Day: May 20, 2024

Memorial ceremonies for President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian are planned in Iran for Tuesday after they were killed in a helicopter crash.

The Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that a ceremony is planned in the north-west in the provincial capital of Tabriz in the morning, followed by a ceremony in the religious stronghold and pilgrimage city of Qom.

The date for the funerals of the two statesmen has not yet been announced. Raisi is to be buried in his hometown of Mashhad.

Raisi and Amirabdollahian were killed on Sunday in a helicopter crash with seven other people. They had crashed in dense fog in the mountains over East Azerbaijan Province while travelling back from a meeting with the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Births and Deaths Registry has reported that hypertension was the leading cause of death among Ghanaian men in 2022.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hypertension, often referred to as high blood pressure, is when the pressure in the blood vessels is excessive (140/90 mmHg or higher).

Some of the primary causes of hypertension include old age, genetics, being overweight or obese, not being physically active, eating a high-salt diet, and consuming too much alcohol.

Other risks highlighted by the WHO include high saturated fat and trans-fat diets, low fruit and vegetable intake, tobacco use, and co-existing conditions such as diabetes or kidney disease.

According to the Births and Deaths Registry, hypertension was the leading cause of death in 2022, out of eleven diseases identified.

It said 1, 539 males died from hypertension during the year under review.

The Registry reported this in its 2022 Births and Deaths Registry Statistical Report.

The Report, which was released on Thursday,
May 9, 2024, aimed to offer vital information for public health surveillance purposes.

The report also revealed that hypertension was not only the leading cause of mortality in men, but it also killed more men than women.

It said that 1,539 men died from the condition, while 1,034 died. This meant that 500 more men died of hypertension than women.

Aside from hypertension, pneumonia and heart failure were the two diseases that killed more men than women in 2022.

The report noted that 1,440 men died of pneumonia, compared to 1,017 females, showing that 400 more males perished from the condition.

It indicated that 1,347 men died of heart failure, while 879 women died of the condition. This means that 600 more males perished from the disease.

Acute Respiratory Failure, Stroke, Septic Shock, Severe Sepsis, Diabetes, Chronic Liver Disease, Cerebrovascular diseases, and cancer were the remaining ailments identified as causes of death among Ghanaian men and women.

According to the report, cancer was the only d
isease that killed more women than men.

The report stated that cancer killed 566 women and 470 men.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Chemical Society has advocated an urgent legislation on unbridled acquisition and use of toxic chemicals in the country.

The push is aligned with efforts to enhance chemicals management, particularly acid, mercury, cyanide, weedicides and pesticides that have flooded the market.

Professor David Essumang, the President of the Society, said Ghana’s involvement in international agreements and procedures relating to chemicals management underscored the importance of regulating chemical usage in the country.

Speaking at the 20th Anniversary Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Society in Cape Coast, he noted that the absence of legislation to combat the influx of dangerous chemicals had been the major setback to the regulation of the sale and use of those chemicals.

The conference assembled players in the manufacturing and distribution industry, as well as academia to take stock of their activities within the last year.

‘As a country, we have had to fall on other regulations, including the l
egislation on the use of hazardous chemicals and the one on pesticides. But we cannot apply punitive measures on people who fail to comply because there is no legislation,’ he said.

‘Our efforts need the buy-in, as well as support from all stakeholders.’

Delivering the keynote address on the topic: ‘Chemistry: Making the World a Better Place,’ Prof James Dankwa, visiting Professor, University of Johannesburg, South Africa, said the use of mercury and cyanide in illegal mining had severe environmental and health impacts.

He warned that the continuous use of mercury from illegal mining polluted water bodies affected aquatic life and human health, while cyanide usage posed risk to ecosystems and human health, with potential lethal effects and long-term environmental damage.

‘These toxic substances contaminate water sources, harm wildlife, and endanger communities relying on water for daily activities,’ Prof Dankwa said.

‘This emphasises the urgent need for sustainable mining practices and environmental prot
ection measures.’

He said the study of Chemistry was essential for meeting the daily needs of people through the right use of chemicals in food, clothing, healthcare, agricultural production, energy, and clean air, water, and soil.

‘Understanding chemistry has become critical to making informed decisions about the products we use and the impact they have on our environment and health.’

Touching on its impact on the environment, Prof Dankwa said chemistry had both positive and negative effects, as it had enabled the development of technologies and products, which had improved the daily lives of the public, such as medicines, fertilizers, and materials for construction and consumer goods.

However, the production, use and disposal of those products had also led to significant environmental concerns, including pollution, climate change and the depletion of natural resources.

To mitigate these negative impacts, there was a growing focus on green chemistry, aimed at re-designing chemical products and processes
to minimise environmental harm and promote sustainability.

