Month: December 2023

Mr Daniel Dickson Dogbe, the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) Chair, Holy Family Catholic Church, Mataheko, has urged the youth to be resolute and hold on to faith in the coming year.

He said it was time the youth saw themselves to be the future leaders and be more involved in the activities of the Parish and the community for rapid developments.

Mr Dogbe said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency during the climax of the 75th anniversary celebration of the Parish.

The celebration was on the theme: ’75 years of Catholic faith in Mataheko: Repositioning the Youth for Future Gains’.

The PPC Chair said the theme underscored the need to empower the youth to know that the future belonged to them, stating that going forward, everything the Church did, they wanted the youth to get involved to be able to appropriately take over the mantle where needed.

‘So, we are targeting the youth in general but we want to start with those in the Church because you have to start from home and begin to spread.

‘We are
in a community so we will not neglect those around us, as much as possible the concentration is on the youth in the Holy Family but with time, we will reach out to all,’ he added.

Mr Dogbe said as part of the Church’s responsibility to show love to all, they reached out to the poor and needy within the Church and its environs during the yuletide.

Mr Mac Anthony Tettey Ocloo, Chairman of the 75th anniversary planning committee, said the preparation of the celebration started mid-year with fundraising prograes, religious programmes and retreats to commemorate the day.

He said they targeted the youth for future developments, stating that the future belonged to them, hence the need to reposition them.

‘We noticed that of late the youth have gone to sleep, they are not as they used to be vibrant back in the days so we decided to target them to be able to revamp the enthusiasm in them, to wake up from their slumber,’ he added.
Source: Ghana News Agency

The Northern Regional Chapter of Activista Ghana, a youth advocacy organisation, is to hold a constitutional review summit in Tamale on January 7, 2024.

It is to offer young people the platform to engage with various stakeholders on the need to review some constitutional provisions that impede the growth and development of the youth.

Mr Issahaku Abdul-Latif, Northern Regional Coordinator, Activista Ghana, announced this during the organisation’s Annual General Meeting in Tamale.

He said the provisions that allowed teenagers at 16 years to have carnal knowledge but considered marriage at the same age as child marriage would be discussed during the summit.

He mentioned some of the advocacy activities carried out during the year under review, including climate justice campaigns and road safety campaigns, which enhanced the awareness of beneficiary communities.

Sumaya Sulemana, Northern Regional Chairperson of Young Urban Women Movement, expressed need for the youth to use all legal avenues to get stakehold
ers to amend and review portions of the constitution that affected the development of women and girls.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Incorporated, United State of America (USA) based Women’s Organisation, has donated 20 desktop computers, tables and chairs to Nyame Bekyere Community centre in the Akuapim North District.

Dr. Karen Williams, Executive Director of the organisation, said the equipment provided at the centre would serve as a laboratory and allow students to gain hands-on experience in computer as well as motivate them to learn.

The facility will also serve the neighbouring communities which include Okorase, Tinkong, Tei Nkwanta, and Osubeto.

She said the donation formed part of the organisation’s goals to make a lasting and direct impact on communites through a series of philanthropic initiatives.

Nana Kwabena Duku I, also known as Diallo Sumbry, Nkosuohene of Nyame Bekyere, thanked the organisation for the kind gesture.

He said work was progressing to furnish the community centre with other facilities to enhance development.
Source: Ghana News Agency

The Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG) has asked its members to continue to exhibit a high level of integrity and professionalism at all times in the coming year and beyond.

JUSAG also appealed to them to always abide by the code of ethics in the discharge of their duties.

In a statement to usher in the new year, Mr Samuel Afotey Otu, National President, JUSAG, expressed concern over the increasing cases of misconduct among members in 2023.

According to the statement, those misconducts necessitated disciplinary?actions against staff.

‘Some grave misconducts resulted in some dire disciplinary actions against those found guilty.’

The statement said: ‘As we move into 2024, we look forward to continuing to work together towards a brighter future for all.’

It said JUSAG had many exciting projects and initiatives planned for the coming year, saying: ‘We are confident that together, we can achieve greater things.’
Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ntuune Pogyua Foundation, a non-profit organization, has feted over 400 senior citizens at Gambibgo, a community in the Bolgatanga East District of the Upper East Region.

The seniors were served assorted drinks and food as they displayed their old time dance skills to variety of local music from traditional artists in the Region.

Apart from the party, each received six yards piece of cloth and sums of money from the Foundation for their upkeep.

The Foundation had previously organized free medical screening exercise and registered them on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

The annual gesture was under the Foundation’s ‘Adopt a senior citizen project.’

