Day: December 15, 2023

In a collaborative effort to combat trafficking within the hospitality sector, members of the Ghana Progressive Hotels Association (GHAPROHA) received crucial education from the Anti-Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service (Tema).

The goal of the initiative was to equip hoteliers with the knowledge and skills required to handle and prevent human trafficking incidents in their establishments.

It emphasised the joint commitment of GHAPROHA and law enforcement to foster a safer and more secure environment within the hospitality industry.

Speaking during an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Tema Regional Office, Detective-Chief Inspector Raymond Nwinsori, the Regional Coordinator for Human Trafficking in Tema, raised concerns about the increasing prevalence of trafficking in the region, highlighting the urgent need for collaborative efforts from all stakeholders to combat this escalating issue.

He stated some facts that human trafficking, a crime generating approximately $150 billion annually, impac
ts around 40.3 million people globally, with 65 percent being female, including 46 percent adult women and 19 percent adolescent girls, and Africa accounting for 23 percent of the global incidents, affecting over 9.2 million people living in modern slavery.

Mr. Nwinsori emphasised the significant role Hoteliers play in searching for and rescuing trafficking victims, citing studies revealing traffickers’ frequent use of hotels in the transportation process for sex or labour trafficking.

He urged them to remain vigilant in identifying potential trafficking indicators such as cash payments for hotel bills one day at a time, suspicious behaviour like constant door watching and late-night movements by traffickers, victims referring to traffickers as ‘daddy,’ the use of derogatory slang, ordering adjacent rooms, and over-threats or physical assaults on victims.

Mr. Fred Akweter, Country Manager for Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.), also revealed through an interview with GNA that in the relentless fight a
gainst child trafficking, OUR is dedicated to supporting law enforcement agencies in gathering intelligence, providing essential training, and allocating resources for investigations to rescue children subjected to sexual exploitation while safeguarding the rights and safety of survivors.

He highlighted their commitment to tactical advice, logistical support, and collaboration with social welfare to ensure the comprehensive well-being of survivors.

‘After a successful rescue, survivors are placed in partner shelters, where they receive psychotherapy, medical assessments, vocational training, and other forms of support.’ he said

Mr. Nwinsori urged hoteliers to report any trafficking suspicions to the police or the anti-trafficking unit directly, encouraging them not to lose hope as the anti-trafficking unit is prepared to act on the information and help eliminate human trafficking.
Source: Ghana News Agency

The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has asked celebrities to champion road safety campaigns to influence responsible behaviour amongst road users.

A statement issued by the Corporate Affairs Unit, NRSA, said celebrities could promote responsible behaviour on the roads by making brief statements in solidarity with road safety before or after their performances.

‘The Authority calls on the industry players and leaders to deploy their craft and fame to support road safety advocacy efforts as road safety champions to influence positive road user behaviour among themselves and their followers.’

It said the Authority had followed recent reports of road traffic crashes involving celebrated personalities in Ghana and called for responsible road user behaviour and support for national advocacy efforts.

‘Last month, a rising TikTok star and rapper 2PM, also known as ‘King of Bars’, died in a motorcycle crash. At the same time, this week, hiplife musician Edem was reportedly charged with careless and inconsid
erate driving over a traffic crash resulting in one life lost.

‘These incidents serve as a cruel reminder of the demise of Ebony Reigns, Terry Bonchaka, Kwame Owusu Ansah, and Suzy Williams and many others of the entertainment industry through road traffic crashes.’

The statement said the yuletide was a peak season for entertainers and cautioned entertainers, artistes’ managers and showbiz personalities on the need to use the roads responsibly.

‘As entertainers, your followers, admirers and fans need you alive. Use the roads responsibly and let us stay alive.’

It said in Ghana, an average of 42 Road Traffic Crashes were recorded daily, resulting in six deaths daily.

Nearly 40 per cent of fatalities and 32 per cent of injuries resulting from road traffic crashes are attributable to speeding.

