Day: May 3, 2024

The Western Regional Command of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has organised a float on some principal streets of Sekondi-Takoradi as part of a week-long activities to observe this year’s International Firefighters’ Day (IFFD) celebration.

Held on the theme: ‘The contribution of the firefighter to safety, national security and sustainable development,’ the float attracted both officers and men of the Service to deepen the awareness creation on fire safety.

It was also meant for the public to recognise the pivotal roles firefighters played in keeping communities safe from fire and its related hazards.

They carried banners and placards with inscriptions such as ‘See something, say something prevent fire’, ‘Do not overload electrical sockets’, ‘Do not run electrical wires under the carpet’, and ‘Unplug electrical appliances after every use’.

Others read: ‘Desist from making prank calls to emergency lines’, and ‘Do not forget to turn off gas or electricity supply to your cooker immediately after use.
‘

Assistant Chief Fire Officer I (ACFO I) Frederick Ohemeng, the Western Regional Fire Commander, speaking during the event, said the IFFD was established to recognise the key roles firefighters played in keeping communities safe and ensuring national security and development.

He said despite the significance of the Day, the celebration was to be fully embraced by the citizenry, saying ‘It will take some time for our communities to fully appreciate and acknowledge this global tradition of honouring our invaluable contributions to the safety of our communities…’.

He charged personnel of the GNFS to continue to strive to fulfil the core mandates of the service, that is, preventing and managing undesired fires to help achieve fire incident-free communities.

ACFO I Ohemeng pledged the Command’s commitment to putting in place strategic plans and contingencies tailored to preventing undesired fires in the Region.

International Firefighters’ Day is observed on May 4 annually to honour both current and fallen fi
refighters worldwide for their bravery and sacrifices in keeping communities safe from fire and its related hazards.

Source: Ghana News Agency

CAMFED Ghana, a non-governmental organisation, is on a mission to recruit and train 160 women under its newly-launched ‘Agriculture Guide Programme’.

The initiative among other objectives aims to help women establish and run sustainable agribusinesses.

It also seeks to ‘build community resilience and ensure food security in the face of climate change’.

Under the programme, each of the trainees known as ‘Agriculture Guides’ will in turn train 10 more women on ‘Climate-Smart Agriculture’ (CSA) practices, especially in rural communities.

CSA is explained as ‘a set of agricultural practices and technologies which simultaneously boost productivity, enhance resilience, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.’

It includes methods such as adoption of climate-resilient crop varieties, agriculture conservation techniques, agroforestry, water management, and improved livestock management.

Speaking at the launch in Accra, Ms Fairuza Safian, National Director, CAMFED Ghana, said the programme was part of CAMFED’s cont
ribution to solving the threats posed by climate change in the agriculture sector.

She described the plan as an opportunity for beneficiaries to ‘develop sound climate practices, make connections, and access equipment needed for agriculture success’.

Ms Safian said ‘a technical working group’ was constituted to design the curriculum which will be used to guide beneficiaries and sensitise them to climate-smart agriculture.

‘…While contributing to addressing the climate challenge, the programme will also contribute to food security and position a core of young women to take up dignified and fulfilling careers in agriculture, agribusiness and agro-processing,’ she stated.

The National Director reiterated CAMFED’s commitment to support the government to achieve its policy goals in various sectors as it worked to ensure ‘children are provided resources for their education’.

In a speech read on his behalf, Assistant Director, Crop Services, Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), stressed the importance of ad
opting solutions that ‘protect and build resilience’ in the sector.

He said the Agriculture Guide Programme by CAMFED was in line with the Ministry’s vision of tackling the effects of climate change in the sector, and highlighted some government initiatives meant to ensure agriculture productivity.

He touched on some climate elements under the government’s Planting For Food and Jobs Programme (PFJ), and urged stakeholders to support CAMFED to achieve the objectives of the Programme.

