Month: December 2023

The Kpando Municipal Assembly has thrilled exhibitors and patrons at the Sixth Volta Trade and Investment Fair with two locally manufactured vehicles.

The cars were manufactured and assembled in Kpando by the Asamani Memorial Industry Company (AMICO) Auto.

Mr Rowland Asamani, Owner of AMICO Auto, speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the vehicles used engines of motorbikes hence had low fuel consumption.

He said he would be willing to produce on a large scale and train more youth but finances remained a barrier.

In a Kpando Municipal open day at the Fair, Madam Selase Tindy, Head of Business Advisory Centre, Kpando, said the Kpando market, the largest in the Municipality served as a major source of revenue for the Assembly.

She said the hospitality industry in the Municipality had improved considerably with the development of guest houses and hotels paved with good road networks.

Madam Tindy said the security of the Municipality would be described as the best in the region.

She said agricultur
e dominated the economy of the Municipality, adding that the climate was favourable which supported crop and livestock production.

Madam Tindy said access to market and lack of processing and storage facilities were the major constraints affecting commercial production of crops.

She said some tourist attractions in the Municipality included the Volta Lake and its islands, production of handicrafts and the Grottos at Agbenorxoe and Aziavi.

Okpekpewuokpe Akpinifia Dagadu IX, Paramount Chief of Kpando Traditional Area, used the opportunity to invite the public to the ‘Dayiba kaka’ festival of the Area which had not been celebrated in years.

He noted that the Area continued to be peaceful while touting the football club of the Area; Hearts of Lion.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Reducing the incidents of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and the overall Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) rate requires protective sexual behaviour, Dr Susan Ama Amuasi, a Lecturer at the Central University, has said.

She said promoting and practicing protective sexual behaviours, such as consistent and correct condom use, regular testing and treatment, and communication about sexual health, are vital in the fight against HIV and other STIs.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra to commemorate World AIDS Day, Dr Susan Amuasi said, ‘a comprehensive approach to sexual health, and adopting safe sexual practices are considered as essential steps in reducing the prevalence of infections and fostering a healthier society’.

This year’s World AIDS Day commemoration is on the theme: ‘let communities lead’.

She stated that communities played vital roles in spreading awareness about the disease and stopping its spread and welcomed the theme.

Dr Amuasi said protective sexual behavi
ours should also be promoted, especially amongst the youth and encouraged through comprehensive sex education, public health campaigns, and healthcare services to reduce the rate to the barest minimum.

Safe sexual behaviours, she said, would not only protect individual’s health but also contribute to the overall reduction of HIV transmission in communities.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) 2023 report indicates that, about 16,600 new HIV infections have been recorded in Ghana this year.

HIV remains a major global public health issue, having claimed over 40.4 million lives so far with ongoing transmission in all countries globally.

According to the WHO, there are an estimated 39.0 million people living with HIV at the end of 2022, two thirds of whom, representing 25.6 million, are in the WHO African Region.

In 2022, about 630, 000 people died from HIV-related causes and 1.3 million people acquired HIV globally.

Ghana’s HIV population, according to the National HIV Prevalence and Estimates published by
the Ghana Aids Commission last year, shows that some 354,927 persons are infected with HIV.

Some 16,574 new infections were recorded in 2022, with 20 years and above accounting for 7,179, adolescents aged 10 to 19 years, 645 infections, whilst children, zero to 14 years, 2,180.

Those statistics, Dr. Amuasi noted, were frightening and that it was crucial to take immediate and comprehensive action to reverse the trend with a coordinated efforts involving the government, healthcare providers, Non-Governmental Organisations, communities, and individuals.

Speaking on the factors that contribute to high sexual transmission rate, she said, limited knowledge about HIV transmission and prevention led to risky sexual behaviours while inadequate sex education and stigma surrounding HIV hindered individuals from taking protective measures.

Also, Dr Amuasi said, ‘while some individuals underestimate the importance of condom use, others face barriers to accessing condoms, irregular or incorrect use of condoms during se
xual intercourse, increasing the risk of HIV transmission.

‘Engaging in sexual activity with multiple partners, especially without consistent condom use or knowledge of their partners’ HIV status, raises the risk of exposure to HIV and other STI,’ Dr. Susan Amuasi intimated.

The Sexual and Reproductive health expert added that, factors like economic vulnerability and limited access to healthcare delivery had exacerbated the issues of HIV transmission.

‘Stigma associated with HIV can discourage individuals from getting tested and seeking treatment,’ she stressed and said the fear of disclosure could prevent open communication about HIV status with sexual partners.

According to her, gender-based violence could increase the vulnerability of individuals to HIV transmission as victims of violence may have limited control over their sexual encounters and may be unable to negotiate safe sex.

Dr Amuasi said: ‘If the issues stated are addressed, the HIV and AIDS epidemic will end as a public health threat by 2030
as envisioned by UNAIDS.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ho East Presbytery Presbyters Union of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana (EPCG) Thursday presented assorted items to the inmates of Ho Central Prisons.

The items worth about GHC10,000 include bags of sugar, rice, maize, gari and frytol, palm oil, detergents and used clothings.

Presbyter Angelica Attakey, President of the Union, presenting the items reminded the inmates of the Prison that all hope was not lost and advised them to look up to the Lord Jesus Christ and held fast to him.

She said to some of them the furure might look bleak ‘but I want to remind you that many great men including President Nelson Mandela were once prisoners but God took them out of the Prisons and made them to become a beacon of hope to others.

‘Being in prison is not the end of your lives so do not despair but surrender your lives to Jesus Christ for your lives to be transformed,’ she advised.

Presbyter Mrs. Attakey said the Union was moved by the plight of the inmates who she said might be going through very dif
ficult times, to contribute their widow’s mite to help minimize their suffering.

She called on the populace to stop the stigmatization of prison graduates but help them to integrate into society, adding ‘everybody is a potential prisoner so we need to show them compassion.’

Mr. Francis Dotsey, Deputy Commander of the Ho Central Prisons, who received the items on behalf of the facility was full of praise for the Union.

He said the Prisons Service was struggling to feed their inmates on the GHC1.80 pesewas allocated by the government to each Prisoner per day and said the donation came at the opportune time.

Mr. Dotsey called on faith based and other organizations and philanthropists to emulate the shining example of the Union.

The inmates showed their gratitude for the visit and the donation by entertaining members of the Union with a lively Borborbor band.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Health service providers have been urged not to deny adolescents who opt for Family Planning services to stem the rising teenage and unintended pregnancies in the country.

They must, however, counsel them on their choice of family planning (FP) options before providing them with the services.

Dr Prince Quarshie, the Deputy Director, Public Health, Bono Regional Directorate of Health, who gave the advice, reminded the health workers that continuous skilled abortion should not be an option in providing FP services.

He gave the advice at a stakeholders engagement on the dissemination of the National FP2030 commitment and the launch of the Family Planning Day at Sunyani on Thursday.

It was organized by the Bono Regional Directorate of Health with support from its partners in Sunyani, attended by transport unions, traders associations, disability groups, health workers, and traditional authorities.

It was to sensitize participants on the FP 2030 commitment, which enjoins the country to achieve about 100 perc
ent FP acceptor rate by 2030.

Dr Quarshie expressed worry over the region’s low FP acceptor rate and said though it had achieved almost 100 percent in public knowledge, the FP practices kept declining from 42.2 percent in 2021 to 30.2 percent in 2022 and 27.2 percent in 2023.

Nonetheless the acceptor rates in some of the districts and municipalities in the region were encouraging.

He emphasized that every individual or couple, including teenagers, were eligible for FP services adding that the National Health Insurance Scheme covered such services.

Dr Quarshie said the combine pills, secure, injectables, spermicides, intra ulterior contraceptive devices, and implants were all safe and effective methods to reduce family sizes and prevent pregnancies.

‘Injectables and implants do not make women infertile. Neither does it cause fibroid, cancers and pelvic infections. In fact, female sterilization does not affect the woman’s menstrual cycle,’ he stated.

Vasectomy, he noted, was not castration, and did not ch
ange men’s libido, however it did not prevent sexually transmitted infections and diseases.

On the trend in fertility rate, Dr Quarshie said Ghana’s figures had decreased from 6.6 percent in 1989 to 3.9 percent in 2023, an indication that a couple’s birth rate had declined from between six and seven children to between one and three children.

He said 15 percent of teenagers between 15 and 19 years had been pregnant, 11 percent had had live birth, four percent had had pregnancy loss, and two percent currently pregnant.

Ghana’s teenage pregnancy rate stands at 15 percent with rural communities recording higher cases than urban communities.

Mrs Rita Ansong, the Bono Regional Public Health Nurse, said the 2007 FP protocol had been revised to align with current global standards and trends.

The protocols now include other contraceptives and services for persons with disability.

Mrs Ansong said the enhanced version of the protocol served as guidance and reference and advised health workers to adhere to the pro
tocols in providing FP services to the public.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Kadjebi District Assembly in the Oti Region will on Friday, honour 16 gallant farmers at the district edition of the 39th National Farmers’ Day celebration.

The awardees would be the Overall Best Farmer, Best Maize Farmer, Best Cocoa Farmer, Best Poultry Farmer, Best Ginger Farmer, Best Processor, Best Rice Farmer and Best Physically challenged Farmer.

The rest are; Best Home Garden farmer, Best Youth farmer, Best Cassava farmer, Best Small Ruminant farmer, Best Farmer-based Organisation, Best Vegetable farmer, Best School in Agriculture and Best Agriculture Extension Agent, Dodi-Papase, a farming community.

The Traditional Seat of Dodi Traditional Area has been selected as the venue for the eventThe event will be held under the theme: ‘Delivering Smart Solutions for Sustainable Food Security and Resilience.’

Mr. Besa Akpalu, the Kadjebi District Director of Department of Food and Agriculture, disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview.

The District Director advised the farmers to adh
ere to advice given by Agronomist and Agriculture Extension Agents to help increase crop yields.

He said they needed to adapt to new technologies as well as good agronomic practices for higher yields.

The District in 2022 had its 38th Farmers’ Day celebration at Dodo-Fie, the Traditional Seat of Dodo Traditional Area, where Nana Afrim-Darko I, 41-year-old Kyidomhene of Pampawie Traditional Area was adjudged the Overall Best District Farmer.

The first Ghana Farmers’ Day was instituted in 1985.

It was created by the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC), which, at the time, made up the whole of Ghana’s administration.

The day came because the 30 per cent growth of the farming industry the year before.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, Minister for Transport, will on Saturday, December 2, 2023, join President Nana Addo Dankwa Auffo-Addo to launch Ghana’s new Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy.

The launch is part of the ongoing Conference of Parties 28 (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said the policy was to create an enabling environment to drive electric vehicle uptake in Ghana.

It would also provide market signals and help to decarbonise the transport sector in line with Ghana’s National Energy Transition Plan 2022- 2070, and global commitments on climate change.

It said the core values and principles of the policy included the health and Safety in the use of electric vehicles, equity and fairness, circular economic principles and practices,

battery recycling and inclusivity.

‘The policy has some key strategies and implementation framework that would guide the country towards its decarbonisation agenda’, it added.

The statement said the ministry believed
that the policy would be a living document that would be updated when the need arises to keep up with the changing dynamism in the industry and other commitments.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The 39th edition of the National Farmers Day event aimed at rewarding farmers, who have been outstanding in their respective areas, is about starting at Yariga, a farming community in the Krachi East Municipality of the Oti Region.

The theme for this year’s Farmer’s Day celebration, is ‘Delivering Smart Solutions for Sustainable Food Security and Resilience.’

About Seven gallant farmers are expected to be honoured for their immense contribution towards the development of the agricultural sector at the Municipal event.

They include, Municipal Best Farmer, Municipal Best crop farmer, Municipal Best livestock farmer, Municipal Best Female farmer, Municipal Best youth farmer, Municipal physically challenged farmer and Municipal Best Agric-Extension Agent.

Over hundreds of farmers and dignitaries are already seated for the ceremony at Yariga school park.

Farmers have displayed varieties of agricultural produce and products at the venue of the event awaiting commencement of activities, when the Ghana News Age
ncy (GNA) got there at 0900hours.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Six suspected armed robbers have attacked and robbed several passengers of their monies and other valuables when they were returning from the Funsi market in the Wa East District to Tumu.

The victims told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) hours after the attack that they were also beaten for not having enough money while the driver and other occupants of the front seat were shot.

Mr Adamu Kantong, the driver, aged 56 years, who survived the gunshot, said: ‘I got to a pothole between Vamboi and Bandei around 1900hrs and was stopped by a man with a torchlight.’

‘As I stopped, I struggled to open the driver’s door, and the next thing was the gunshot, which pierced through my middle ring and small fingers, I immediately lost control of myself,’ he added.

Mr Kantong said, ‘The other passenger sitting in the front also had his hand damaged by the bullets before they took all our phones and every penny on us and made all of us lie down.’

Mr Kantong was rushed to the hospital where he was treated and discharged from
the hospital but lost the affected figures.

He blamed the authorities for the poor state of the roads, which he said contributed to those rampant robberies.

He appealed to the communities along the robbery area to see if they found their Ghana cards, health insurance cards, driver’s license, and other documents that were taken away.

One of the over 40 market women who were also robbed said everything was taken away from her and that the attackers also hit her with sticks.

Two other Kia trucks that were returning from Funsi and Kojikperi markets were also robbed, including other trucks that were returning from Ouagadougou with several motorcycles.

The Sissala East Municipal Police Commander, Superintendent Kumpe Gbele, in an interview with the GNA, said investigations on the robberies were ongoing and assured of enhanced security patrol.

Mr Gbele explained that the killing of a man in Mwanduanu was being treated as murder since no property was taken away.

In the case of a suspected robbery between Sakal
o to Sakai, which led to the shooting of a student, Superintendent Gbele said it was also under investigation.

On the 25th of November 2023, a Fulbe settler in Sentie was also shot and killed in his hut, while a driver was robbed around the Sissili River close to Basisan.

‘At the right time, the Police will give the public information of where they have reached with investigations’, Mr Gbele said.

Mr Gbele also admonished all drivers driving to seek police escorts irrespective of where they were going since there are enough Police officers to protect the people.

He warned that all passengers to insist on vehicles travelling with Police escort while those carrying huge sums of money to do business, should come over for free Police escort.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government for the year ending 31st December 2024, is still before Parliament awaiting approval.

A statement issued by the Parliamentary Service copied to the Ghana News Agency said consensus approach was being pursued towards its approval.

The statement recalled that during proceedings on Wednesday, November 29, Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, had put the question for a voice vote for the approval of the Budget Statement for the year ending 31st December 2024.

It said the question was put and in the opinion of the Speaker, the voice vote in favour of the motion was carried.

It noted that however, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Deputy Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Ellembele, challenged the opinion of the Speaker on the voice vote and called for a head count in accordance with Standing Order 113 (2).

The statement said the Speaker obliged and called for a head count; adding that some members of the Majority Caucus walked out of the C
hamber.

‘It is instructive to state that, as per practice in the House, on daily basis before sitting commences, the Speaker and the Leadership of Parliament from both sides of the House usually have a pre-sitting discussion and agree on how to manage the business of the day,’ it said

‘At the pre-sitting meeting held yesterday 29th November, 2023, it was agreed that voice votes would be taken on the Budget.’

The statement said, however, in circumstances where the Speaker’s opinion on the voice vote was challenged, headcount would be taken, adding that that agreement was exactly what the Speaker complied with.

It said subsequently, the Speaker, under order 104, adjourned the House till Thursday, 30th November, at 1000 hours.

Standing Order 104 states that ‘In the case of grave disorder arising in the House, Mr. Speaker may, if he thinks it necessary to do so, adjourn the House without question put, or suspend the sitting till a time to be named by him.’

It said that explained why the House was adjourned.

The statement said Parliament was persuaded that the issues that arose regarding the process on Thursday, would be dealt with on the floor of the House.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr. Tassah Drogba, a 30-year-old farmer at Dodi-Asowee, a farming community in the Kadjebi District, has been adjudged the Overall Best Farmer for Kadjebi District.

He has 106-acres of maize farm, 4-acre rice farm, 5-acre cowpea, 2-acre tomatoes farm, 2-acre groundnut farm, 4-acre cocoyam farm, 41-acre plantain farm, 10-acre cassava farm, 45-acre coconut farm, 10-acre Afram tree farm, 15-acre oil palm plantation, 250 local birds, 20 ducks and 2 cats.

Mr. Tassah took home a Certificate, cutlasses, Television sets, Deep freezer, bars of key soap as his price.

In acceptance speech, Mr. Tassah commended the Department of Food and Agriculture staff for teaching him about the new agronomic technologies which he adopted, and which helped him.

He called on the youth to go into farming, saying ‘youth look at me and do same because there is life and money in farming.’

Mr. Wilson Kwami Agbanyo, Kadjebi District Chief Executive (DCE), said the Nana Addo Dankwa-Akuffo Addo-led government was committed to agriculture
as the backbone of a thriving economy.

He said the government introduced the Planting for Food and Jobs programme to boost productivity and guarantee food security.

Mr. Besa Akpalu, Kadjebi District Director of Department of Food and Agriculture, advised the farmers to adopt new agriculture practices, be innovative and creative.

He also asked them to contribute to the development of the community where they live.

Sixteen Farmers were awarded with certificates, cutlass, Television sets, among others.

Source: Ghana News Agency