The statement said the Authority had launched the ‘Stop Speeding Campaign’ to raise national consciousness on observing speed limits to stay alive.

It reminded motorists and entertainers of the maximum speed limits
of 90kmph, 50kmph and 30kmph for highways, urban roads, and built-up areas respectively.

The statement said motorists should always be alert and look out for vulnerable road users, especially children, older people, and persons with disabilities.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, has paid a courtesy call on the Nyelinbulgu-Naa Yakubu Andani Dasana, Regent of Bimbilla at the Gmantambo Palace at Bimbilla in the Northern Region.

The visit was to show appreciation to him for maintaining peace in the Nanung Traditional Area in the region and to solicit support from the Regent for governance as Parliament marked its 30th anniversary.

Mr Bagbin commended the Regent and traditional leaders of the area for their relentless efforts in promoting peace, which had contributed to the growth of democracy.

He said chieftaincy was a paramount facet in development and when combined with politics, could effect change in the system highlighting the importance of permitting chiefs to engage in active politics.

He mentioned harmony as an essence of effective governance and encouraged the area to prioritise peace and dialogue at all times.

Speaker Bagbin urged the traditional leaders of northern Ghana to join forces and strategically plan th
e allocation of newly discovered gold deposits to corporate mining companies, emphasising its potential benefits for the region.

He reiterated the need for the north to take lessons from ill-happenings at Obuasi and other mining communities to strategise for profit and environmental protection.

Nyelinbulgu-Naa Yakubu Andani Dasana expressed gratitude to Speaker Bagbin for honouring the Nanung Kingdom, saying it was the first time a speaker had visited the Kingdom in Parliament’s three decades of existence.

He said Nanumbas would forever cherish the gesture and take pride in acting on the education given by the Speaker during the visit.

He was hopeful that the next Speaker of Parliament would come from the Nanung Kingdom as a result of Mr Bagbin’s visit and words of wisdom.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Lieutenant Colonel Emmanuel Odum, Commanding Officer of the Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Technical Training School (EMETTS) has appealed for infrastructure support to train more personnel.

He said the School needed more essential infrastructure to boost its capacity to offer more skill-based training to Officers and to meet its quota of the expansion drive being undertaken by the Ghana Armed Forces (GFA).

Lt. Odum made the appeal when the Basic Class III Course, a Foundation Course and a first step for personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces to acquire a trade to enable them to pursue higher learning to enhance their career, ended in Accra.

The 2022/2023 academic year witnessed 172 personnel from the Tri-Service graduating from training.

They graduated as automobile mechanics and electricians, refrigeration and air-conditioning technicians, welding and fabrication, weapons fitting artificers and many more.

Out of the total, 136, including seven females were from the Army, 14 ratings from the Navy and
20, including two females from the Airforce.

The Commanding Officer urged the Commandant of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) Training and Doctrines Command to engage the Military High Command to help with more infrastructure, tools and equipment needed by the School.

‘We will need more classrooms and workshop space with more tools and equipment and in addition, a library, research centre and an auditorium for central lectures and other activities,’ he said.

He commended the School’s partners such as the German Armed Forces Technical Advisory Group, Accra Technical University and West African Vehicle Academy amongst others for their support in training personnel.

Various awards were presented to students who distinguished themselves during the period of training.

Notable amongst them was Private Alhassan Faisal, who took home the Best student in Welding and Fabrication whilst Lance Corporal Steve Amponsah had the overall best student award.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Ignatius A. N. Awinibuno, Director of Allied Health of the Ministry of Health (MOH) says sustainable funding arrangements with governments committing to diagnostics and research would unlock the future of diagnostics systems in the country.

He said the continent has come to a crossroads and only concrete and innovative measures could make diagnostics systems the fulcrum around which universal health coverage (UHC) could be attained.

He said the role of the laboratory workforce is critical to the provision of quality diagnostics, management of case surveillance and global security efforts.

