s peace and unity so, we can continue to move forward as a united nation, which is a beacon of stability and freedom in Africa,’ he stated.

President Nana Akufo-Addo was addressing the leadership of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) at a valedictory service for its outgoing Moderator, the Right Reverend Professor Joseph Mante, in Accra.

He will be succeeded by the Moderator-elect, the Rt. Rev. Abraham Nana Opare Kwakye.

The President said the citizenry ought to desist from activities that had the potential to dent the nation’s hard-won reputation and enviable record within the comity of African states.

‘I want to state for the record that under my watch, no p
erson or group of persons, no matter their political colouration, will be allowed to destabilise our country nor destroy the peace that all of us are enjoying.

‘It will not happen,’ he emphasised.

While counting on the continued understanding and active cooperation of all and sundry in achieving Ghana’s development agenda, he was optimistic the nation would prevail, in spite of the current socio-economic difficulties.

‘We can make it, if all of us will work at it.

‘I need the support of every Ghanaian together with the prayers of the Church to help me and my Government carry out our mandate successfully,’ he prayed.

The President lauded the Presbyterian Church for being a worthy partner of the State in development.

Ghana, he said, had for many decades benefitted immensely from the initiatives and development programmes of the Church, particularly in the area of education, health and agriculture.

‘God will continue to bless the Church for its work,’ he stated, and lauded the outgoing Moderator for conti
nuing with the PCG’s good legacies.

The Rt. Rev. Prof. Mante said he appreciated the support and encouragement the Church gave him throughout his tenure.

He promised to always be at hand in helping to prosecute the agenda of the Moderator-elect for the sustainable growth of Presbyterianism.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh, the Majority Chief Whip, says the Majority Caucus in Parliament will engage with the Minority on Monday over the Legislative Instrument (L.I.) intending to restrict the importation of some selected strategic products to the country.

He explained that the engagement would sanitise the Import and Export Regulations 2023 before it would be laid before the House.

The L.I., when passed, would restrict the importation of some commodities such as rice, tripe (intestines or locally called ‘Yemuadie’), poultry and sugar.

Attempts by Mr Kobina Tahir Hammond, the Minister of Trade and Industry, to lay the L.I. before Parliament on two occasions had proven futile due to the Minority’s opposition.

Addressing the Parliamentary Press Corps, Mr Annoh-Dompreh, also the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, said he was hopeful of a consensus-building to have the instrument presented.

‘Starting from Monday, I will personally get involved. It has been limited to s
ubsidiary legislation and other constitutional bodies. We will also get involved and ensure that we sanitise it.’

‘Because we are not doing this with mischief, and because nobody has absolute control over what is good and what is not good… more than 90 per cent of all the amendments proposed came from our side, specifically the Majority Leader.’

‘So if it’s the case that we are engaging in abetment of crime and, therefore, on the quiet we are supporting Minister K.T Hammond to do the wrong thing, why would we come out and publicly make amendments?’

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Chiefs and people of Suma-Ahenkro in the Jaman North District of the Bono Region at the weekend enstooled Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament as the ‘Adasuokohene’ of the Suma Traditional Area.

He was enstooled under the name Nana Adasuokohene (a god possessing strength to resist external powers) Alban Bagbin I.

His new chieftaincy title, according to Odeneho Dr Afram Brempong III, the Paramount Chief of the Suma Traditional Area was to recognize and acknowledge his immeasurable contribution in the fight against LGBTQI in the country.

Odeneho Dr Brempong III took Mr Bagbin through the customary rites of the chief and people of the area to seal his enstoolment at a durbar to climax the 2023 Suma Royal Retreat at Suma-Ahenko.

During the weeklong retreat on the theme ‘if the son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed’, a theme picked from the Holy Scriptures, Suma-Ahenko natives and royals, home and abroad return home to strengthen family ties.

Odeneho Dr Brempon
g III congratulated Speaker Bagbin, saying the chieftaincy title was a reserve for only deserving and resilient individuals and politicians.

The Paramount observed that the Speaker of Parliament had demonstrated to the people the ‘power to defend Ghana from the invasion of LBGTQI community despite the midst and threats from the western powers’.

Odeneho Prof Brempong III said he was optimistic that the Speaker of Parliament, and the House in general would remain resolute and not allow anything to sway or influence them to accept LGBTQI to preserve the nation’s culture and tradition.

On his part, Speaker Bagbin expressed gratitude to the chiefs and people of the town and pledged to continue with his stand against LGBTQI.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Five people are feared dead in a tragic road crash, which occurred on Monday on the Sunyani-Berekum Highway.

The Ghana News Agency (GNA) learnt that the accident occurred around 1400 hours when a taxi cab, with registration number BA GT 5591-12, heading towards Nsoatre, collided head-on with an unregistered private Salon car, which was coming from the opposite direction.

All five occupants, including the driver, were reported to have died on the spot, while the other driver, who was the only occupant of the private car, is said to be in critical condition.

