Day: November 28, 2023

Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Nabdam Constituency in the Upper East Region, has emphasized the need for Haemodialysis Centres to be established across the country for easy access to patients.

He said there were about 52,400 patients across the country with renal failure, and out of the number, only 1200 reported to health facilities for dialysis, ‘And this is because of the problem of accessibility and affordability.’

He said the average cost of dialysis treatment was about GH?2000.00 per week if patients followed the instructions and went for three or four sessions.

Dr Nawaane said this when he presented a cheque for GH?5000.00 to management of the Upper East Regional Hospital in Bolgatanga as his contribution to establish a Haemodialysis Centre for the Region.

The idea to establish the Centre, estimated to cost GH?800,000.00 was mooted by Mr Ayamga Ayariga, a Critical Care Nurse in the Hospital, and championed by Dr Emmanuel Akatibo, a Physician Specialist.

Following the
urgent need for the Centre, management, and staff of the Hospital, in collaboration with stakeholders, launched a campaign for funds to construct the Centre for the Region.

The Hospital, a major referral centre for the Region, receives cases from parts of Burkina Faso, Upper West and North East Regions without a Haemodialysis Centre.

Patients in need of haemodialysis services in the Region travelled to the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) in the Northern Region, and other facilities outside the Region for such services.

Dr Nawaane said the Upper East Caucus in Parliament received information about the initiative to establish a Centre for the Region and decided that individual MPs should make donations towards its establishment.

He said ‘During our budget debate, in the documents, the government said that it was establishing a Kidney Transplant Division at Korle-Bu. It is a clever idea, but I think now, what we really need is how to make dialysis affordable to the patients such that we can have these 52,400
people coming out for it.

‘They are not coming because they know they cannot even pay, and so they do not even follow up for them to be diagnosed and for dialysis to be recommended. If patients cannot afford dialysis, how can they afford kidney transplantation,’ Dr Nawaane quizzed.

‘We do not even have the law that will guide us in the organ harvest. The law is not in place yet. They have not brought the bill to Parliament for us to look at it.

‘Even if we spend the money to establish a Kidney Centre instead of establishing dialysis centres and the law is not there, you cannot harvest anybody’s organ without the law to use it on another person,’ he said.

Dr Nawaane called on government to assist hospitals like the Regional Hospital to establish and get dialysis centres to work, ‘I am not saying that we should leave everything on government, but we must prioritize what we are doing.

‘If there is money, let us use it first for such purposes before we go to the Kidney Transplant which is another stage all t
ogether,’ he advised.

Dr Aiden Suntaa Saanwei, the Medical Director of the Hospital, who received the cheque on behalf of management and staff of the hospital, thanked the MP for the gesture.

He said the hospital required support to establish the Centre, adding that ‘We are targeting that by the close of this year, we should be able to commission the Centre and the first patient should go through the sessions of dialysis.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

Some companies and individuals exhibiting their products at the sixth Volta Trade and Investment Fair, have expressed optimism about the event.

They said it was their hope that during and after the Fair, they would be able to make gains as they hoped to participate in future events.

Mr Victory Segbefia, Victory Phones and Accessories, Ho, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the expectations were that at the end of Fair, all products would be sold.

He said the Company was set to offer five percent discount on products during the Fair.

Mr Emmanuel Mensah Quaye, Zonda Tec Ghana Ltd, Tema, said the Company dealt in assembling selling and servicing heavy and light duty trucks like tipper trucks, trailers, pick ups and cargo vans.

He said they had in stock affordable and durable spare parts for all vehicle brands, adding that there would be discounts during the Fair.

Mr Quaye said they were participating in the to meet their targets such as people who dealt in vast goods industry such as pure water sellers and
distributors as well as contractors.

Mr Tahiru Haruna, TF Smock House in Tamale; dealers in smocks, Northern fabrics, sandals, local hats, handbags and locally made home decorations, said it was their first-time visiting Volta as well as participating in the Fair.