He said the capacity-building workforce should cross clinical and health services boundaries to encompass one health policy and environmental-climate concerns.

Dr Awinibuno, who leads Ghana’s Delegation to the Sixth Biennial Conference of the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM2023) in Cape Town, South Africa disclosed these to the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines.

The ASLM2023 conference is being held u
nder the theme ‘Shaping laboratory systems and diagnostics services for the 21st Century: Embracing the Change.’

He added that strengthening laboratory systems in terms of including governance workforce training, infrastructure, equipment, consumables, accreditation, research, and development is crucial to ensuring effective and efficient laboratory services which form the backbone for quality healthcare delivery.

He said optimising lab networks and diagnostics, transforming diagnostics through AI, robotic technology, molecular lab testing, pathogen genomics and bioinformatics are crucial to the provision of modern diagnostic services and must be embraced.

The Director reiterated that the Government of Ghana has taken laudable initiatives in the manufacture of vaccines and the same could be extended to the local manufacture of diagnostics.

‘Ghana has also taken initiatives in the direction of developing a National Essential Devices List and would soon join Nigeria as one of the few countries to finalise a
nd implement its National Essential Diagnostics List (NEDL).

Dr Gifty Boateng, Head of National Public Health Reference Laboratory said the ASLM is a platform to optimise scientific ideas towards deploying technology to scale up diagnostics systems in the country and Africa in general.

She said strengthening lab governance is crucial to ensuring sustainable and strong lab services and surveillance.

Dr Abu Rahamani, President of the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists promotes continuous professional development and ethics in lab services in quality healthcare delivery and therefore the ASLM conference has offered participants the opportunity to learn from professional peers and re-strategize.

He craved a regulatory body for the medical laboratory practice compared to the Allied Health Profession Council as it exists in the country and called for the reshaping of structures at the level of the Ministry.

Mr William Addo Mills-Pappoe, Head of the Clinical Laboratory Unit, Ghana Health Service
(GHS) said several resolutions have been made and lessons learnt from the conference and duty-bearers must take necessary steps to implement them appropriately for quality healthcare delivery.
Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Publishers Association (GPA) has urged the government to develop a sustainable book procurement policy to resolve such challenges confronting the publishing industry.

The policy must have credible guidelines for book procurement, timetable for the procurement of pre-tertiary textbooks and supplementary readers, scheduled timelines for the review and development of curriculum, provision of payment plan and a strong commitment of government to comply with the payment plan.

Mr Asare Konadu Yamoah, President, GPA, made the call at the opening of the 47th Annual General Meeting of the Association, on the theme: ‘Book procurement in Ghana: resolving challenges for industrial growth’, in Accra.

He said book procurement was an important aspect of the publishing process which kept publishers operational and sustainable.

However, the practice was characterised by many challenges needing the intervention of government, he said.

Mr Yamoah said between 1997 to 2002, the publishing industry comprising indig
enous publishers, authors, printers, booksellers and other allied service providers, worked with the government to make textbook publishing a fully private sector led process.

‘Further to this, a national Textbook Development and Distribution Policy was formulated. In 2004, the Ministry of Education successfully procured school textbooks from indigenous publishers. This was by far the best book procurement process and its transparency encouraged the continuation of the programme.’

He, however, stated that a number of unfortunate events had given rise to procurement challenges, including perceived manipulations, the use of discretionary powers instead of documented policies, untimely change of curriculum, lack of procurement plan and policies, delayed payment for books by the Ministry, demand of outrageous discounts by heads of schools, low level of government’s commitment and investment in book procurement, among others.

According to him one fundamental failure of the textbook procurement process had been
the decision by the Ministry of Education (MoE) not to rely on the 2002 Textbook Development and Distribution Policy, without any reason.

‘Much as the Ministry has always endeavoured to procure and make books accessible to schools, the procurement and accessibility of textbooks, and especially supplementary readers to pre-tertiary students, is not up to the desired level.’

He said currently there was textbook and supplementary readers accessibility deficit for pre-tertiary students and unfortunately, those reading deficiencies remained a national challenge because the

acquisition and distribution of supplementary readers had not received the requisite attention, and investment by government, parents and organisations.

Mr Yamoah said the industry had made progressive strides amid challenges, saying ‘no educational institution can run without books and books originate from the investment and professionalism of publishers so we are ready for any engagement that will translate into the development of the indu
stry.’

He appealed to the Ministry of Education to pay the remaining 80 percent of the contract sum of books procured from publishers for public primary schools to reduce liabilities associated with the delay.

Mr Justice King Essel Amevor, General Secretary, Ghana National Association of Private Schools, said the whole value chain must be looked at, ‘from the first release of the printing house, what we want to print, where we want to print, among others and the ideas should not only be on the demand driven basis as the curriculum informs, but also to look at the things needed for the whole transformation process.’

Mr Carl Ampah, National Professional Officer for Culture, UNESCO, said the book industry was a viable profession among the creative industry providing jobs for nearly 30 million people worldwide and urged publishers to continue to create a literate, educated and culturally sensitive population.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih, the Upper West Regional Minister, has eulogised development partners for their immense contributions to the development of the region over the years.

He said their existence and operation in the region had helped to improve the livelihoods of the people in many sectors.

He identified Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), the provision of Health and Educational facilities and logistics, and the introduction of the Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) as some of the areas that development partners had supported.

‘Without our development partners’ interventions, our poverty situation could have been worse than it is today,’ Dr. Salih observed.

The Regional Minister gave the commendation in Wa during an engagement of the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) with the development partners to assess their activities in the region and their impact on the lives of the people.

The forum was also to provide an opportunity for the RCC, the Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs), and
the development partners to strengthen their collaboration for effective coordination of their activities to ensure equitable distribution of resources for accelerated development of the region.

Dr. Salih said despite the support of the development partners to the region’s development, there had been concerns about some of them capitalising on the poverty situation of the region to solicit funds for their interest.

He said some Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Civil Society organisations (CSOs) sourced funds with the name of the region but diverted such monies for their personal development to the neglect of the people they were meant for and urged them to desist from such acts.

He also urged the NGOs and CSOs that had not registered with the Regional Social Welfare Department to do so and those who had registered to regularly renew their registration in accordance with the law.

Naa Dikomwine Damalae, the President of the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs, observed that despite the intervention
s of the partners in the region, the region still lagged in development and attributed that to negative socio-cultural practices in the region.

‘The underdevelopment in our part of the world is partly a cultural issue, there are behavioural issues, negative beliefs, harmful cultural practices, and harmful taboos that continue to exist in our communities hampering our level of development,’ he explained.

Naa Domalae, who is also the Paramount Chief of Daffiama Traditional Area, assured the NGOs and CSOs in the region of the unflinching support of traditional leaders towards the efforts of improving the living conditions of the people.

Dr. George Dery, a development consultant, who spoke on behalf of the development partners, encouraged them to identify the development priorities of the Government and to fill in the gaps identified in those development aspirations.

He said the NGOs and CSOs should avoid competing among themselves and collaborate with the limited resources to support the Government in achiev
ing its development ambitions for the country and the region in particular.

Some NGOs and CSOs including the Global Communities and Forward Development West Africa, made presentations on their activities in the region and their impacts on the lives of the people.

Heads of Departments and Agencies and Municipal and District Chief Executives also attended the forum.
Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Cocoa Board has presented award prizes to the winners of this year’s best cocoa farmers in Accra.

Madam Adwoa Sintim of Sankore in the Ahafo region emerged as the 2023 National Best Cocoa Farmer at the 39th National Farmers’ Day Awards held in Tarkwa in the Western Region.

Madam Sintim was presented with a Toyota Hilux Double Cabin Pick-up, a standard pruner, a carton of Royal cocoa powder and one carton of 25g chocolate, a plaque, two Polo shirts, two overalls with hats, and two safety goggles.