Dr Nadia Adongo Fynn, President of the Foundation, who addressed the media during the party, said the season was a time to celebrate and have fun with friends and loved ones, and that the elderly could not be left out of the celebration.

‘It is for them to come together and enjoy the holiday season. Ntuune Pogyua will always remember them whe
n it comes to Christmas, and whatever they contributed to the nation is not forgotten’.

‘As a Foundation, our mandate is to make sure that they are well taken care of. That is why we decided to celebrate them,’ Dr Fynn, a Canadian-trained Gerontologist said.

She said the gesture was in honour of her late father, who was popularly known as ‘Ntuune’ in the gurune language, which mean ‘My work or job,’ after he died at age 105.

‘I believe that as youth, if we take care of the elderly, the blessings from them will make us get there one day. There are so many things we can learn from the elderly that we need to take time to get to know,’ Dr Fynn said.

She urged the youth to endeavour to at least adopt a deprived elderly person in their communities even if the person was not their family member, visit them and ensure they were healthy.

That, Dr Fynn, the Foundation’s President, also the Deputy Director of Diaspora Affairs at the Office of the President, said would ensure the youth received blessings from the s
enior citizens.

‘As youth, I urge you to at least adopt an elderly person in your community, even if is not your family member, who is deprived, make it a duty to visit them, check on them just to ensure they are healthy,’ she said.

She appreciated the support of her husband, family, friends and well-wishers, who encouraged and continued to support the Foundation to execute its mandate, saying ‘Without their support, this would not have been possible.’
Source: Ghana News Agency

Ghana’s Wildlife Resources Management Bill 2022, which seeks to boost ecotourism, job creation, and economic growth, is awaiting Presidential assent, Mr Nyadia Sulemana Nelson, the Deputy Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, has said.

Briefing the media on the Commission’s activities for 2023, Mr Nyadia Sulemana Nelson said the Bill sought to revise and consolidate all laws relating to wildlife and protected areas to conform with existing policies and emerging trends in the natural resources sector and ensure the effective implementation of international conventions on wildlife.

The Bill also seeks to attract private investments into the establishment and management of zoos and private wildlife sanctuaries and giving legal backing to local communities in wildlife management through the creation of CREMAs.

‘The private sector has already demonstrated interest in participating in the development of the sector, and since the government cannot do it alone, we need to create the enabling environment to
attract the necessary private investments into the sector, with a strong regulatory framework,’ Mr Nelson said.

The Deputy Chief Executive said Ghana had great potential in ecotourism, with abundant resources that it could harness to become one of the major ecotourism destinations in the world.

On his part, Richard Gyimah, the Director for Stakeholders, Ecotourism, and wildlife at the commission, explained that private participation in the wildlife sector in establishing zoos and wildlife parks would be in partnership with the Commission.

‘We always say the private sector is the engine of growth, so this is another area we have identified that the private sector can partner with the government to induce growth in the country. Already, we have been partnering with some private operators, but the law provides the legal backing to deepen that,’ Mr Gyimah stated.

Mr Gyimah believed private investment would expand the subsector and create more jobs for tour guides, zookeepers, rangers, and the entire hospitali
ty industry, adding that private participation would also provide access to more wildlife species for researchers and academic institutions and boost ecotourism in Ghana.

He said private sector participation would also help bring ecotourism in Ghana to international standards and generate more tourism revenue and foreign exchange.

‘With private sector participation, we believe these revenue numbers will increase, and we will increase the revenue accruing to the state,’ he said.

Statistics showed that the sector have seen remarkable growth in activities, especially after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

From 300,000 visitors to ecotourism sites in 2022, the number has increased to nearly 400,000 in 2023, and the commission aims to attract at least 500,000 visitors in 2024.

Also, he said the visits generated 4.5 million Ghana cedis (374,000 U.S. dollars) in 2022 and 6.0 million cedis (499,000 dollars) for the commission this year.

In 2024, the Commission plans to supervise the successful completion of re
clamation and revegetation activities in mined-out sites within the Denyau Shelterbelt, Supuma and Afao Hills Forest Reserves, submit Legal Acquisition Findings (LAF) for Rosewood to CITES Secretariat, Geneva and obtain approval for Rosewood quota and a US$7 million funding for private plantation development as well as cut sod for Koforidua Zoo project.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Missing Children Ghana, a non-profit and Public Benefit Organisation, in partnership with Apau Asante Outreach Savers Int’l, has donated assorted items to 10 orphanages and institutions to climax the festive season.