When the GNA visited the scene, Police and Fire Service personnel retrieved the yet-to-be-identified bodies and deposited them at a mortuary in the area for preservation and identification.

A police source at the scene told the GNA that investigations had begun into the issue.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Right Reverend Dr Lieutenant Colonel Retired BDK Agbeko, Moderator of the General Assembly, Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPCG), has urged Christians to live their lives to model Jesus Christ to the world.

He said it could be done through the renewal and transformation of their minds and hearts and presenting themselves as a living sacrifice to do the will of God to demonstrate Christ’s life.

Rt. Rev. Dr. Lt. Col. Agbeko (Rtd) made the call during a sermon on the 50th Anniversary Climax Service of the 37 Military Hospital Methodist Presbyterian Church on Sunday.

It was on the theme: ‘Celebrating 50 Years of Living a Transformed Life through Christ the Lord’.

The Moderator said: ‘…So that people who are not hearing the gospel, but they experience us in the workplace, they experience in the home and in the country will see your life, the way you behave, and attitude and begin to understand that there is something different, there is something new about you that they need to follow.’

Rt. Rev. Dr. Lt
. Col. Agbeko said it appeared God and the Church were becoming irrelevant in human society, especially in the European countries and America.

He said, however, God was still relevant in Africa, but there would come a time when He would seem irrelevant because humans would be finding solutions to their problems and think God was unextistent.

‘… But it is God who gives us the mind, understanding and the ability to do what we view as solutions,’ the Moderator stated.

Rt. Rev. Dr. Lt. Col. Agbeko, therefore, encouraged Christians to keep a positive mindset and attitude, and be appreciative of God at all times.

Most Rev. Dr. Paul K. Boafo, Presiding Bishop, Methodist Church, Ghana, in a goodwill message, called on the Church to be committed and single-mindedly devoted to its task.

‘Your celebration is coming at a time when the people called Methodists in Ghana are focusing on discipleship and making an intentional effort to live the transformed life in Jesus Christ. It is my prayer the whole Christian commun
ity also make that the focus of all undertakings since that is the commission of the Lord,’ he said.

Rt. Rev. Professor Dr J.0. Y. Mante, Moderator of the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church of Ghana, asked the Church members to never forget the roots and heritage of their denominational traditions, learn from each other, and create the beautiful worship environment their founding denominations envisaged.

‘Due to the hardwork of the leadership and members, today you have something worth celebrating – a larger congregation and a larger worship space. We heartily congratulate you on this feat,’ he stated.

Rev Cadre Paul Adjei-Djan, Director General, Religious Affairs, Ghana Armed Forces, bemoaned the level of aggression of anti-Christian activities and advised members to use the Anniversary to market Christianity through their individual acts.

He said:’Let us pray to be beneficiaries of God’s divine grace and a manifestation of His wants.’

Colonel RL Mensah, Commanding Officer, 37 Military Hospital, said
the past five decades, the Church had stood as a beacon of faith, hope, and community service showing the unwavering commitment and selflessness that were hallmarks of the military personnel.

He applauded the Church’s support and inspiration to the military community and its dedication to nurturing the spiritual, physical and emotional health and well-being of service members and their families.

The 37 Methodist Presbyterian Church started in 1973 and currently has 650 members.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Water Company Limited has donated some items to persons affected by the Akosombo Dam spillage in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region.

In collaboration with its Head Office, the Volta Regional Directorate of the Company presented 2,000 bags of sachet water and 100 packs of bottled water to the victims.

The items were presented by a team from the Volta Regional Office of the Company led by the Regional Chief Manager, Mr Francis Lamptey.

The Chief Manager said the donation formed part of the Company’s corporate social responsibility and aimed to alleviate the plight of the affected persons.

He said water was life, but it must be quality water to promote good health, hence the gesture was to enable the victims to have access to quality water to drink.

Mr Lamptey disclosed that the Company produced the water presented to the people through its subsidiaries called G-WATER, and it was of high quality.

He said the Company was delighted with the customers because without them they could not e
xist and be in business, hence they deemed it fit as a corporate entity to support them.

Mr Lamptey said they were concerned about the people, and that they would do whatever they could as a utility to support them with potable water to avoid any waterborne disease.

The items were received by Mr Divine Osborn Fenu, the District Chief Executive and Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a Member of Parliament.

Mr Fenu thanked GWCL for their support and pledged that the items would be distributed to the affected persons to ease the challenges.

Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for the area, expressed appreciation to the Company for mobilising resources to support the victims.

The MP also commended individuals and organisations and the entire country for their quick response to the situation in providing relief items to the affected persons.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin at the weekend affirmed his conviction to remain resolute and stand against LGBTQI+ in the country.

‘These days they are fighting and killing each other because of that, and they are struggling in their country.

‘They know that it is not right, and they know that it has nothing to do with human right because we are not talking about gender, we are talking about sexuality,’ Mr Bagbin stated this when he addressed a colourful durbar of chiefs and people of Suma-Ahenkro to climax the 2023 Suma Royal Retreat at Suma-Ahenko.