The rest are two respirators, two ear protectors, two hand gloves, two Wellington boots, and a motorised sprayer.

Madam Faustina Asamoah, who won the 2023 National Most Enterprising Female Cocoa Farmer Award, was presented with a cheque for GHC 100,000 from the Cocoa World Foundation.

She was also presented with a single-cabin mini truck, a tricycle, a standard pruner, a carton of Royal cocoa powder and one carton of 25g chocolate,a plaque, and a polo shirt, among others.

Mr George Opoku Koduah won th
e 2023 National Most Promising Cocoa Farmer Award.

He was presented with a single cabin mini truck, a tricycle, a standard pruner, a carton of Royal cocoa powder and one carton of 25g chocolate, a plaque, and a Polo shirt.

The rest are two overalls with hats, two safety goggles, two respirators, two ear protectors, two hand gloves, two Wellington boots, and a motorised sprayer.

Ms Rukaya Sumaila won the National Sheanut Picker and was presented with a tricycle, five pairs of hand gloves, two pairs of Wellington boots, two overalls with hats, a Polo T-shirt, four torchlights (Solar), a carton of Royale cocoa powder, a carton of 25g of chocolate, a plaque, and four machetes.

Since its establishment in 1985, the Farmers’ Day celebration has been a platform for COCOBOD to recognise and reward the efforts of cocoa and coffee farmers, as well as shea nut pickers, who have distinguished themselves in their sectors at national, regional, and district levels.

Mr Peter Mac Manu, Board Chairman, Ghana Cocoa Board,
commended the award winners for their commitment to the production of quality cocoa, which had contributed to the booming global confectionery market.

He recognised the immense contribution of cocoa farmers to the country’s agricultural sector, especially in supporting national food security through climate-smart agricultural practices.

Mr Joseph Boahen Aidoo, Chief Executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board, commended Madam Adwoa Sintim and other award winners for continuously improving their farming techniques through the training, technical support, and input supplies offered by the Board every season.

He expressed concern about cocoa smuggling from Volta Region to Togo and called on security agencies to act and deal with the situation.

Mr Aidoo said the Volta Region in 2023 produced only 4.69 metric tonnes of cocoa, which is approximately 70 bags, urging them to emulate other regions and increase their production level.

Madam Sintim, on behalf of the award winners, expressed profound gratitude to the managem
ent of COCOBOD for the honour and pledged to increase productivity.

She encouraged the youth to venture into cocoa farming because the government had introduced interventions to make the sector more beneficial and viable.
Source: Ghana News Agency

The Bank of Ghana held an award ceremony for 10 finalists of its maiden eCedi Hackathon in Accra in which three emerged top winners.

Forward Titans was adjudged the overall best.and won a prize of GHS500,000.

The first runner up Nokofio received GHS300, 000 while the second runner up Pay code received GHS200,000.

All the 10 finalists received certificates of participation.

The e-Cedi hackathon kicked off on October 6, 2023 under supervision of the BoG and its technology partner EMTECH Solutions.

The competition brought together creators, developers and entrepreneurs to ideate groundbreaking solutions leveraging the e-Cedi.

The hackathon’s focus areas provided insight into functionalities and versatility that the Bank of Ghana envisions for the e-Cedi.

Speaking at the award ceremony on Thursday in Accra, Dr Ernest Addison, the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, said the BoG in the past few years, championed policies and implemented financial market infrastructures that had created a supportive environment
for the digital delivery of financial services.

Currently, he said, the financial sector could boast of a variety of digital financial services, including payment, credit, savings, and investment products that were offered by banks and FinTechs.

He said new business models had emerged through FinTech channels and removed barriers to micro-credit as well as paved way for affordable and convenient inward remittance services.

These interventions have fostered financial inclusion in the country, evidenced by the phenomenal improvement in financial access from 41% in 2014 to 68% in 2021, according to the Global Findex Report of the World Bank.