Mr George Yaw Adorshie, Head, Communication and Strategic Partnership, CAMFED, explained the Organisation’s new strategic plan from 2024 to 2029, which he said included providing support for five million girls to access and progress through secondary schools in the five African countries in which CAMFED operated.

He said the Organisation intended to enhance its achievements and expand operations to four other regions in Ghana.

Ms Paulina Addy, Director Women in Agricultural Development (WIAD) at MoFa, highlighted the effects
of climate on Agriculture and urged various partners to ensure the success of the Agriculture Guide Programme.

The technical committee for the development of the Agriculture Guide include representatives of universities, research institutions, entrepreneurs supported by CAMFED, Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the National Service Scheme.

Mr Christain Zico Agbebo, Programmes Manager, CAMFED, said apart from the first batch of 160 trainees, the programme would include National Service persons and other females interested in Agriculture.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Chris JoJo Arhin Arthur, the Parliamentary Candidate for the New Patriotic Party, has assured Teacher Unions of the government’s commitment to the ongoing negotiations of their collective bargaining agreement, to promote quality work and welfare of teachers.

He said the government under Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Dr Mahamudu Bawumia would continue to create an enabling environment for teachers to discharge their professional duties in a decent manner without any hindrances.

Mr Arthur gave the assurance when he addressed over 300 teachers from Agona East and West Districts after a four-hour health walk, as part of the May Day celebrations at Agona Swedru in the Central Region.

He said teachers played vital roles in the training of children, and the government would not do anything to undermine their work but committed to enhancing quality teaching and learning.

Mr Arthur said the government would provide adequate teaching and learning materials and infrastructural development for all schools.

He
urged teachers to support the government to enact more policies to enhance their conditions of service.

Mrs Ernestina Ofori Dangbey, the Agona West National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Candidate, also said the next NDC government would provide quality conditions of service to ease the current hardship teachers were facing.

She said the free Senior High School Policy, though good, had many flaws which needed to be corrected by the government and assured that under Mr John Mahama these challenges would be addressed to make it better for teachers’ work.

She also urged teachers to rally behind the NDC to win the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections for attractive conditions of service.

Mr Thomas Coffie, the Agona East Director of Education, urged teachers to eschew apathy and negative tendencies that undermined their work.

He said the date for the reopening of the school had not been changed as some social media reports were speculating and urged teachers to get fully ready and retur
n to their various schools to teach.

Mr Bismark Offei, the Agona West Municipal Director of Education, cautioned teachers to be circumspect about numerous products being sold to them on a credit basis as the majority were fake while some were just in to defraud them.

He asked teachers to be role models to their pupils and students so that the children would grow up to become useful adults in society.

Mr Daniel Lavoe, the Agona East and West Chairman of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) said teachers in the two districts had made a policy to organise health walks and screening on every holiday to enable them to know their health status.

He said the ongoing teacher unions’ negotiations with the employer would be pursued to help improve the conditions of service for members.

He said the unions would resist any attempt by the government to refuse to accept the collective bargaining agreement negotiations and expressed the hope that the employer would agree to avert any future strike action th
at would disturb teaching and learning.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Madam Emmanuella Woelikplim Afetorgbor, the Assistant Director for the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in Anloga District of the Volta region, has urged all workers to exhibit discipline and dedication to work.

The aim, according to her, would help increase productivity as well as improve quality delivery.

Madam Afetorgbor, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency after commemorating this year’s ‘Workers Day’ celebration, said the day acknowledged the contribution and achievements of all workers.

‘Workers Day reminds you of the importance of workers globally, and all workers should be recognised for their hard work and dedication. ‘

She further stated that all workers, including teachers, health workers, security agencies, farmers, fisherfolks as well as public and civil servants, should work with love for humanity and dignity at all levels.

‘Let us honour and celebrate the hard work and dedication of individual workers in all fields of work. May all workers enjoy safe and healthy worki
ng conditions with abundant growth and development,’ she added.

Madam Afetorgbor said the labour force remained a key indicator in every angle of life and should be recognised, empowered, and motivated.

Some workers, the GNA engaged, expressed worry and dissatisfaction about their working conditions and appealed to the authorities to help.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr. Shadrach Abrefa Mensa, the Bono Regional Director of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), has campaigned for the implementation of a national policy to integrate the youth into permanent jobs aligned with their fields of training.

?He said by aligning training with employment opportunities, a more efficient and sustainable system could be created where beneficiaries would apply their specialized skills and knowledge effectively, leading to greater success and productivity in the workforce to benefit both beneficiaries and the economy.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, Mr Abrefa Mensa highlighted the significant strides the YEA had made with its modules, showcasing the institution’s commitment to providing the state with a high-quality and skilled labour force necessary for driving economic growth.

He added that the beneficiaries received training from professionals, representing the institutions being studied in the modules, which indicated that their training was ali
gned with the policies and training practices of the institutions to enhance the beneficiaries’ skills and competencies.

Mr. Abrefa Mensa announced that, for the first time, the Ghana Police Service had allocated a quota of 1000 positions to the YEA for recruitment under its Community Police Assistance (CPA) programme nationwide.

Additionally, some beneficiaries of the Community Health Workers programme had been granted admission into various colleges?for a top-up programme.

He said other beneficiaries under the Community Prison Office Assistance module were recruited into the Ghana Prisons Service, saying the opportunity had arisen because of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and partnership established between the YEA and the institutions.

Mr. Abrefa Mensa said the traditional modules offered by the Agency served as more than just a temporary job opportunity for young individuals, saying these modules also provided a chance for participants who wished to get into permanent employment.

He noted that
in the past, there was a lack of a clear exit plan for individuals who were involved in the YEA modules which?resulted in a cycle of temporary placements.

He pointed out that the government’s contribution to the YEA was laying a solid foundation for subsequent governments to streamline their activities, saying that indicated a promising opportunity for future administrations to build upon and enhance the organization’s impact.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Trades Union Congress (TUC), says Ghana has recorded 250 per cent depreciation in the cedi in the past eight years coupled with over 25 per cent inflation resulting in huge decline in the living standards of citizens.

Mrs Phyllis Agyemang, the Eastern Regional Secretary of the TUC, said in a speech by the Organised Labour, that the decline was mainly due to Ghana’s over-dependence on imported goods whose prices were directly influenced by foreign currencies.

‘The exchange rate of the cedi is now almost GHS14 to one US dollar compared to about GHS4 in 2016. That means workers who earned a monthly salary of GhS1,000 in 2016 took home the equivalent of US$250. Today, GHS1000 is only US$71,’ she said.

Mrs Agyemang was addressing over 800 workers representing about 20 organisations in the Eastern Region who converged in Koforidua to celebrate Labour Day.

The celebration was on the theme: ‘Election 2024: The Role of Workers and Social Partners in Securing Peaceful Elections for National Development’.

Mrs
Agyemang observed that most workers depended on loans to cater for some basic needs like house rent and school fees among others, however, the interest required to be paid was over 30 per cent as the informal sector charged up to 50 percent interest.

She said with the current economic distress of the country and the relatively high wages, what the TUC negotiated for workers in the last two years had lost their real value.

Therefore, the only thing Ghana had left, Mrs Agyemang mentioned was peace which was priceless and must be protected at all costs from political gimmicks.

‘At least we are enjoying relative peace compared to other countries in the sub-region. The peace we are enjoying is priceless and so we should never allow partisan politics to destroy it,’ she said.

Mrs Agyemang appealed to the government to rectify the challenges causing the frequent power outages which were destroying people’s property in the country.

She said it was regrettable that Ghanaians must experience ‘dumsor’ again after a
ll they had gone through in the past and pleaded with the authorities to do something quickly to resolve the problem.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Prince Bagnaba Mba, President for Forum for Equity, a human rights organisation has called for concerted efforts to construct the Pwalungu Multi-purpose dam in the Upper East and North East regions.