This approach involves the development of safer, more efficient, and environmentally friendly chemicals and manufacturing processes.

‘Green Chemistry will reduce chemical toxicity, faster degradation, lower ozone depletion and less harm to plants and animals,’ he said.

‘On human health, it ensures cleaner air and water, safer consumer products and improved worker safety in the chemical industry.’

Business will have higher yields, reduced raw material use, lower waste disposal costs, and increased consumer sales.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

About 1,500 smallholder women farmers from the Bawku West District in Upper East Region have been supported to practise sustainable and climate-smart agriculture.

They have been empowered with best agronomic practices and extension services to improve agriculture productivity and contribute to food and nutritional security.

The Ingraining Development for Empowerment and Advancement of Society (IDEAS Ghana), a Non-Governmental organisation with funding support from the Africa Action Germany is the organisation working with rural communities to build their resilience against climate change and help them adopt sustainable agricultural practices.

Under the project dubbed ‘Upskilling Sustainable Farming Rudiments Under Climate Transformation (USUFRUCT) Project’, it has worked with stakeholders to increase female extension volunteers in the district from 11 to 22.

This has made it possible to increase the smallholder farmers under the project from 500 to 1,500 farmers in 2024.

Speaking at a training session fo
r female extension volunteers at Zebilla on Climate-Smart agriculture technology, Dr Joseph Ayembilla, Board Chairman, IDEAS Ghana, the project was building on the success of an initial project which contributed to improved agriculture production in the area.

‘IDEAS Ghana has built-up experience in facilitating 11 rural communities to embark on sustainable agriculture practices focusing on climate smart farming. This was under a one-year project named Rural Extension Linkages for Enhanced Food Security for smallholder women farmers in the Upper East Region (RELIEFS).

‘This practice within one year has recorded remarkable improvement in beneficiaries’ food security. A total of 165 out of 500 beneficiary women have reported improvement in the number of meals taken per day during the lean season giving a 33 percent achievement,’ he said.

The current project, he said, would incorporate indigenous innovations and technology to better position rural farmers to practise sustainable farming and adapt to the changi
ng climate to increase yields.

‘I want to plead with the female Extension volunteers to take their roles seriously. Failure to produce results will attract removal by the Community and the women groups who selected you to represent them.

‘It is my expectation that this current project will bring broader smiles on the faces of our rural women farmers resulting in improved food and nutrition security. You the female Extension volunteers play a critical role in achieving this hence the need for you to be committed to your work schedule,’ he added.

Mr Douglas Akologo, the Bawku West District Agriculture Extension Officer, said soil and water conservation was key to adapting to the climate change impacts and increasing agriculture productivity.

He, therefore, urged the smallholder farmers to adhere to sustainable climate-smart innovations and seek technical advice from extension officers to practice sustainable farming.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Lai Ching-te of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was sworn in as the self-governing island’s president on Monday and used his inaugural address to urge Beijing to cease its political and military intimidation.

Lai stressed that his administration will maintain the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.

‘Peace is the only option,’ Lai told the crowd attending his inauguration ceremony, which featured a 21-gun salute, in front of the presidential building in the capital Taipei.

He called on China to share with Taiwan the responsibility of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait as well as the greater region, and ‘ensure the world is free from the fear of war.’

‘The future of cross-strait relations will have a decisive impact on the world,’ Lai said.

Lai said China must face the reality of the existence of Taiwan and ‘in good faith, choose dialogue over confrontation, exchange over containment, and under the principles of parity and dignity, engage in cooperation with the legal
government chosen by Taiwan’s people.’

‘This can start from the resumption of tourism on a reciprocal basis, and enrolment of degree students in Taiwanese institutions,’ Lai said.

Lai stressed that Taiwan will continue working with other democracies.

‘We will work together to combat disinformation, strengthen democratic resilience, address challenges, and allow Taiwan to become the MVP of the democratic world,’ said Lai, who is a baseball fan, using the sports term ‘Most Valuable Player.’

Emphasizing that Taiwan has already mastered advanced semiconductor manufacturing, Lai said Taiwan will further boost the development in AI-related fields. ‘We are a key player in supply chains for global democracies,’ Lai said.

The American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto US embassy in Taipei, on Monday issued a statement from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, congratulating Lai on his inauguration as Taiwan’s fifth democratically elected president.

‘We look forward to working with President Lai and across Taiwa
n’s political spectrum to advance our shared interests and values, deepen our long-standing unofficial relationship, and maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,’ Blinken said.

Military transport helicopters flew Taiwan’s flag past the presidential building during the ceremonies.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in Beijing on Monday that Taiwan independence is a dead end. ‘No matter under what guise or banner, the pursuit of Taiwan independence and secession is doomed to fail,’ he said.

Chen Binhua, a spokesman for China’s State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, on Monday reiterated Beijing’s stance that Taiwan is part of China’s territory.

Wu Renhua, a Chinese historian who witnessed the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and now lives in Taipei, told dpa that Taiwan’s new government should further show its support toward the democratization in China and concerns over human rights issues in China.

‘The existence of an authoritarian China means that Taiwan has a cruel neighbour
that it can never avoid,’ Wu told dpa.

On Sunday, some prominent exiled Chinese dissidents, including Wang Dan and Wure Kaixi who led the 1989 Tiananmen pro-democracy movement, issued a statement, saying that they look forward to Taiwan’s new government supporting the forces for democratic progress in China.

According to Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry, more than 500 foreign guests from 51 delegations attended the inauguration ceremony and related activities, including the national leaders of eight countries which maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

Lai, 64, the son of a coal miner and a trained physician, succeeds Tsai Ing-wen, 67, to lead the democracy amid increasing threats from China, which claims the self-governing island of over 23 million people as its territory. Taiwan has had an independent government since 1949.

Tsai, who made history in 2016 as Taiwan’s first female president, could not run again after completing the maximum two terms. Her eight years in office aimed at maintaining the status
quo between Taiwan and China and augmenting Taiwan’s international visibility amid a complex geopolitical situation.

Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim, 52, was also officially sworn in. She was Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the United States from 2020 to 2023 and formerly served as a DPP lawmaker for several terms.

The Chinese Communist Party considers the DPP to be a separatist organization and has threatened to invade Taiwan if the party makes any formal moves towards independence. The DPP says Taiwan already functions as an independent state and does not need to make any formal declaration.

Given the threats from China, Tsai’s administration adopted strategies to strengthen Taiwan’s defensive military capabilities and to cooperate with like-minded countries to form a collective deterrence in the region.

Lai has reiterated since his January election victory that his administration will continue to strengthen the foundations laid by Tsai, but also let Taiwan keep playing an indispensable role in the global
economy.

The United States maintains a certain amount of strategic ambiguity when it comes to Taiwan, officially recognizing only the Beijing government, but it is legally bound to support Taiwan’s defence capabilities through the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Reverend Ebenezer Ayer, the Head-pastor of the Priesthood Worship Centre, Assemblies of God Tema Community Six, has commended women for their role in inculcating Christian faith and social values in children.

Rev. Ayer told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that the passing on of the good values could be achieved through training, nurturing, and role modelling.

He added that mothers had a key role to play in making an impact in the lives of children.

He said women over the years have been held in high esteem as the custodians of cultural values at home and in society, as well as instilling social-religious values, cultural norms, and moral standards of the family and society in children.

He mentioned that these were necessary in building up an impeccable moral character, adding that values related to morality were obligatory for everybody in Ghana.

He cited an instance in the Bible where Timothy was raised and nurtured by his mother Eunice, who passed on faith and morals to him, making him
later in life have a positive impact on his gen

Rev. Ayer said that good character is based on moral values, and it is usually the way to enable one to become a good citizen of the country, stressing that people with no morality are not valued in societies.

He urged mothers to be strong and steadfast and continue their good work to ensure peace and harmony in societies.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Saudi King Salman has fallen ill with a lung infection, according to the country’s state media.

The 88-year-old had to be treated with antibiotics, the Saudi news agency SPA posted on X on Sunday evening. He had previously been examined in the Royal Clinics of the Al-Salam Palace in the harbour city of Jeddah due to fever and joint pain.

King Salman has been plagued by health problems since he ascended to the throne at the age of 79. The monarch has a pacemaker and surgeons have also removed his gall bladder.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has already risen to become the de facto ruler of the kingdom in recent years, and took over the post of prime minister from his father in 2022.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The 3iAfrica summit has ended with a call for stronger partnerships between governments, the private sector, and other stakeholders to turn ideas into actionable plans for Africa’s sustainable development.

Many of the participants who spoke with the Ghana News Agency described the summit as a laudable step in drawing African experiences and transforming them into policies and programmes for the continent’s growth.

They called for an all-encompassing approach to generate catalytic domestic capital among banks and investors into impactful innovations of Africans, including infrastructure development.

They also urged governments across the continent to create an enabling regulatory framework to enable Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) who provide financial and digital technology services to thrive.

That, they said, would help in quickening intra-continental trade, and increase cross-border payments to strengthen local currencies, engender financial inclusion, and generate employment for the continent
‘s youthful population.

‘This summit has created synergies; at the vendors’ booth, there have been a lot of investor conversations, connections between policymakers and customers, which is a good start,’ Ms Awurabena Agyeman, Co-Founder, Wear Ghana said.