He said it was an opportunity to present to patrons of the Fair quality and durable smocks and other artefacts and expected to be on sale at discounted prices.

Mr Haruna said the price range for smocks stood at GHS400 to GHS500 but because of the Fair they would be sold to patrons from GHS350 to GHS400 to enable them to enjoy the festive seasons.

Madam Dzidzinyo Kumador Fianyo, GH Gold Rice, Koforidua, said they were participating in the Fair to promote, get investors, create awareness, and educate patrons on quality and importance of Ghana rice.

Madam Adzo Afedo, Bootcamp Ladies, Ho; products such as beads, bags, hats, artefacts, bead bags, designer T-Shirts and other accessories made from beads.

She said they were collaborating with the Ho M
useum Training Centre and purposely at the Fair to inform patrons that there was free beads training at the Ho Museum Training Centre.

Madam Afedo said there were also at the Fair to create awareness and showcase their beautiful products.

The Fair underway at the Ho Jubilee Park is on the theme: ‘Leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) for Economic Development.

It began on November 26 and expected to end on December 10, 2023.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The University of Cape Coast School of Medical Sciences (UCCSMS) has for the sixth time emerged winners of the 10th edition of the inter-medical school public speaking competition.

The University won in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, and performed excellently by scoring 88 points to win the 2023 competition.

University of Health and Allied Sciences came second with 86 points, University for Developments Studies scored 85 points, and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology 84 points.

The rest are; University of Ghana Medical School placed 82 points, Accra College of Medicine 79, and Family Health Medical School placed 7th with 77 points.

The competition, which was organised by the Ghana Mental Health Authority, witnessed insightful perspectives from the seven participating medical schools as they shared their thoughts on the topic ‘ Appropriateness of Telemedicine and Technology in Mental Health Care Delivery: Pros and Cons.’

Professor Adjoa Pinaman, Chief Executive Officer for the Ghana Mental
Health Authority, said the competition was an excellent way to motivate interest in psychiatry.

She called for more sponsorship to continually support the organisation of the competition in subsequent years, as the competition could consequentially reduce the deficit of mental health professionals in the country.

Prof Pinaman encouraged the medical students to develop interest in and consider a possible career option in mental health.

Professor Paul Fearon, Medical Director of St. Patrick Mental Health Services, expressed the hope that the competition would provide an enabling platform for medical students to whip up their interest in mental health.

They urged the government to consider incorporating telemedicine into mental health in the country.

Mrs Belinda Agyapong, presenting a statement on behalf of the sponsors, praised the local organising committee and the participants in the competition.

She said the Global Psychological EHealth Foundation was particularly interested in the topic of the competi
tion since it coincided with its objective of developing and promoting mental health solutions.

Ms Eugenia Elikem Lawoe, a contestant from UCC, expressed their excitement and praised their trainers for preparing them for the competition.

‘We want to thank each one who assisted us in preparing for this competition, especially Mr. Christian, our coach. We would also like to thank the 2018 representatives of the University of Cape Coast who won the competition.

We thank the Ghana Mental Authority for organising the competition,” they said.

The winners of the competition are expected to undertake an exchange programme at St. Patrick Hospital Mental Health, Dublin, Ireland.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Young Professionals and Youth Coalition (YPYC) Founder, Dr. Andy Osei Okrah, has been awarded ‘Ghana’s Most Respected CEO in Youth Development’ at the 6th edition of the Ghana industry CEO Awards, 2023, held in Accra.

Dr. Okrah shrugged off stiff challenge in the keenly contested category to emerge winner, confirming pre-event prediction of his imminent victory, credited largely to his decade long countrywide youth activism.

The Business Executive, Organizers of the Awards, congratulated Dr. Okrah on his victory, saying an overwhelming majority of voters, in an exit poll, confirmed their confidence in the YPYC Founder as a credible individual whose Youth-driven Organization could be trusted to champion and sustain youth-biased policies and programs.