‘Pwalungu multipurpose dam is one of the greatest visionary project for the whole of northern Ghana. Nature has blessed us with what it takes things to turn around and there is therefore the need to accelerate the process’.

Mr Mba who was speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Accra about the importance of the project said the dam would provide hydro-electricity, expand thousands of acres for agricultural and industrial activities and stop the perennial youth drift from the Norrth to the southern sector of the country for non-existent jobs.

He said the ceremonial sod-cutting brought hope and great sense of relief to those concerned about the economic development of Northern Ghana with great potentials, but that was not to be as the progress was stalled along the line.

‘This is time for collaboration with all
political divide to ensure attraction of investors’ confidence from local and international markets as it is a very good product that needs promotion’.

He said the potential beneficiaries should as a matter of priority, come out with fundraising plans. ‘Future generations will not forgive us, if we don’t speed up the process for the reality of such a world class project that will change the paradigm shift and put us on the globe of prosperity.

The project benefits cover irrigation, fisheries, power generation and flood control as explained below:

The key benefit of the 25,000-hectare Irrigation Scheme will be the largest in the country. The scheme will boost economic activity in the Upper East and North East regions, as it will enhance the productivity of farming and attract large-scale commercial farms supported by about 15,000 out grower farmers.

The project has the potential to increase annual rice production in the country by up 117,000 tons and maize by up to 49,000 tons, reducing imports of these gr
ains by 16% and 32% respectively.

This will save foreign exchange as well as stabilise prices of these commodities on the local market. Other crops that will benefit from increased production include onion, tomatoes, sweet potato, sweet pepper and watermelon.

The scheme will also form the nucleus of an agro industry to process the output of the farms. This scheme will support Government’s policy of Planting for Food and Jobs as well as the One-District One-Factory initiative. Other potential benefits include development of aquaculture and fisheries.

The hydropower component will increase Ghana’s renewable energy capacity and contribute to meeting Ghana’s commitments under the United Nations Framework for Climate Change (UNFCC).

Ghana’s target is to achieve 10% renewable by 2030, from the less than 2% today. The project will also, have a solar component with the solar energy complementing hydro energy to enhance reliability of supply.

The electricity infrastructure created by the project will also provide
access to electricity in the northern part of Ghana and enhance the reliability of power supplied to the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo).

The dam will also provide protection from the perennial floods that occur in the White Volta basin during the rainy season and will help manage spillage of water from the Bagre dam.

This will reduce the regular damage to property and enhance income security. In 2018, floods in the area affected 52,000 people and led to 34 deaths and 2 people missing. Farms and properties were also, destroyed.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) flag bearer for the 2024 Presidential election, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has pledged to establish a Minerals Development Bank for small scale miners when given the nod.

He said just as the government had set up the Agricultural Development Bank for farmers, ‘l am also going to establish a bank for miners to offer them the needed financial support.’

The NPP flag bearer, who is also the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, said this at Akoon in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality when he engaged stakeholders to discuss mining and its related activities as part of his tour to the Western Region.

‘Report from the Ghana Geological Survey Department indicated that Ghana has seven gold belts, starting from Axim of about 43,000 square kilometres. Only 23,000 square kilometres have been explored, leaving about five billion ounces of gold yet to be mined.’

He said they would empower the Geological Survey Department, the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa and other instituti
ons to get into exploration and find out where these deposits are located

‘Once they find the deposits, our policy is going to be 100 per cent Ghanaian ownership of our resources, the concessions would be allocated to small scale miners, we are not going to give it to foreigners, so they give us royalties.’

Dr Bawumia stated that ‘we will formalise the small-scale mining regime so that every miner would have license and operate accordingly. I want to make small scale miners multi-millionaires. I don’t want us to be chasing them, ceasing or destroying their equipment.’

In addition, the Vice President said a common user facility for processing of gold would be introduced for the miners to recover 90 per cent of gold from their tailings and ore instead of the current 30 to 40 per cent they have due to lack of technology.

