Day: May 13, 2024

A law that has sparked mass protests in Georgia faces its final reading before parliament on Monday as part of a government effort to curb foreign influence on the country.

The third and final reading of what critics have dubbed the ‘Russian law’ will begin on Monday in Tbilisi, before a vote in the plenary scheduled for Tuesday, parliamentary speaker Shalva Papuashvili said.

The governing majority of the Georgian Dream party say they wish to create more transparency in the foreign funding of non-governmental organizations (NGO).

However tens of thousands in the former Soviet state have joined protests in the capital Tbilisi against the legislation. Critics accuse the government of having modelled the planned law on a Russian ‘agent’ law in order to hinder the work of independent associations and media.

In Russia, numerous organizations and individuals are branded as ‘foreign agents,’ a classification that often causes major problems.

The measure is seen as a means of political repression to silence crit
ics, and protesters also see their country’s path to European Union membership in danger.

As a first step towards a possible concession, Georgian Dream has indicated that the law could be toned down after President Salome Zourabichvili threatened to veto it. Opposition parties in the country are calling for the law to be abandoned completely.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Changing Lives in Innovative Partnerships (CLIP), a civil society organisation in Northern Ghana, has launched an 18-month project to strengthen the socio-economic resilience of cross-border areas in the face of the regional security crisis.

The project dubbed: ‘Support for the Populations Affected by Sahel Crisis in Northern Guinea, La Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin’, (APAC) is being implemented in six priority districts in the Upper East and Upper West Regions namely Bawku West, Garu, Kasena-Nankana West, Lambussie-Karni, Sissala West and Sissala East Districts.

The project is being implemented in partnership with Acting for Life, a French organisation, with funding support from the Crisis Support Centre (CDCS) through the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.

Participants during the launch included key stakeholders from the various districts and other CSOs.

Mr Lukman Yussif, Director of CLIP, speaking during the launch in Tamale, said it was to provide support and build the resilienc
e of cross-border areas to enhance peaceful coexistence between the communities and the refugees drawn into the country because of the prevailing tension from the Sahel regions including Burkina Faso, Mali, and Northern Niger.

He said: ‘The cross-border areas have received several herders, due to the insecurities in the Sahel regions.

‘So, it is prudent that we take the necessary steps to avoid any possible clashes between the nomadic men and the communities’ hence, the project.

He said the project would amongst other things provide support for refugee livestock farmers, especially those extremely vulnerable, female heads of households and young adults, host households and guardians taking care of disaster victims.

Mr Yussif said the project would adopt a stabilisation mechanism, which would empower local authorities to manage the livestock sector for sustainable development as well as undertake conflict prevention efforts, targeting rural areas to avoid escalations.

It would also collaborate with the va
rious beneficiary districts to facilitate the vaccination of about 4,535 livestock to help minimise the spread of diseases.

Mr. Yussif appealed to the various stakeholders in the districts to support the project to enhance peace, stability, and sustainable development.

Mr. Abubakari Musah, Director of Administration, Upper West Regional Coordinating Council, lauded the project saying it would help boost socio-economic activities and strengthen bilateral relations with the neighbouring countries.

He added that the project’s implementation would also help address needless clashes and confrontations between the herders and the communities.

Mr Iddi Musah, an Assistant Director of Administration at the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council said the project would complement the government’s vaccination campaign agenda, which was currently ongoing in the country to minimise the spread of diseases.

He gave assurance to support the initiative, urging other stakeholders in the area to embrace it for sustainable
development.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Accra Golden Lions Club has presented some items to support the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital’s (KBTH) Diabetes Centre

The items worth GHS100,000 included 25 conference room chairs, a patient waiting area, three-in-one chairs, a 55 inches smart TV, a 2.5 horsepower air conditioner, a conference room podium, a water dispenser and window blinds, which were to be used to furnish the training and conference room.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency, Mr Alfred Avorka, the Club President, said the Club had devoted themselves to serving the community, making it a better place for everyone, hence the need to raise some funds to support the Center after their own research and interrogations.

The Club President said the Club had adopted the Centre to offer support to them regularly as part of their projects.

He assured officials and members of the Centre of the Club’s utmost and continuous support to enable them to offer the best treatments to their patients.

Dr Yacoba Atiase, Head of National Diabetes Management o
f Research Center (NDMRC), KBTH, said the Centre had been working with the Club for the past three to four years, and that they had been supportive since they moved out from the unit for renovation and refurbishment.

She said Diabetes could be a dangerous illness, however, it was not supposed to kill if managed properly, hence called on all diabetic patients to approach the facility for good diabetic care, being the National Centre for Diabetes.

The Head of NDMRC also called on other agencies and bodies to support the research aspect of the Centre, stating that it was doing very well in the clinical aspect but encountered challenges in research, which is part of the duties of the Centre.

‘We do a lot of research, if you go out there, you will find people collecting data, but we want to set it up properly as a research centre and that collaborators will be welcomed,’ she added.

Dr Atiase said the Centre had 7,500 registered patients and that each day between 50 and 70 patients were attended to from Mondays
to Fridays, except holidays, treating about 300 patients weekly.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A traditional council has been instituted for the Amugo-Vego Traditional Area in the Keta Municipality of the Volta Region.

The Council is a constitutional provision, which grants eligible traditional areas administrative and judicial structures to further decentralise the national traditional leadership institution.

The Amugo-Vego Traditional Council is one of five established in the Volta Region this year, all of which had befitting offices also commissioned.

Judicial oaths and others of secrecy and office were taken by a total of 14 gazetted rulers including a queen mother who became initial members of the Council.

Togbi Tenge Dzokoto Gligui VII, the paramount ruler of the area, was sworn in as President at a ceremony drenched in joyous celebration and traditional culture.

Mr. Evans Habada, Head of the Chieftaincy Ministry’s Human Resource Management, inaugurated the Council on behalf of Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng, the Minister.

The Minister entreated traditional rulers to enhance their leadership ca
pabilities to be able to deal with new challenges in a fast-transforming world and assured them of the needed support including logistics and training.

‘Currently, Chiefs are required to lead in the war against environmental degradation, and poverty reduction among others aimed at achieving some level of development at the local and national levels. The new role of Chiefs imposes the need for some form of adaptation or revision and training to enable him/her to fulfil his or her responsibilities’ he said.

The Minister said chiefs and the people must continue to thread paths of unity to be able to make the new Council serve its purpose.

‘This inauguration should be seen to integrate the people particularly our revered chiefs, and not to disintegrate them,’ he said.

Mr Harry Attipoe, Registrar of the Volta House of Chiefs led the team from the Ministry to perform the inaugurations.

He asked all to uphold the relevance of the traditional council institution which should be considered an institution for all
and not just the gazetted members.

Togbi Gligui thanked the Government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo for uplifting traditional leadership in the area.

He also commended the ‘hard work’ of the Minister for Chieftaincy and his predecessor, the leadership of the House of Chiefs, and traditional rulers of the area both past and present ‘who invested heavily to make this day a reality.’

Togbi Gligui spoke of how the formal traditional institution would become instrumental in uniting resources for the development of the lagoon community.

He said the Traditional Area was strategically located for agriculture and aquaculture development, and that with the ongoing prioritisation of education, its contribution to national development should be enhanced.

‘The Amugo-Vego Traditional Area has enough resources to develop Ghana as a whole,’ he asserted.

Local stakeholders including the heads of the local Assembly promised needed support for the Council.

Other Councils inaugurated in the Region during the t
hree-day exercise are the Dzodze, Weta, Ave Xevi, and Awate Traditional Councils.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has asked Ghanaians to desist from acts that could jeopardize the peace of the nation.

He said as the country prepared for another general election, it was important for Ghanaians to remind themselves of the need to act appropriately and not to take things for granted.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu made the call at a durbar to climax the 25th anniversary of his installation as the 16th occupant of the golden stool at Dwabirem in the Manhyia palace in Kumasi.

The year-long anniversary started in February with a symposium on the 150th anniversary of the Sagrenti War of 1874 and a book launch on the history of Asantes, written by Otumfuo Sir Osei Agyeman Prempeh II.

That was followed by the ‘Kuntunkuni durbar’ to commemorate the Sargrenti War and the return of some of the artefacts stolen by the British colonialists, to the Manhyia palace.

There was also a clean-up exercise throughout Asanteman, while a religious feast was held for all fetish priests and priestesses in Asanteman, a
t the Manhyia palace.

Additionally, a durbar was organized for all ethnic groups domiciled in the Ashanti region while fireworks were also held in some parts of Kumasi.

An inter-denominational church service was held at the Manhyia palace, and a thanksgiving service was also organized at the St. Cyprian Anglican Basilica to commemorate the 74th birthday of the king.

A symposium would also be held in November this year, to mark the 100th anniversary of the return of Nana Prempeh I from exile in the Seychelles Islands.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu reassured of his resolve to continue to fight against illegal mining activities, which were destroying the country’s water bodies and forests.

He said it was important for all Ghanaians to be part of the fight to protect the natural resources of the country.

The Asantehene also reminded Ghanaians to work together to help grow the economy and said the transformation of the country depended on everyone’s contribution.

He said with the help and support of the golden stool, h
e would continue to face his destiny and work to improve the lives of the people, not only in Asanteman, but Ghana as a whole.

Among the highlights of the durbar was the display of the golden stool in public and the presence of many ethnic and traditional heads from across the country and the West African sub-region.

The Tuareg Community from Mali donated two camels as a gift to the Asantehene.

The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Keith Christopher Rowley, was the special guest of honour at the durbar.

Also in attendance were the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Vice President Dr Bawumia, former President Mr J. A Kufuor, as well as Ministers of State, Members of Parliament, traditional rulers, the clergy, members of the diplomatic corps, tourists as well as ordinary citizens.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Madam Faustina Awumey, Volta Regional Coordinator, Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) has appealed to the government and the public to support the Unit with a means of transport to facilitate their movement.

She said the lack of means of transport was impeding their ability to execute tasks on time since it made it difficult for them to visit crime scenes promptly to gather crucial evidence and follow up on cases.

Madam Awumey made the appeal at the first quarter review meeting of the Volta Regional Committee on the Provision of Essential Services Package (ESP) for Survivors of Sexual Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).

The Essential Service Package is a United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and World Health Organisation joint initiative to build strong collaboration and coordination among stakeholders who provide essential services for women and girls who are subject to SGBV.

DSP Awumey also made a plea for juvenile cells to house juvenile offenders and s
helters for victims of SGBV, pointing out that the Unit became disabled if the Department of Social Welfare was unable to help provide shelter for abuse victims.

She said the influence of certain community leaders in cases of rape or defilement, as well as the failure of some victims or complainants to return to the Unit to help Police with their investigations was affecting the prosecution of some cases.

Mr Augustus Awity, Chief Director of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC), who is also the chairman of the Committee, advised persons handling rape or defilement cases at home to stop.

He stated that since these issues were criminal in nature and could only be resolved in court, anyone handling them at home or meddling in their prosecution was breaking the law.

The Director urged parents, traditional leaders, and the public to stand with the committee as it works tirelessly to address SGBV issues in the Region.

Mr Awity urged people to report sexual and gender-based violence offenders to the p
olice so that they could be dealt with legally and serve as a deterrent to others

Madam Thywill Eyra Kpe, Volta Regional Director, Department of Gender lamented that sometimes cases of SGBV were not reported to the police promptly for action, resulting in loss of evidence and making it difficult to prove those cases.

She said reporting SGBV incidents right away would assist victims in receiving justice as well as post-exposure prophylaxis, which guards against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

The meeting aimed to track trends and work of stakeholders on SGBV for 2023 and the first quarter of the year 2024 and was supported by ActionAid as part of their Transformative Action for Gender Equality Project.

It discussed challenges associated with the provision of services to survivors of SGBV and possible remedies, plan for the committee’s advocacy activities for 2024, and other pending SGBV cases, and how to seek institutional support to address them.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Processes have begun to commence phase II of the Agavedzi-Blekusu Sea Defense Project in Ketu South to protect coastal communities there from perennial tidal wave attacks.

The disclosure came during the recent visit of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Works and Housing, at the instance of the Speaker of Parliament.

The Speaker’s directive follows concerns by all three Members of Parliament from the Region’s coastal constituencies of Ketu South, Keta and Anlo to save the coastline from going extinct.

Mr Isaac Asiamah, Chairman of the Committee said the government had secured funds US$150 million for the project in the constituency and at some other coastal communities assuring, plans were underway and that phase II would soon begin.

He said it was important for the government to fast-track the proposed 8km project with ancillary facilities including a cold store, fishing market and clinic, estimated at 83 million dollars saying, that although the project was capital intensive, it was about protecting
lives and property and, preserving Ghana’s culture and heritage.

Mr Asiamah noted that since the Committee’s last visit about two years ago, nothing really had been done to protect the area and called for some urgency in dealing with the situation as the country risked losing a great resource which is a potential for tourism and transportation.

He stressed: ‘We will not allow this critical part of Ghana to go to waste.’

Mr Vincent Oppong Asamoah, Ranking Member of the Committee said the government needed to prioritise the protection of the country’s coastal communities to avert further devastation to them.

Mr Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, a Member of the Committee, believed the amount being estimated for the continuation of the defence project at Agavedzi-Blekusu was high.

He called for the prudent use of resources to allow for the protection works to be extended to cover a larger size of the coastline to rein in the situation.

Meanwhile, Mr Kenneth Kpedor, President of Anlo Youth Council, the umbrella body o
f Anlo youths in an interview with Ghana News Agency, on Monday welcomed news of the government securing funds for the project saying, although it was long overdue, ‘it is indeed a welcome development for our coastal communities.

‘The securing of funds represents a significant step forward in our collective efforts to safeguard our homes, livelihoods, and cultural heritage from the threats posed by erosion and flooding.’

He called on the government to share detailed information regarding the funding allocation and the timelines for the execution of the project believing, providing clarity on these matters will not only enhance public trust and confidence but also enable stakeholders to monitor progress effectively and hold authorities accountable for the timely completion of the project.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Transformed Wellness Foundation (TWF) has been launched to highlight mental health issues for prevention and to harness support for the well-being of patients.

In Ghana, it is estimated that about 25 per cent of the population has some form of mental disorder, with depression being the most prevalent.

Mrs Jessica Owoo, a Mental Health Specialist, and Founder of TWF, said mental health problems were largely demonised in the country because of the wide knowledge gap and lack of awareness.

Mental health issues, she said, had received global attention in recent times, and it was estimated that by the year 2028, mental illness would be a leading contributor to the global burden of diseases.

She explained that most adult mental disorders were known to have their onset in adolescence at an average age of 14 years; ‘yet the majority of these conditions are not detected early for treatment.’

She said the uniqueness of her Foundation was to reform people’s well-being and make them change and pick up a holistic pat
h.

However, according to the WHO factsheet (2018), about 90 per cent of suicide cases occurred among adolescents from low-income and middle-income countries, including Ghana.

Mrs Owoo said the high prevalence and debilitating effect of adolescent mental health challenges made the work of the Foundation imperative to promote sound mental health and to reduce the prevalence of mental health problems.

‘It is identified that many of the existing not-for-profit organisations are currently facilitating and augmenting the existing treatment interventions, she said.

‘Again, such interventions will reduce stigma against mental illness and also enhance their early identification and treatment.’

She encouraged people to be resilient and talk to key people for solutions, adding that the Foundation was ever ready to help them.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Organisers of the annual ‘100 Most Notable Africans Leadership and Business Summit have said that the 2024 edition of the acclaimed event will be held in Rwanda.

Amb. Kinsley Amafibe, Project Director Africa, for the 100 Most Notable Peace Icons Africa disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.

According to him, the summit is poised to showcase the extraordinary achievements and potential of Nigerian and other African business titans, leadership and security stakeholders and entrepreneurs.

‘The flagship event is scheduled to hold in Kigali the Rwanda capital from Aug. 1 to Aug.4, with the theme, ‘Fostering Collaboration and Networking Among Business Leaders and Stakeholders.’

The project director said the summit was organised in collaboration with several stakeholders, including the Davdan Peace and Advocacy Foundation, American Management University, Peace Ambassador Agency Worldwide and the Global Africa Trade Advisory Chamber.

He said the event would bring
together seasoned entrepreneurs, leaders of businesses from different sectors across the continent to chart a common front towards promoting economic prosperity, peace and stability in Africa.

‘The 100 Most Notable Africans Leadership and Business Summit 2024 is primed to serve as a catalyst for collaboration, innovation, and investment around the Africa continent.

‘We shall assemble pacesetters across different sectors, including those in business, government, academia, security, entertainment and the civil society to discuss sustainable development, economic prosperity, and peace building initiatives for positive transformation across Africa.

‘As we converge on Rwanda, we hope to harness the transformative power of business and leadership to propel Africa and its people towards unprecedented heights of prosperity and well-being,’ he said.

Amafibe said the choice of Rwanda as location for the summit was crucial as is signifies, tenacity, hope, unity and progress, which were the focus of the event.

He ad
ded that the event would feature keynote addresses, vibrant panel discussions, specialised workshops and captivating keynote addresses, and interactive sessions geared towards achieving sustainable development.

He said insecurity, illegal migration, poverty and the empowerment of the youth for a prosperous Africa are among issues that will be on the front burner.

‘A crowning moment of the summit will be the official unveiling of African Business and Leadership Club, Art and Cultural Exhibition, and then the presentation of awards.

‘The Leadership and Excellence honour will be given to deserving Africans, including peace and security icons, women leaders, and then Young Entrepreneurs Under 40.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Mrs Agnes Aflakpui, a Presbyter at the Hope Chapel, Global Evangelical Church, Sakumono branch, has emphasised the need for everyone to join in celebrating mothers annually.

Mrs Aflakpui told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that the emotional, psychological and physical stress women go through during childbirth was enough reason to appreciate women occasionally.

She added that in the process of child nurturing, women dedicated almost every aspect of their lives to ensuring that their children grow in good health and attain higher education, coupled with spiritual backing, which cannot be underestimated.

She said women have a tough life of multitasking between work, housework, motherhood, and so many other things, which, if not managed well, hinder them from improving themselves.

She said showing kindness, empathy, and support could create an environment where women would feel valued and respected.

The Presbyter added that at a point the whole family depended on women for their daily activitie
s; thus, being a mother, wife, homemaker, cook, teacher, friend, and nurse all at the same time, adding ‘catering for everybody’s needs is a serious sacrifice.’

She explained that there had been instances where women were more responsible than men in various ways, like childbearing and child nurturing, and urged women not to limit themselves to home tasks but also to endeavour to reach higher heights.

She further said that women were powerful to the extent that what they say to unborn babies during pregnancy manifested when they grow up, indicating that ‘we speak to the zygote, and it will surprise you that they will grow up to be what you told them.’

Source: Ghana News Agency