The items, which include drinks, biscuits, sweets, and essential toiletries, were to bring a touch of joy and comfort to the lives of the children during the yuletide.

Led by? Mrs Erica Apau Asante, the two organisations presented the items to youngsters at New Life Nungua Children’s Home, Teshie Children’s Home, Shelter for Abuse Children and Osu Children’s Home.

The rest were Power of Love Children’s Home, Royal Seed Children’s Home, Save the Street Children Campaign, Missing Children Ghana, Dzorwulu Special School, and Hopeway Children’s Home.

Mrs Erica Apau Asante said helping the vulnerable and needy had been an annual tradition, which is a continuation of her father’s legacy, a founding member of the Church of Pentecost.

She commended the teams for the two organisations for their unwav
ering commitment, adding that their collective efforts had undeniably made a significant difference in the lives of the recipients.

Ms Regina Asamoah, Executive Director of Missing Children Ghana, commended the display of goodwill during yuletide, adding that as the New Year approached everyone must join hands in making a positive impact in the lives of the needy.?

‘This collaborative initiative serves as an inspiring example of how organizations and individuals can unite to make a meaningful difference in the community,’ she said.
Source: Ghana News Agency

National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Service providers have been urged to strictly work in line with the directives of the Authority and the Ghana Health Service to avoid sanctions.

Mr Fred Appiah, the Central Regional Director of the NHIA, made the call in a statement delivered on his behalf by Mr Isaac Fenell, Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Manager of the NHIA, at a stakeholders engagement at the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District office of the Authority at Winneba.

The meeting was on the theme: ‘Building a Sustainable Healthcare System: Exploring Benefits and Overcoming the Challenges of Co-payment in Achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).’

Mr Appiah reminded the service providers that it was a crime to continue to indulge in co-payment and other illegal charges and called for an immediate stop to that practice.

According to him, membership drive was key to achieving UHC by 2030 and therefore, the need to restore and continue to regain member confidence to help attain and sustain UHC for improved
health status of the people.

He asked all the stakeholders to work together to help build a sustainable healthcare system for the benefit of all the people.

Mr Christopher Oddoye, District Manager of the Awutu-Effutu-Senya National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), stated that operations of the District Office covered Effutu Municipal and Awutu Senya Districts and that the office operated 42 active health facilities to ensure that the UHC was achieved.

He announced that the vulnerable group (LEAP indigents, School Feeding Programme and pregnant women) registration for 2023 stood at 19,631.

He reiterated calls to end co-payment practices because it was heavily affecting the vulnerable groups.

He disclosed that the total active membership of the Scheme was 113,651, representing 66 per cent of the targeted figure of 171,000 for 2023.

Mr Oddoye said in 2019, 32,622 new people were registered, compared to 20,803 in 2020, 27,636 in 2021, 17,807 in 2022 and 16,998 in 2023.

Also, a total of 102,562 people renewe
d their membership in 2019, 110,305 in 2020, 108,811 in 2021, 95,206 in 2022 and 76,191 in 2023.

‘It is very obvious that the effect we have seen on the membership growth as a result of co-payment on the NHIS covered services, also affected timely cash inflows, directly impacting membership growth as well as the financial performance of the district,’ he noted.

Mr Oddoye indicated that amid co-payment and illegal charges, members still had confidence in the NHIA/NHIS as the only way to a sustainable, progressive and equitable social healthcare system.

He enumerated some of their challenges including co-payment practices, cash and carry, delay in reimbursement, lack of proper record-keeping system at some providers’ sites and delay in credential renewals.

To achieve UHC, he said co-payment practices must be stopped, sensitisation on the use of NHIS renewal short code*929# and the MYNHIS APP be intensified, proper record-keeping systems in the facilities ensured, and also individuals, groups and Institution
s continue to sponsor the registration of vulnerable at the community level.

Mr Evans Nana Amoakwa, who represented the Central Regional Director of the Claims Processing Center (CPC), schooled participants on the benefit packages of the NHIA, which included, Outpatient and In-Patient Services, Oral Health, Maternity Care and Emergencies.

He stated that services such as rehabilitation other than physiotherapy, cosmetic surgeries, aesthetic treatment, orthopaedics (diagnosis and treatment of defective eye movements and coordination), organ transplantation and other medicines not on the NHIS medicine list were excluded from the benefits package.

As Ghana was journeying towards the attainment of UHC by 2030, he said it was important that all stakeholders collaborated to effectively and efficiently make it a reality.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Godfred Seidu Jasaw, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Wa East Constituency, has extolled Bliss Eye Care, a private eye clinic in Wa, for extending its free eye screening exercise to people in the area.