Despite the progress made, much remains to be done to meet the financial service needs of every citizen in meaningful ways and called for an innovative mindset, creativity, and collaboration in exploring novel solutions of which a central bank digital currency is promising.

Dr Addison said the Bank’s CBDC would further push the frontiers of financial inclusiveness in th
e country, adding that exploration journey was grounded on several policy imperatives, including financial inclusion, safety and efficiency of payments, and the growing digitalisation of the Ghanaian economy.

On the eCedi Hackathon, the Governor said the invitation for proposals targeted innovative ideas that leverage CBDC tokens and APIs to prototype solutions or develop tools that would promote the use of eCedi across the various sectors of the economy and with diverse payment scenarios.

The co-creating eCedi use cases with innovators, developers, user experience experts, and financial service providers is deemed a better and more feasible approach to make the digital currency appealing to diverse user groups, thereby promoting adoption.

He said the BoG received an overwhelming response from enthusiastic creative minds and innovators across countries and continents with 88 innovation concept notes (ICN) received on October 20, 2023.

The number was pruned down to 68 for the pitchday. Out of the 68 select
ed for the Pitch Day, 62 accepted the offer to pitch their solution. After the Pitch Day, only 10 innovations were considered eligible for progression to the Demonstration Day.

The fascinating ideas and solutions generated by all the participants covered several areas including agriculture, government payments, business payments, taxation, securities, crowdfunding, interoperability, and credit scoring.

gratitude for the overwhelming response by innovators to the maiden edition.

‘This is the maiden hackathon organised by the Bank of Ghana and we are glad that it has received an overwhelming response from enthusiastic creative minds and innovators across countries and continents.

‘At the close of the submission of the innovation concept note (ICN) on October 20, 2023, 88 ICNs were received.’

‘The number was pruned down to 68 for the pitch day. Out of the 68 selected for the Pitch Day, 62 accepted the offer to pitch their solution. After the Pitch Day, only 10 innovations were considered eligible for progre
ssion to the Demonstration Day,’ he said.

Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, CEOs of Banks and other dignitaries, attended the ceremony.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Four state institutions have taken delivery of seven million dollars’ worth of equipment from the Ministry of Works Housing to fight flooding in the Greater Accra Region.

The institutions are the Ghana Meteorological Agency, which had 18 new telemetric rain gauges and two automatic weather stations located at Aburi and Ada- Sege to monitor parameters such as humidity, temperature, evaporation solar radiation and wind speed.

The Ghana Hydrological Authority (GHA) received advanced sensors, cameras, and profilers to track and share water levels and runoff in streams and drains.

The Water Resources Commission (WRC) and NADMO also took delivery of new computer gears to help with coordinating and sharing flood warning alerts.

Minister for Works and Housing, Frances Asenso-Boakye, speaking at the handing over ceremony, emphasised the importance of the new equipment.

‘The procurement and installation of these equipment mark the first step in our journey toward a safer, more resilient Greater Accra Region.’

He
said apart from the installation of the new equipment, the Ministry was signing a contract with a Service Provider to set up an early warning system platform, maintain the project for three years and train some staff of beneficiary institutions to take over its operations.

Coordinator for the Greater Accra Resilience and Integrated Development (GARID) Project, Kwadwo Ohene Sarfoh, stressed on the need for the equipment to be well taken care of.

‘If even one of them is stolen, the system will not function. We cannot allow one person’s disregard for our welfare to affect the entire Greater Accra region. So, we are calling upon all, including the media, the communities where we are placing these equipment, the institutions themselves that are involved for all of us to work together so that we can make this a success.’

The Accra Flood Early Warning System (FEWS) is under the GARID Project.

It aims to tackle floods and manage waste better in the Odaw River Basin, in Greater Accra, while also enhancing basic in
frastructure and services in local communities.

It is being supported by the World Bank and implemented by the Ministry of Works and Housing.
Source: Ghana News Agency