Day: May 20, 2024

The Youth Advocacy Network (YAN), a group of youth advocates in the Wa West District, has engaged young people in the district to empower them to participate actively in the decision-making process.

They were also trained to promote adolescent reproductive health education, rights, education, and development of the girls in their communities.

The initiative by YAN had support from Plan International Ghana as part of efforts to promote youth participation in decision-making, promotion of girls’ rights and reproductive health education.

The young people, majority of whom were females, were trained using the ‘Child Protection Community Facilitation Toolkits’ which focused on gender role analysis and their responsibilities among others.

Speaking at the training in Meteu, Mr Felix Wuurah, the Coordinator of the Network, thanked Plan International Ghana for supporting the Network in its capacity-building activities and stakeholder engagements, especially on girls’ rights and youth development.

He encouraged th
e youth-led and youth-focused groups to engage in activities regularly to build their capacities on various issues that affect them.

‘Don’t hesitate to call on any stakeholder like the National Youth Authority, Plan International Ghana, and the youth advocates around the community if you are facing any challenges’, he told the young people.

Mr Amankona Ampofo, the Upper West Regional Director of the National Youth Authority (NYA), expressed gratitude to Plan International Ghana for its dedicated support to youth development in the region, especially the Wa West District.

He cited the activities of the Upper West Regional Youth Parliament, the Youth Advocacy Network and the Music for Change group among others as some youth development interventions the organisation was supporting in the region.

Mr Ampofo encouraged young people to strive to participate in decision-making processes in their communities and undertake voluntary community activities.

Mr Sumaila Chakurah, the representative of Plan Internation
al Ghana at the training, assured the people of the organisation’s commitment to supporting youth development, particularly girls’ education, their reproductive health, and the general well-being of girls and adolescents.

He also charged the youth to take their education, health, and well-being seriously and engage stakeholders in promoting youth development and well-being.

Similar engagements with the adolescent groups had been held in the Wechiau and Baleufili communities in the Wa West District while plans were in place to extend it to the remaining project communities.

The Network also engaged women groups in the Kendeu community on equal rights for boys and girls at home.

The parents were also urged to create friendly relationships with their children, particularly the girls to enable them openly report issues that affect them such as sexual harassment to their parents.

The YAN is a network of young people operating in eight communities in the Wa West District – Wechiua, Kandeu, Kpanfa, Tendoma, Met
eu, Nyoli, Jagluu and Kachiau.

The group seeks to foster inclusive communities where every girl and young person can achieve their full potential without discrimination.

It prioritises adolescent sexual reproductive health education, girls’ rights promotion, and youth participation in decision-making processes at the family and community levels.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Ghana will join the international community to mark World Metrology Day (WMD), which falls on Monday, May 20, 2024.

World Metrology Day is celebrated annually on May 20 to highlight the significance of measurements in society and commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the Metre Convention in 1875, a treaty signed by representatives of 17 States that provides coherent measurement system worldwide.

Metrology refers to the science of measurement and it plays a central role in scientific discovery and innovation, industrial manufacturing, and international trade, in improving the quality of life and in protecting the global environment.

The theme for WMD 2024 is: ‘Sustainability’, chosen for its relevance to various measurement opportunities crucial for fostering a sustainable global economy and environment.

In line with this year’s theme, the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), which is the National Metrology Institute of Ghana, will observe the Day in Kumasi, with a series of activities aimed at raisin
g awareness of the critical role of metrology in the establishment of a sustainable global economy and environment.

The GSA will organise a market sensitisation event at the Kumasi Central Market on May 20, which is primarily aimed at traders who use measuring instruments, such as scales, in the delivery of their products or services to customers.

The Authority will educate people in the market and verify some of the scales.

The Authority will then hold a workshop for metrology stakeholders on May 21 to engage and educate female Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) on the role and importance of accurate measurements, its impact on business success, environmental sustainability, and global development.

There will also be a media outreach within the Kumasi Metropolitan area aimed at raising awareness and explaining the importance of Metrology in various aspects of daily lives.

The WMD acknowledges and honours the contributions of individuals working in intergovernmental, regional, and national metrolo
gy organisations and institutes year-round.

The GSA urged all stakeholders and the public to join in the celebration of the Day.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Lands and Mining Watch Ghana (LMWG), a civil society organisation dedicated to promoting responsible and sustainable mining practices, has petitioned President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to intervene in the Adamus Mining case.

That they believe will install the rule of law in the mining sector.

In a petition signed by Mr Solomon Owusu and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Monday, the LMWG appealed to the government to assert its authority and fulfill its responsibilities to safeguard the Nation’s interest in the Mining sector.

‘Transparency, accountability, and adherence to the rule of law are essential for the sustainable management of Ghana’s natural resources and the equitable distribution of their benefits among all citizens.

‘Mr. President, LMWG believes strongly that it is high time this issue is addressed to whip up confidence in our justice system, as well as promote proper mining practices in Ghana and protect Ghana’s 10% shares in the Adamus Resources.

‘We urge your prompt intervention to
address the environmental and social concerns surrounding this issue.

Adamus Mining, a company 90% owned by Adamus Australia and 10% owned by the Government of Ghana has been embroiled in a legal tussle after the purported sale of 90% of the company’s stake to Nguvu Mining Limited, a company registered in Mauritius was challenged on account that the person who signed the alleged share transfer agreement was not a Director or officer of the company hence lacked capacity to do so.

This culminated in a series of injunction applications which caused the Accra High Court to institute an Interim Management Committee (IMC) to steer the affairs of the company and manage the accrual of revenue until a final determination of the matter.

‘However, in an act of flagrant disregard for the court’s directives, Nguvu Mines the company purported to have purchased the 90% stake in the Adamus Mines are shipping gold mined by the company without the approval of the duly appointed IMC’.

The statement said the Interim Manageme
nt Committee (IMC) which was formed by the Accra High Court of Justice (Commercial Division 7), on March 1, 2024, to direct the Management of Adamus Resources Limited was continuously being prevented from executing its mandate as per the court ruling.

‘There have been instances of the Ghana police service providing security to the IMC on trips to the company’s headquarters at Airport residential only for the police to withdraw their services at the eleventh hour due to as they put it ‘orders from above’.

There are also several allegations of influential political figures interfering in the work of the IMC and thwarting their efforts.

‘Mr. President, we are appalled by the revelation that Angela List, in collaboration with select individuals from political and security circles are orchestrating a bold and illegal move to export gold valued allegedly at over 7 million USD from Adamus Resources.

‘Owing to these interferences, we deem it imperious to petition the presidency as a civil society organization sin
ce the government of Ghana owes Ghanaians a duty to protect the state’s shares, particularly its substantial 10 percent stake in Adamus Resources’.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings and her adult children were in Kumasi to celebrate the 74th birthday of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, as well as the 25th anniversary of his enstoolment as Asantehene.

A statement issued by the Kobina Andoh Amoakwa, the Communications Director of the Rawlings Foundation, copied to the Ghana News Agency said on Sunday May 12, the family, clad in colourful attire joined well-wishers from across Ghana and other parts of the world to celebrate the grand commemorative Akwasidae ceremony at Dwabrem, Manhyia Palace.

It said Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, Amina Agyeman-Rawlings and Kimathi Agyeman-Rawlings, alongside their mother, took turns to congratulate Otumfuo Osei Tutu II as he sat in state, while adding beauty and colour to an exceptionally resplendent ceremony.

It noted that earlier on Monday, May 6, the entire family led by Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings and comprising Zanetor, Yaa Asantewaa, Amina and Kimathi were at the St Cyprian’s Anglican Church in
Kumasi for the Birthday Thanksgiving Service of the Asantehene.

Adding that they also attended a birthday dinner on the same day in honour of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.

Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings is a direct descendant of the Ashanti Royal family and has close ties with Manhyia and it makes it a responsibility to participate in most traditional Ashanti events.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A professor of International Economic Law, Melaku Geboye Desta, has asked African governments to match their words with actions to accelerate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.

Doing so, he said, required building institutional capacities and creating an enabling environment for more private sector participation, as well as increased sensitisation.

He spoke exclusively with the Ghana News Agency over the weekend, in Accra, on the margins of a two-day conference, which took stock of the five years of coming into force of the AfCFTA.

The conference, which was attended by law students, researchers, and industry players, was on the theme: ‘Taking stock of the implementation of the AfCFTA: continental efforts, State commitment and private sector involvement.’

It was organised by the University of Professional Studies, Accra, UPSA Law School, together with the Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ – German Development Corporation), and other p
artners.

Prof Desta explained that the ratification of the five protocols of the AfCFTA had set a strong foundation for achieving the goals of the tariff free-quota free, cross-border trade among African countries.

The regulations are rules of origin, tariff concessions, online mechanism on monitoring, the Pan African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), and the African trade observatory.

He said, ‘in many cases on the continent, we have so many good ideas, but we don’t invest in our capacity; the ability of our institutions to translate our promises into realities.’

‘We need to invest in building capacities. When people have the capacity to action, we can make a difference in our lives, and for that action to happen, we need the capacity,’ he noted.

Prof Desta, who is also the Coordinator for the African Trade Policy Centre UN Economic Commission for Africa, stated that in the past five years, governments on the continent had done well with the agreement.

‘The completion of the five protocols is a hu
ge achievement. Now, let’s move to the next level and make the trade happen. Let’s sensitise and support the private sector, because without them the AfCFTA won’t make any meaningful impact,’ he said.

He explained that though physical infrastructure, including roads, railways, sea and airports, were critical, without the requisite legal framework, the implementation of the free trade agreement would be hindered.

‘We need to invest a lot to build infrastructure, which is not going to be easy and cheap, but even if we want to have infrastructure tomorrow, if don’t have the legal infrastructure, that’s not going to bring anything,’ Prof Desta explained.