The weeklong celebration was on theme ‘if the son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed,’ a theme picked from the Holy Scriptures, the celebration brought together Suma-Ahenko natives and royals, both home and abroad to plan for the development of the town and to strengthen family ties.

Mr Bagbin stressed that ‘it is rivalry, you are either a man or a woman and that is what God created you, and God knew why he di
d not leave Adam alone but created eve.

‘In America, I am sure you heard the difference between President Biden and former Trump. The former President Trump is strongly against LGBTQI+ and President Biden and his people are for it.

‘Every day they are struggling in the United States, some states have passed laws prohibiting it, others have accepted it. But we in Ghana say capital no.

‘I am the Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana and represent the good people of Ghana and do not represent the Americans or the British.

‘We don’t dictate to them what to do and they can’t dictate to us what to do,’ the Speaker of Parliament indicated, a statement which received amorous applause from the excited crowd.

Odeneho Dr Afram Brempong III, the Paramount Chief of Suma Traditional Area, described LGBTQ+ and related sexual perversions as alien to the nation’s culture and expressed the hope that the Speaker and parliament would remain resolute in standing against the practice.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has elected new National Executive Committee (NEC) members to steer the affairs of the Association for the next two years.

The Association, in a statement issued and signed by its General Secretary, Dr Richard Selormey and copied to the Ghana News Agency, in Accra, said the new members were elected at the close of the Association’s 65th Annual General Meeting held at Takoradi on November 11, 2023.

The statement said Dr Frank Serebour, a Paediatrician Specialist and Medical Superintendent at the Bekwai Municipal Hospital, in the Ashanti Region, was elected President.

It said Prof. Dr Ernest Yorke, a Consultant Physician and Endocrinologist at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, and a Senior Lecturer, University of Ghana Medical School, was elected Vice President.

Dr Richard Selormey, Specialist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, at St. Elizabeth Catholic Hospital, Hwidiem Brong Ahafo, was elected as the General Secretary.

Dr. Selorm Kutsoati, a Public Health Physician Special
ist, Municipal Director of Health Services, Ga East Municipality, Greater Accra, is now the Assistant General Secretary.

Dr Elizabeth Esi Crentsil, Senior Specialist, Obstetrician Gynecologist, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, is the new Treasurer of the Association.

The statement said Dr Dan Anane-Frimpong, Specialist Paediatrician, Essikado Hospital, Western Region and Dr. Gladys Naa Lomole Lomotey Paediatrician, Department of Child Health, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, were elected as the new National Executive Members.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Paris-based International Organisation, the Nuclear Agency (NEA), has organised the maiden international mentorship workshop to encourage Senior High School (SHS) girls to develop interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

It is the first in sub-Saharan Africa and the 21st in the world.

Some 46 SHS girls were selected from 17 public and three private schools across seven regions of the country for the engagement.

It was on the theme, ‘Inspiring young females in STEM careers for a better tomorrow’.

A statement signed by Professor Seth Kofi Debrah, the Director of Nuclear Power Institute of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (NPI-GAEC) and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said international and local technical and policy makers engaged the girls.

It said the event sought to contribute to addressing the under-representation of women in the field of STEM, especially in the nuclear energy sector, and to enhance female leadership and visibility in the sector.

The statement quot
ed Ms Aleshia Duncan, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Nuclear Energy Policy and Cooperation of the U.S. Department of Energy, as saying: ‘Be strong, make bold choices for your life, and accomplish the task at hand…Giving up is not an option’.

Ms Duncan, who is also the Chairperson for the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation (IFNEC), encouraged them to be change agents and to lead the transformation agenda for a better society.

Prof. Samuel Boakye Dampare, the Director-General of GAEC, called for an inclusive and equitable education system especially for girls, to pursue STEM.

He advised the participants to draw inspiration from Maria Salomea Sklodowska-Curie, the first female chemist to win the Nobel Prize in 1903 and the only one to win it twice for her groundbreaking studies on radioactivity that shaped the very foundations and concepts of nuclear science.

‘Back home, we can talk of Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyeman, a professor of literature; Prof. Rita Akosua Dickson,
a phytochemist; and Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, who were or are the first female vice-chancellors of leading universities in Ghana,’ he said.

‘You can achieve anything in life once you are dedicated to your studies, work hard, persevere, focus, and diligent. Also, make good use of the limited resources available and aim to give it your best shot,’ Prof. Dampare added.

Mr. William D. Magwood IV, the Director-General of NEA, said Africa must embrace good use of nuclear technology to enable its growing youth population, especially the girls, to harness the potential to grow.

‘This is planting seeds for the future. It is cultivating women’s future roles in fields like energy, engineering, healthcare, and other fields where nuclear technology is important. If you believe in the future, you must believe in programmes like this because these girls are the future,’ he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency