Day: May 20, 2024

The Vocational Training for Females (VTF) Programme, a Non-Profit Organisation, has trained 138 artisans, mainly fashion designers and tailors, at Mampong and Ejisu in the Ashanti Region, to boost their capacities in Enterprise Management Skills (EMS).

The four-day workshop covered topics such as Customer Service, Time Management, Costing and Pricing, Business Planning, Records Keeping, and the Balanced Entrepreneur to enhance their capabilities in enterprise management.

The EMS are a set of tools or skills needed for the success of running sustainable businesses, which include planning, scheduling, and communication skills.

The VTF Programme is, therefore, committed to promoting skills training and employment for women and the youth, hence the workshop was part of a broad-based training programme to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

The Programme, in strengthening Technical and Vocational Skills training, has observed, over the years, that micro-entrepreneurs and self-employed persons play an
important role in employment creation, particularly for the youth and females, and thus need a tailored intervention and support to thrive.

‘Unfortunately, they lack the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to manage their businesses and this results in low productivity levels and low sales which hinder such businesses from growing and sustaining their income,’ Mrs Patience Adiekeke Morrison, the lead facilitator at the training, said.

She noted that for the past years, VTF had been very much concerned about supporting such enterprises through training, coaching, and mentoring to better appreciate their work with seriousness.

Mrs Morrisson, the Gender and Entrepreneurship Development Officer of the VTF Programme, said considering the potential of SMEs in socio-economic development, continuous training and consistent support would help such businesses to thrive and expand to enable them to employ others and reduce the unemployment rate in the country.

She, for instance, mentioned customer care as a ke
y component of growth in self-employed enterprises, yet that seemed not a priority for players in the industry and hoped that the training would help change the narrative.

Many such business owners, which the VTF had trained and mentored, were doing well, she said, and urged the participants to embrace the training to enhance their products and improve the economic wellbeing.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The International Justice Mission (IJM), a Washington-based non-governmental organisation focused on human rights, law and law enforcement, has urged Ghanaians to help integrate survivors of child trafficking into society.

The organisation said this would serve as a source of hope for other victims, as it is not enough just to rescue them.

Mr. Worlanyo Forster, the Director of Advocacy and Partnership for IJM, who made the call, said such integration could not be made possible without the active participation of the government and society.

He said this when speaking on behalf of the IJM Country Director, Madam Anita Budu, during the launch of the anti-child trafficking project at Anyamam in the Ada West District of the Greater Accra Region to empower survivors of trafficking through skill training.

The project was jointly carried out by the IJM, End Modern Slavery at Engage Now Africa (ENA), and United Way Ghana, with funding from the Procter and Gamble Company (P and G) Alumni Foundation, aimed at supp
orting about 60 child trafficking survivors in communities located in Volta, Greater Accra, and the Eastern and Central Regions.

He lamented that some organisations had stopped giving support to vulnerable people because those who had the opportunity did not take advantage of it.

He encouraged the survivors to put the opportunity given to them to good use, adding that the government, social workers, and all stakeholders would give their best to support them; however, if they failed to make good use of the opportunity, they might end up being slaves again, but this time to themselves.

‘Don’t let the money go to waste; make sure you put in more hard work and commitment and ensure that all that you are doing supports somebody who comes behind you. How you handle the opportunity given to you today is either going to open a door for somebody or close a door to somebody,’ he emphasised.

He told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the project was aimed at empowering the trafficked survivors to go through an economi
c self-reliance programme to build them for a better future.

‘We want to empower survivors of child trafficking so that they will get skilled and be able to build their lives and give back to society,’ he explained.

Mr. Afasi Komla, the Director for End Modern Slavery at Engage Now Africa (ENA), expressed optimism that the beneficiaries will be ambassadors of the campaign against child trafficking.

He explained that the goal of the three organisations was to help prevent child trafficking in Ghana and across Africa.

Madam Faustina Abbey, the Executive Director for United Way Ghana, said her outfit helps people with health and related issues as a way of giving back to society.

She called on the public and stakeholders to come together and eradicate child trafficking in Ghana.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Iranian government says that all nine people killed in Sunday’s helicopter crash have now been identified.

Despite severe burns, the identities of all occupants were established on Monday, a high-ranking government representative told the Iranian news agency Tasnim. Their bodies have since been transferred to Tabriz, the capital of Iran’s East Azerbaijan province.

State media had previously confirmed the deaths of all nine occupants of the helicopter, including president Ebrahim Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian. The chopper crashed while they were travelling back from a meeting with the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.

A senior imam from Tabriz who led Friday prayers in the city was on the aircraft. He was alive for about an hour after the crash and was able to contact the presidential office before succumbing to his injuries, Tasnim reported.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Amasaman Divisional Police Command has arrested a 40-year-old trader, Kofi Mensah, for stealing power and reconnecting to the national grid after officials of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Ltd. disconnected him for illegal connection.

Speaking to the media, Mr Kingsley Opoku, the ECG Amasaman District Manager, said that on one of its usual monitoring exercises, field staff identified a customer, who was using an unauthorised meter at ‘Nii Aryee’, a suburb of Pokuase.

A closer inspection revealed that the meter had been illegally moved from another District so, the customer was disconnected and directed to visit the office to regularise his relationship with the Company.

Mr Opoku said the customer refused to visit the office but illegally reconnected himself to the grid.

‘Anytime he was disconnected, the customer reconnected himself without recourse to the Company.

‘We were further alarmed when we realised that the customer had now used a cable to directly connect his premises to the low volt
age cables that serve the community.

‘He had also extended this illegal supply to other customers in the area,’ he said.

Mr Opoku said the actions of the suspect not only posed a danger to himself and other customers but also led to technical challenges with the transformer that served the community.

The suspect initially resisted attempts by the staff of the Company to disconnect him, prompting the involvement of the police, who ensured that the disconnection was done.

Mr Emmanuel Akinie, the ECG Accra West General Manager, warned customers to desist from interfering with the Company’s distribution network.

He said such interferences did not only pose a danger to the unauthorised individuals but could cause fire outbreaks, leading to damage to properties.

‘We are consistently reviewing our strategies to identify, surcharge and prosecute any persons found to be stealing power or engaged in other forms of illegalities that negatively affect our system’, he said.

The Accra West region has eight operation
al districts.

are Ablekuma, Achimota, Amasaman, Bortianor, Dansoman, Kaneshie, Korlebu and Nsawam.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) discovered GH?2,854,144.80 in unearned monthly salaries during the Government Payroll Administration audit.

Those unearned salaries were attributed to individuals who were deceased, retired, no longer in employment, listed as missing, or whose whereabouts were unknown, often referred to as ‘Ghost Names.’

A joint statement issued in Accra by the OSP and CAGD said the country saved GH?34,249,737.60 for the 2024 fiscal year by suspending payments and removing those categories of persons from the Government Payroll.

In addition, further savings are anticipated in subsequent years, along with potential upward compensation adjustments, because of the OSP’s joint inquiry into those unearned salaries.

The investigation covered employees on the Government payroll in the Northern Region only.

The statement said the OSP and CAGD discovered that an alarming number of illegal and inactive validators worked on th
e payroll system in the Northern Region.

‘In one instance, it was discovered that a primary school in the Kumbungu District of Ghana Education Service did not exist at all.

‘Yet, this non-existent contrived entity was represented as staffed and the purported staff were being validated monthly and being paid salaries,’ it said

The statement said the OSP and CAGD were conducting an enhanced investigation into educational institutions under the Ghana Education Service in the Northern Region and the Tamale Teaching Hospital.

The goal is to prosecute those who were promoted to non-existent schools, as well as validate deceased, untraceable, and retired individuals and those who had vacated their posts.

It said subsequent phases of the investigation would include the remaining 15 regions.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The inaugural Leading Woman Forum, hosted by Publicis West Africa and partners, brought together trailblazing women leaders to share their journeys, insights, and advice.

Keynote speaker Koo Govender, CEO of Publicis Groupe Africa, urged women to embrace challenges and cultivate a culture of learning and mutual support.

‘Women’s leadership is not a nicety, it’s a necessity. We need more women in leadership positions to bring diversity, inclusivity, and creativity to the corporate world,’ she said.

The forum inspired participants to pursue their aspirations with resilience and confidence, shaping a brighter future for women in leadership.

A panel of distinguished women leaders from various sectors discussed their paths to success, overcoming obstacles, and empowering others.

Seasoned journalist, Vivian Kai Lokko, encouraged women to be deliberate about lifting other women at the workplace, citing her own experience as the head of business news. She argued that women must be their own cheerleaders and not
see themselves as adversaries.

Chief Financial Officer of MTN Ghana, Antoinette Kwofie, emphasized that women at the top of leadership must empower other women to replace them.

She entreated women to see their male counterparts as partners, not competitors, to create a better world.

CEO of Soronko Academy, Regina Honu, urged women to adopt technology to create their own careers and believe in themselves. She shared her experience of working with partners to empower girls with ICT skills, highlighting the importance of collaboration.

A representative from Amnesty International Ghana, Stephany Boateng, emphasized the importance of women speaking up against discrimination at all levels and advocating for equality and inclusion across the country.

She stressed that everyone could play a role in ensuring women have equal rights in their communities and workplaces, and that women should not feel excluded from the workplace due to harassment and abuse.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant met with US National Security Advisor Jack Sullivan in Tel Aviv on Monday to discuss the Gaza war, amid calls from Washington to link military operations in the Gaza Strip to a political strategy.

Israeli Chief of Defence Staff Herzi Halevi was also present at the meeting.

Gallant’s office said he had briefed Sullivan ‘on developments in the war against the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza, as well as the various efforts made to ensure the return of 128 hostages held by Hamas.’

Gallant and other Israeli representatives also presented humanitarian aid plans for the population of the Gaza Strip. ‘This includes significant efforts to evacuate the civilian population in Rafah, facilitating the provision of humanitarian services, and operating in a precise manner to avoid harm to uninvolved civilians,’ the statement said.

International aid organizations have repeatedly warned of hunger in the Gaza Strip and have sharply criticized the high number of civilian casualties
.

Gallant emphasized that Israel had a ‘moral obligation’ to dismantle Hamas’ governmental and military capabilities and to ensure the return of the hostages.

The minister also reaffirmed the close relationship between Israel and the US and the importance of ‘presenting a united front against common enemies.’

In this context, both sides spoke about ‘Iranian aggression and proxy terrorism.’

The tensions on Israel’s border with Lebanon were also discussed. Gallant accused the Lebanese Hezbollah militia of refusing to reach a diplomatic agreement on the withdrawal of its fighters from the border area, risking ‘a significant escalation.’

In previous talks in Israel, Sullivan had made it clear that the US continues to reject a large-scale offensive in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah. Sullivan also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem. According to the White House, Sullivan showed understanding for Israel’s efforts to locate Hamas leaders in the Gaza St
rip.

Source: Ghana News Agency

President of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, Edward Amoako Asante, has expressed concern about efforts being made to amend the Protocol on the Court to introduce the rule on exhaustion of domestic remedies.

He said the attempt to re-negotiate the mandate of the Court was disheartening and posing the greatest existential threat to the Court.

‘It is also a grave access to justice issue. If this succeeds, it will drastically reduce access to the ECOWAS Court of Justice by Community Citizens, and other persons living in the territories of Member States who may be victims of human rights violations,’ Justice Asante said at the closing session of the ECOWAS Court International Conference in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

‘This will weaken the Court, and it is definitely not in the best interest of the Court or the Community Citizens and should therefore be resisted,’ he added.

Held on the theme: ‘Enhancing the Role, Relevance and Effectiveness of the ECOWAS Court of Justice through the Strengthening of Synergie
s between the Court and National Stakeholders”, the conference focused attention on the role and relevance of the ECOWAS Court of Justice in the ECOWAS integration legal landscape and the need to build synergies with national stakeholders, particularly the national courts of Member States.

Justice Asante said the Court was glad the Conference rejected the attempt to introduce the rule into the normative framework of the Court in its recommendations.

He appealed to all participants, and the Civil Society in all Member States to take necessary steps through advocacy with relevant stakeholders in their home countries, to ensure that the proposed amendment, which is very imminent, did not pass.

Justice Asante also urged the Member States to take necessary steps to domesticate the ECOWAS Revised Treaty and the ECOWAS Protocols and to enact enabling laws that will enable national courts to play a more effective role in the integration process.

‘The time has also come for the relevant stakeholders to take steps
to harmonize the legal and judicial systems of the Community,’ he said.

Justice Asante stressed the urgent need for collaboration between the ECOWAS Court of Justice and national courts and for judicial dialogue between the two court systems, adding the ECOWAS Court of Justice is not in competition with the national courts of Member States.

‘We are a Court established by Treaty and our mandate is clearly prescribed by the Protocol on the Court. We are not an appellate Court over national courts, and we don’t have the power to review in abstracto, the laws of Member States,’ he said.

‘As an institution of ECOWAS, we have a duty to maintain good synergies between the Court and national stakeholders of Member States for the benefit of the Court and ECOWAS Community citizens,’ he added.

He said the ECOWAS Court would continue to seek a cordial and harmonious relationship with the national courts and explore other avenues, including judicial dialogue, to deepen the fraternal relations between the Court and the
national courts.

Justice Asante appealed to the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS to restore the Membership of the Court to seven independent judges and to restore the tenure of the judges of the Court to five years renewable for another term of five years as was prescribed in the initial Protocol on the Court.

‘There is also the need for Member States to comply with the judgments of the Court in good faith. We are also urging the three Member States that are yet to appoint their competent national authorities to do so without further delay,’ he added.

Vice President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Justice Gbéri-Bè Ouattara, in expressing gratitude to the Sierra Leone’s government, participants and speakers said the conference provided an excellent opportunity for a give-and-take, in terms of sharing knowledge and knowhow.

He said the various contributions made by the presenters to the discussions enabled the participants to share different forms of experience from different angles, whi
ch shed great light on several issue, at the end of the day, from the diversity of views expressed.

‘This method of positive intellectual confrontation is hereby recognised as having added great value to the conference deliberations, because of the clarity it brought to legal scholarship, from the contributions made in that wise. We are grateful, in that sense, for the originality of thought brought to bear from the texts submitted and discussed,’ Justice Gbéri-Bè Ouattara said.

Meanwhile, the ECOWAS Court has presented its Law Reports to various Sierra Leone’s institutions.

Source: Ghana News Agency

One person died, and several others, including close protection and police officers, sustained various degrees of injuries after the presidential convoy was involved in an accident on Sunday evening.

The dead was identified as Mr Kwesi Atta, a driver.

The incident occurred along the Bunso-Akyem-Asafo stretch of the Accra-Kumasi Highway as the convoy was on its way back from Kumasi, after accompanying the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for a series of events over the weekend.

A statement issued by the Communications Directorate, Office of the President, said the President was ‘safe and unharmed, as he travelled to Accra via a military aircraft’.

‘Several vehicles in the convoy have been completely wrecked as a result of the accident,’ the statement noted.

The injured, who received initial treatment at the Suhum Government Hospital, have been evacuated to the University of Ghana Medical Centre for further treatment and observation.

‘Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the deceased, and
we wish a speedy recovery to the injured officers,’ the statement noted.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The victims of military brutalities in Wa are yet to receive their compensation from the government nearly three years since the incident occurred, Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo IV, the Overlord of the Wala Kingdom, has said.

He said the temper of the people in Wa was assuaged following a promise made to them by the military high command that the victims of the brutalities would be duly compensated by the government.

‘Your Excellency, July 3, 2024, will be three years after the unfortunate incident but up till now the promised compensation has not been paid’, Naa Pelpuo said.

He was speaking in Wa when the Vice President, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, called on him to start his campaign tour of the Upper West Region and to seek his blessing and support in his journey to the Jubilee House.

It is recalled that some military personnel in Wa stormed some streets in the township on July 3, 2021, and assaulted civilians they came across on the streets in retaliation for an alleged theft case of a mobile phone belongi
ng to a military officer.

Naa Pelpuo, therefore, appealed to the government through the Vice President to intervene to enable the aggrieved victims of the brutalities get the compensation due them as they were beginning to lose hope in that promise.

The Chief also appealed to the Vice President to help provide hostel facilities for the Dr. Hilla Limann Technical University (DHTU) as the lack of student hostels was affecting academic activities in the school.

He lamented that DHLTU was the only technical university in the country without a hostel for students, a situation he described as disheartening.

He also appealed for the provision of buses for the Nursing Training College, Wa and the Wa Islamic Senior High School, completion of the Wa Islamic Girls’ Senior High School fence wall project, development of the Wa Naa Palace School and timely supply of farm inputs to farmers in the region as the rains set in.

Dr. Bawumia assured the Chief and his people of taking his request into consideration.

He also
assured him of conducting a clean campaign devoid of insults in the lead-up to the December 7 election.

He said the current NPP-led government had done a lot for the region and the country in general and he was coming in as the President to continue with the development interventions of the current government.

In a subsequent meeting with the Islamic clergy in Wa, Dr. Bawumia said he had contributed significantly to the development of the country as a Vice President within the last seven years with the introduction of 33 different policy interventions.

He mentioned some of the interventions including the Free Senior High School policy, which he said the National Democratic Congress (NDC) vehemently opposed, the Ghana Card, One-Constituency-One Ambulance, Agenda 111, a network of database of government hospitals and the Zongo Development Fund among others.

He said if given the opportunity to lead the country as the President, he would do more for the development of the country and the well-being of the peo
ple considering his achievement as Vice President.

Source: Ghana News Agency