‘We will have discussions with the big mining companies to release their abandoned shafts for community mining, the new places we discover will also be used for the same programme to create
more jobs for Ghanaians’ he announced

He pointed out that ‘A lot of the gold you mine is smuggled out of the country, but with our new policy, we will buy the gold from you at the world market price, to ensure you have the money and Ghana will get the gold

Under my watch, we would change the curriculum and the Technical and Vocational Education and Skills Training (TVET) would begin to teach responsible mining to protect farmlands, forest reserves and water bodies’

He added that with the large-scale mining, they would abolish the Value – Added Tax binding mining to enable many people venture into exploration to help grow the economy.

The Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tarkwa Nsuaem constituency, Mr George Mireku Duker thanked the Vice President for giving hope to all small-scale miners.

He said with the sacrifices that the Vice President had made over the years to improve the economy they inherited, the residents of Tarkwa Nsuaem constituency would en
sure he gets not get less than 70 per cent of the total votes in the upcoming election.

The Vice President was accompanied by the Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, Senior campaign aids, Ing Kwabena Adjei Agyepong and Mr Salifu Saeed, Madam Catherine Abelema Afeku, former MP for Evalue Ajomoro Gwira constituency, Mrs Gifty Eugenia Kusi, former MP for Tarkwa Nsuaem constituency and regional executives of the NPP.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Chefs With Purpose, a group of culinary professionals, is in talks with the Ghana Prison Service to train convicts in the art of cooking as a life skill to enhance their chances of economic survival after prison.

Chef With Purpose (CWP) would also engage various Vocational Schools to recruit more volunteers across the country to create awareness on their operations.

Madam Roselyn Esinam Anyomi, Secretary CWP, told the GNA in Accra when CWP provided meals to about 500 inmates of James Camp Prison and Senior Correctional Centre (Juvenile Detention Centre).

Madam Anyomi said feting the inmates was like giving back to the community and impacting positively on the lives of the youth.

She said CWP, established in the year 2018, had feted the various prisons (Nsawam Medium Prisons, Juvenile Detention Centre and provided ‘sala’ giveaways to various communities.

According to her, CWP will soon be moving to a prison in the Oti Region to provide various meals to inmates.

She appealed for volunteers to help the gr
oup impact the youth positively and put smiles on the faces of the less privileged and vulnerable in society.

James Camp Prisons, established in 1948, is a model halfway home that prepares inmates for reintegration into society.

CWP is a platform where chefs and culinary professionals can channel their talents towards alleviating socio-economic challenges faced by vulnerable communities.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Israel Mensah, the Assembly Member for Lawoshime Electoral Area in the Keta Municipality of the Volta region has appealed for the provision of social amenities in the area.

He said the intervention would provide comfort, convenience, and a better living environment for the residents.

Mr Mensah, in an interaction with the Ghana News Agency, explained that it remained his wish to see his people enjoy what others were also enjoying.

He called for the provision of a health centre, toilet facilities, access to good drinking water, roads, educational facilities, among other basic needs.

‘We do not have good roads, drinking water, good educational infrastructure, and the rest, so we need help urgently,’ he added.

Mr Mensah also disclosed that means of transport were a major challenge, especially during the rainy season as many were left with no option but to resort to the use of canoes to access other communities.

On education, Mr Mensah expressed worry over inadequate educational materials such as textboo
ks and furniture, school infrastructure, lack of ICT centres, and inadequate teachers which he said was affecting teaching and learning.

‘As the rainy season is getting closer, we need to put things to prevent jeopardizing students, teachers, and pregnant women who may cross the lake by canoe since they may not have access to the roads.’

He explained that about 75 to 80 per cent of over 500 residents in the communities could not have access to essential human needs and some farming communities in the area that produced cassava, maize, sugarcane, okro, and others faced issues of post-harvest losses due to the absence of a marketing centres.

The challenges, he said, called for assistance from individuals, organisations, philanthropists, and the government to alleviate the plights of his people.

Source: Ghana News Agency