He said access to eye care services in the Wa East District was a privilege and that the initiative by the clinic would enable the people to have regular eye checkups and access free care when a condition was detected.

Dr Jasaw said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Funsi during a free eye screening exercise organised by Bliss Eye Care.

The MP, who also had his eyes screened, observed that the intervention would help save the people from losing their sight through preventable conditions.

Bliss Eye Care organised the exercise at Funsi as part of its Cooperate Social Responsibility (CSR) dubbed: ‘Blissful Sight for Kids (BS4Ks).’

The clinic has been organising free eye screening for people in the Upper West Region and beyond, with a special focus on children.

Dr Jasaw said he
had been collaborating with some organisations, including Bliss Eye Care, to organise free eye screening in the constituency since 2019 due to the importance of eye health.

‘The eye is one of the most critical organs of the human body. Sometimes when you are not careful and conscious about regular checkups, when problems such as cataracts or glaucoma may develop, you may not know and before you say jack, you’ve lost your sight.

I hope that this free screening will contribute to ensuring that the eyesight of the people in the district is enhanced,’ he explained.

A total of 263 people went through the screening with 45 of them having normal eyes, 165 having Pathological issues relating to medication, 36 having Refractive Errors relating to the need for eyeglasses and 17 having Cataracts and Glaucoma.

All those who needed medications were offered and those who needed eyeglasses were also given for free, while those who needed further attention at a facility were referred.

Dr Zakarea Al-Hassan Balure, the Ma
nager of Bliss Eye Care, encouraged the people to take their eye care very seriously by going for regular checkups.

He also encouraged them to take advantage of free eye screening exercises to have their eyes screened since access to eye care services could be difficult.

‘Don’t wait until you have an eye problem and when your vision is blurring before you come to check. Do it regularly,’ he admonished.

Miss Nuela Wiyaala, an Afro-Pop Singer from Funsi, who partnered with Bliss Eye Care to organise the screening, said the initiative was laudable since access to eye screening services was almost non-existent in the area, coupled with the cost of accessing those services when necessary.

‘It’s a very good cause and the human eye is very important. Without it, life can be a different thing altogether and very uncomfortable.

‘Besides, in our part of Ghana, the smaller communities, hardly do we get these things done for us on a silver platter just like that, you must pay lots of money to even do a checkup let a
lone if you have a problem with your eye and needs to do surgery.

But anytime he comes he does it for free. So, it’s a big opportunity and joy for us in the Sissala areas as lots of us might have problems but we might not even know,’ she explained.

Mr Charles Lunaga Salidong, a beneficiary of the screening at Funsi, thanked Bliss Eye Care for the intervention.

Mr Salidong, a teacher, said he had difficulty reading and was given a reading aid after the screening at no cost.
Source: Ghana News Agency

A total of 547 Journalists globally would spend New Year’s Eve in prison, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) with some 779 jailed at some point in 2023.

China, Myanmar, Belarus and Vietnam are the four biggest jailers of media personnel.

Between them, these countries are holding more than half of the world’s imprisoned journalists, according to an RSF release to the Ghana News Agency.

The sentences passed on women journalists broke records in 2023 with the victims, including?Elaheh Mohammadi?and?Niloofar Hamedi, sentenced to 12 and 13 years in prison respectively in Iran.

They included?Maryna Zolatava, Liudmila Chekina?and?Valeriya Kastsiuhova, icons of independent journalism in Belarus, whose sentences ranged from 10 to 12 years and included Burundi’s?Floriane Irangabiye, one of the few women journalists jailed in sub-Saharan Africa, who was given a 10-year sentence.

Reporters Without Borders continues to?deploy appropriate strategies to help obtain freedom for the Journos.

Fewer journalists
have been imprisoned this year than last. We will?continue to fight tirelessly every day, assisted by our correspondents in more than 130 countries, to free these women and men who have been jailed simply for trying to tell us what is happening.

Anne Bocande, Editorial Director of RSF said, ‘Each journalist in prison is a journalist prevented from working. It’s also a journalist who will be intimidated in the future. And it’s hundreds or even thousands of colleagues feeling the threat of imprisonment hanging over them.’

‘So, the right to news and information of millions could be violated.?Behind these statistics, there are human tragedies and political consequences.

Together, let’s keep helping those who risk their freedom by trying to keep us abreast of developments in their countries. Your support is essential, ?and I would like to thank you for it.’
Source: Ghana News Agency