Dr. Osei Okrah, commended the organisers for the recognition, and promised voters who reposed confidence in his leadership style that, ‘we will not relent in youth advocacy and activism. YPYC will continue to promote gender equality, youth empowerment, youth e
mployment, youth leadership and youth inclusion in the decision-making process.’

Dr Andy Okrah recently received a Transformational Leadership Award by the Humanitarian Awards Global (HAG) Awards for his philanthropic and humanitarian services to humanity especially in youth leadership development.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A day’s seminar has been held in Tamale, to equip young girls with the necessary information and techniques, to speak up on their rights and advocate for the rights.

The participants, who included student leaders from selected Senior High Schools in the Northern Region, were empowered to use their spheres of influence to champion issues of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).

The event dubbed: ‘SHE SPEAKS-UP,’ was organised by Simba Ghana, an NGO committed to youth empowerment, governance and peacebuilding, in partnership with Songtaba, Tiyumba Hope Foundation, RUWA-Ghana and Inspire to Act.

It was on the theme: ‘Breaking the Silence: Empowering Girls Against SGBV.’

Mr Abdul-Mumin Abdul-Rahaman, the Executive Director of Simba Ghana told the participants that the forum seeks to empower them with stronger voices to enable them to speak up against issues of SGBV, for effective redress and awareness creation.

To promote the transformative agenda of equality and efficient society, he advised both boys a
nd girls to be bold to speak up, to defeat the status quo where only boys spoke up on issues of injustice and abuse.

Alhaji Imoro Abdul-Rashid, the Executive Director of Inspire to Act, who spoke on how to identify and respond to issues of SGBV, said most of the perpetrators were usually known family friends or relatives.

He encouraged victims of abuse to report such cases immediately to their parents, guardians and the security services, for protection from the perpetrators.

Ms Ophelia Azure, a clinical psychologist advised participants to support survivors of SGBV and not to expose them to public ridicule.

Ms Khadija Abdul-Sammed, the Board Chairperson of Simba Ghana, called on government and other stakeholders to prioritise efforts to address SGBV.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Minister of Information, has urged the Media to spearhead the advocacy against money laundering (ML) and terrorism financing (TF) to secure the needed level of public awareness and cooperation.

The Minister said the media could address the awareness deficit by taking the lead in advocacy against ML and FT through public education and creating an enabling environment for whistleblowers.

He made the remarks during the National Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Financing of Terrorism Media Outreach and Advocacy Training Programme organized by the Inter-Government Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) in Accra.

The two-day event includes a training programme for journalists from selected media organisations and a tour of selected media organisations.

He said recent events in the country, particularly the security matters in the Northern Region, where it was reported that some residents thwarted the arrest of some persons suspected to be terrorists, give c
ause for concern about the awareness deficit of society’s obligation in the fight against terrorism.

‘The media, like other agencies, has an important, if not peculiar, role to play in helping the fight. The media can educate the public about the dangers of terrorism, its consequences, and how individuals can contribute to combating it,’ he said.

He added, ‘The media can provide the platform for whistleblowers to come forward with information on money laundering and terrorism financing activities in their communities.’

The media outreach activities organised by GIABA, the Minister said, will provide the media with the necessary skills required to aid the media’s contribution in the fight against ML and TF.

According to LexisNexis, a risk solutions agency, ML is estimated to cost West African countries $50 billion a year in illicit financial flows through activities that represent a net loss to the region in terms of revenue and investments.

In a joint report by FATT and GIABA, the bodies noted that there
is an emerging nexus between terrorist financing and trade in that there is an increased likelihood of terrorist financiers, using fraudulent trade-based practices to collect, transfer, and utilise funds for terrorist activities.

The bodies noted that some states can willingly or unwillingly facilitate terrorism financing through weak regulatory frameworks and legal regimes.

GIABA has underscored the importance of journalism to combat ML and TF through investigative journalism in the sub-region.

In its quest to develop the capacity of journalists to report ML and TF, Mr. Edwin W. Harris, Director General of GIABA, said in his address that since 2009, his outfit had organised sensitization programmes for the media to facilitate the understanding of ML and TF.

He said the media remained a veritable channel of increasing awareness among the populace on ML and TF.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Madam Rita Odoley Sowah, the Member of Parliament (MP) for La Dade Kotopon Constituency has organised a training programme on the use of local spices and personal hygiene for Caterers and Chop Bar Operators in the constituency.

The training which was aimed at inculcating the habit of good food handling practices to promote food safety and compliance among the food service operators and caterers was also to assist them in meeting the requirements of the National Food Hygiene legislation.

In an interview, Ms Sowah stated that the programme was meant to improve food safety to safeguard public health and safety, as well as the use of local spices in the preparation of meals.

On the use of local spices, the MP noted that consumer demands and preferences in the cookery industry were fast changing, hence the need to explore new ways of doing things or risk being kicked out of business.

‘The use of local spices in preparing meals was not only healthy but medicinal,’ she said.

She said failure on the part of the
caterers and chop bar operators to conform with trends could make them lose their relevance in the industry, a situation she said could have a negative impact on their finances

Ms Sowah, who was hopeful that the training would enhance the skills of the trainees, urged them to consider the medicinal value of local spices and include them in their meals.

The training was organized with the support of Footprint Africa.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Morgan Stanley, Siemens Energy, Starbucks, more than 156 of the Forbes global top 500 companies have invested in this region in China. The region is Futian District in Shenzhen, China.

Located in the central urban area of Shenzhen and with an area of 78.66 km2 and a population of about 2.2 million, Futian District is the administrative, cultural, financial, business and international communication center of Shenzhen.

In recent years, Futian District has consistently ranked at the forefront of China’s districts and counties. By 2022, the regional GDP has exceeded 550 billion RMB. It will highlight the ‘three major industries’ of science and technology, finance, and fashion, aiming at the ‘three major positions’ of the Central Innovation District, the Central Business District, and the Central Dynamic District, striving to become one of the urban districts with a GDP of 600 billion RMB.

Futian District focuses on the development of strategic emerging industries and future industries. It has successfully bui
lt four clusters at a level of 50 billion RMB, such as digital creativity, new energy, software and information services, and intelligent terminals; several clusters at a level of 10 billion RMB, such as modern fashion, semiconductors and integrated circuits, biomedicine among others.

In August 2023, the State Council of China issued the Development Plan for the Shenzhen Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone, which tailored a national strategic blueprint for the cooperation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong upon scientific and technological innovation, clarifying the policies of the 15% personal income tax as well as corporate income tax taxation for specific enterprises and individuals, and ‘highly convenient entry and exit’ for personnel and goods. At present, the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone in Futian District has promoted more than 150 high-end scientific research projects and gathered more than 3,000 scientific
researchers to further promote scientific and technological innovation cooperation. The development potential of this region in the future is immeasurable.

Innovative Futian District with entrepreneurial blessing. With the best resources, most facilitating policies, and optimal opportunities, Futian District will serve the vast number of enterprises, making endeavors in Futian so as to receive great harvest.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Madam Maud Adjeley Ashong Elliot, the Vice President, Internet Society of Ghana, has advised women and girls to refrain from posting and storing their nude photographs online, particularly on social media platforms.

In a presentation delivered at the National Stakeholder’s Forum On Women’s Online Rights in Ghana held in Accra, she said, the act, often done with clear intentions often caused cyber bulling, online harassment, blackmail, safety issues which compromised women’s reputation, affect their mental health and self-worth.

This, she explained, could lead to partial or total withdrawal from the online society thus defeating efforts to garner for more female inclusion in the online space.

‘Let’s stop sharing our nude pictures online because, whenever you send a message on a platform such as Whatsapp, the original copy is kept in their servers. They only send a copy of it to the person you have sent the message to. Everything you post online is kept; whether you delete it on your phone or not. So, let’s
not even share nudes at all,’ she said.

The University of Professional Studies also called for a more stringent legal framework, including education to safeguard the security of women and girls on the Ghanaian cyber space.

Madam Hilda Odua Sowah, the Head of Accreditation and Certification at the Data Protection Commission, in an interview on data protection safeguards for women, cautioned them to be mindful of what they shared particularly personal data or information.

She however, advised women to take deliberate steps to use technologies available to protect such online information.

‘Once you are on social media and you have a password, I advise that you change it frequently,’ she said.

She also asked all to know their data protection rights as stipulated in the Data Protection Act of 2012 (Act 843) to channel grievances that involved data breaches.

Ghana, according to the Cyber Security Authority, was ranked eighth globally for the amount of time individuals spent online and ranked 21st for usage of
the internet for work purposes.

The above statistics made the country one of the most vulnerable countries prone to cyber-attacks such as Malware, Phishing, Business email compromises, mobile money scams, and data breaches.

On his part, Mr Kwaku Krobia Asante, a lead fact checker, in his presentation dubbed, ‘Gendered Disinformation in Ghana,’ called on the Government and Civil Society Organisations to build the capacities of journalists to produce, publish and promote online gender-sensitive content.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Silver Star Auto, Asad Nazir, says CEO Dialogues, the bi-annual thought leadership and capacity building event, which brings CEOs together to fashion out strategies and approaches for dealing with contemporary business issues including economic development, corporate governance, legal and regulatory framework and business sustainability, has been impactful.

Launched in 2022, CEO Dialogues is a niche business conversation among CEOs. It regularly features established authorities across diverse industries in intimate, frank, peer-to-peer business conversations. As an invite-only event, the selected CEOs gather around the table for the discussions, giving it a rich mix of leaders who are willing to share, take on board and also collaborate.

Speaking to a section of the media to throw light on the effect that CEO Dialogues have had on the local business scene since it was launched last year, the CEO of Silver Star Auto, Asad Nazir, stated that; ‘I have had the privilege to
attend the previous editions of CEO Dialogues and, I have been pleased both by the depth of the subject presentations by the Partner Institutions and the quality of interactions among the audience’.

The Chief Executive Officer of Silver Star, one of the leading players in the local Auto Industry with brands including Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot and Citroën, was also impressed with the uniqueness of CEO Dialogues concept.

‘The whole idea behind the dialogues is quite unique as well and we at Silver Star have obviously been happy to associate with CEO Dialogues. The richness of the discussions and the depth of the engagement have been very fruitful and I have personally gained a lot of insights plus perspectives from these”, he revealed.

‘Silver Star Auto Limited is a leading automobile firm in Ghana that has been synonymous with luxury for over 20 years. We started our operations in 1996 and now have branches in Accra, Tema and Kumasi to cater to all your sales and servicing needs.

Over the years, we have stre
ngthened our position as a leading automotive distributor in Ghana through our innovative responses to the needs of our customers including the services, we offer them and the effective leadership and teamwork at play in our offices.

With activities like CEO Dialogues, we are able to identify opportunities to build capacity, engender growth and develop effective teams through the various economic phases, and the attendant challenges and opportunities, this market and the world offers’, Mr. Nazir concluded.

The next CEO Dialogues (2023) Series, Edition 2 will be held on Wednesday, November 29, 2023 under the theme: ‘a year after the World Economic Meltdown’. Highlights for this edition includes a presentation by KPMG and the Chartered Institute of Marketing (Ghana). The second edition for 2023 is sponsored by GCB Bank PLC and Japan Motors.

CEO Dialogues is a joint collaboration between Base Element Limited, a worldwide Marketing Agency and Ishmael Yamson and Associates (IY and A), a foremost Management Cons
ulting Firm. CEO Dialogues regularly partners with recognized Bodies including KPMG, the Chartered Institute of Marketing (Ghana), Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) and a network of International Partners including Dale Carnegie (UK), among others.

Source: Ghana News Agency