The young entrepreneur added that, ‘this is very positive, but it should not end here. Let’s now act build spaces for businesses, and it’s time to do it ourselves as a continent.’

Speaking exclusively with GNA, Mr Kwamina Duker, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Development Bank Ghana (DBG), said the summit had demonstrated that the continent has people who can transform it.

‘The main thing is the collaboration that we’ve seen over the last three-days; we have everything here to make it happen. We have the businessmen, policymakers, banks, so let’s make it work,’ he said.

Mr Kwame Oppong, Director, fintech and Innovation, BoG, who presented the key outcomes at the end of the summit, also echoed the call for all stakeholders to act upon the decisions t
hat had come out of the conference.

‘Let us harness the boundless potential unveiled here, translate inspiration into action and ensure that the spirit of collaboration and innovation that defined this summit becomes a permanent fixture in Africa’s digital narrative,’ he said.

The 3i Africa Summit is an initiative jointly developed by the Bank of Ghana, the Development Bank Ghana, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore, supported by Elevandi.

The summit spearheaded discussions on addressing key growth and investment opportunities, and explored how market players in the financial ecosystem are leapfrogging in digital transformation with a call for action.

During the summit, Ghana signed a US$100 million deal between DBG and Proxtera – a Singaporean fintech company, to make loans easily accessible to Ghanaian SMEs through a digital platform.

There was also a partnership agreement between Fidelity Bank and Proxtera, to provide a comprehensive digital solution, including finance and business skills to SMEs
through the Ghana Integrated Financial Ecosystem (GIFE) platform.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Ghana has saved more than GHS34 million from unearned salaries in 2024 following investigations into the Ghana Government Payroll Administration, the Office of the Special Prosecutor said in a press release, Monday in Accra.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Management of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has responded to comments by Mr Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa, National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, on the sale of its hotels.

SSNIT in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency said the attention of its Management had been drawn to a discussion on an Accra-based TV station that partly covered SSNIT’s strategic decision to divest 60 per cent of its stake in the six hotels in its investment portfolio.

The statement said the Trust sought to partner with a strategic investor to raise capital to invest in the hotels and assist in their management.

It said the primary objective of finding a strategic investor was to increase efficiency, profitability, shareholder value, and the long-term sustainability of the SSNIT Pension Scheme.

It noted that accordingly, SSNIT went through International Competitive Tendering (ICT) processes as prescribed by the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (ACT 663), as amended by
ACT 914, for the selection of a strategic investor.

It said the Trust commenced the process with the engagement of a Transaction Advisor through the ICT method of procurement, with the publication of advertisements in National Dailies on 14th November 2018, and 15th November 2018.

‘As of the January 16th, 2019, deadline, 15 firms had expressed interest in submitting bids. Of these, six were shortlisted and issued with Request for Proposal (RFP) documents,’ it stated.

‘Approval was sought from the Central Tender Review Committee (CTRC) for the selection of a Transaction Advisor on 12th December 2019 and that was granted on 24th December 2019.’

The statement said following the selection of the independent Transaction Advisor to guide the selection of a Strategic investor amongst others, further advertisements for an Expression of Interest (EOI) for a Strategic Partner for the SSNIT Hotels were placed in the Daily Graphic on 3rd February 2022 and in the Ghanaian Times on 7th February 2022.

It said the adver
tisement was also published in The Economist Magazine on 26th February 2022.

The statement said a total of nine companies responded to the advertisements by submitting proposals on the 23rd of March 2022, the deadline.

It said six out of the nine were then shortlisted and issued with Request for Proposal (RFP) documents.

It reiterated that the qualifying firms were invited for the opening of their financial proposals; based on the technical and financial evaluation, the Rock City Hotel emerged as the best.

It said that based on the criteria set out in the RFP, Rock City Hotel submitted the best and strongest technical and financial proposal amongst those received.

The statement noted that consequently, it was in negotiation with SSNIT to buy a 60 per cent stake in each of the four hotels (Labadi Beach Hotel, La Palm Royal Beach Resort, Ridge Royal Hotel and Elmina Beach Resort).

It said bids for Busua Beach Resort and the Trust Lodge were considered to be unsuccessful, so they were no longer part of the
hotels covered in this process.

It said the process of getting a strategic investor is in its final stages and therefore not yet concluded.

The statement said it was mentioned on a TV discussion that the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) had been petitioned to conduct a full-scale investigation into the sale of SSNIT hotels.

It said given the impending investigation by CHRAJ, the Management of SSNIT would not comment further; adding that SSNIT would cooperate fully with CHRAJ throughout its investigation process.

‘SSNIT further wishes to assure pensioners, contributors and the public of its commitment to managing the affairs of the Trust prudently for the sustainability of the Pension Scheme,’ the statement said.

Source: Ghana News Agency