Mr Wamkele Mene, Secretary General, AfCFTA Secretariat, stated that the legal framework governing the implementation of the AfCFTA, has been made to address disputes regarding design flaws and political issues in similar agreements.

He expressed confidence that the implementation of the agreement would transform intra-African trade system for development thro
ugh a legally binding regulation.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr. Hanna Louisa Bisiw-Kotei, National Women’s Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), says her party will outline strategic interventions to revitalise and strengthen the local poultry sector.

She said this during a seminar with the Ghana National Association of Poultry Farmers held at the Miklin Hotel in Kumasi.

The seminar was on the theme: ‘Overview of Ghana’s Depressing Poultry Industry and its Impact on Future Food Security.’

Delivering a speech at the seminar, Dr. Hanna Bisiw-Kotei highlighted the NDC’s plans to implement policies that mandate importers to procure 40% of their poultry locally, creating a $110 million market for local producers.

She emphasised the critical need for strategic interventions to reduce Ghana’s reliance on poultry imports and foster economic growth.

Dr. Hanna Bisiw-Kotei stated the need for the establishment of an open and transparent market system to ensure price stability and promote industry growth.

The NDC’s Women Organiser also detailed a roadmap invo
lving four fundamental pillars: securing the poultry value chain, creating jobs, removing entry barriers, and promoting sustainable practices through technology adoption.

Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, the NDC’s running mate for the 2024 elections, graced the occasion as the keynote speaker, emphasising her party’s unwavering commitment to foster economic growth.

She highlighted that the NDC’s manifesto included comprehensive plans aimed at fostering growth and

sustainability through the implementation of the 24-hour economy policy and the 60:40 policy for local contractors across various sectors, including agriculture.

The seminar addressed the urgent need for supportive policies to strengthen the local poultry industry, which has been struggling due to a heavy reliance on imported chicken meat.

Source: Ghana News Agency

South Africa’s highest court ruled on Monday that former president Jacob Zuma cannot stand as a candidate in next week’s general election on the grounds that a 2021 conviction for contempt of court has disqualified him.

The Constitutional Court ruled that Zuma’s sentence of more than 12 months in prison had made him ineligible to stand.

His former party, the ruling African National Congress (ANC), suspended Zuma, 82, in January. He has since founded a new party, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) and intended to stand as chairman of the party in the May 29 elections.

The Constitutional Court ruling reverses an earlier ruling by a lower court allowing Zuma to stand in the elections.

The elections are seen as the most significant since freedom fighter and later president Nelson Mandela led the country to democracy in 1994. Polls indicate that the ANC could for the first time lose its absolute majority and be forced to seek a coalition partner.

Under the constitution, the president is appointed by parliament and not di
rectly elected.

President from 2009 to 2018, Zuma was forced from office on grounds of corruption. In 2021 he was handed a 15-month prison term after refusing to give evidence to a committee investigating nepotism and corruption during his period in office.

His arrest provoked riots in which some 350 people were killed and hundreds of businesses were looted and firebombed.

Zuma served less than eight weeks in prison before being released on grounds of poor health.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Incumbent Luis Abinader has been re-elected in the first round of the presidential election in the Dominican Republic.

The candidate of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) received over 57% of the vote, the electoral office announced on Monday after almost all the votes had been counted.

Former president Leonel Fernández, who governed in 1996-2000 and again in 2004-08, received around 29% of the vote, while the former mayor of the second largest city Santiago, Abel Martínez, received around 10%. Both have conceded defeat.

All three candidates can be assigned to the centre-left camp.

‘We have already travelled part of the way. Now it is time to deepen the changes and reforms in order to consistently continue on the path of development,’ Abinader said after his election victory, according to a report in the Listin Diario newspaper.

The election campaign in the Caribbean state was dominated by the crisis in neighbouring Haiti, with which the Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola.

Powerful gan
gs have brought the state there to the brink of collapse. Abinader recently said that the crisis in Haiti poses a direct threat to the stability and security of the Dominican Republic. His government is currently building a wall along the approximately 400 kilometre-long border.

The Dominican Republic is the most popular tourist destination in the Caribbean. The beach paradise has recovered from the slump in tourism caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and last year recorded more than 10 million visitors for the first time. The economy has been one of the fastest growing in Latin America on average for decades.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Israel intends to expand its military operation in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip to defeat Hamas and to free the hostages the militant organization is still holding, despite US concerns, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Monday.

Gallant was speaking during a meeting with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Tel Aviv, according to Israeli radio. Israeli Chief of the Defence Staff Herzi Halevi also attended 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 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.

The tensions on Israel’s border with Lebanon were als
o 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.’

Sullivan had earlier repeated that the United States continued to reject a widescale offensive in the overcrowded city of Rafah in talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem on Sunday.

According to the White House, Sullivan nevertheless showed understanding for Israeli efforts to locate Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip.

The White House statement said that Sullivan had reaffirmed ‘the need for Israel to connect its military operations to a political strategy that can ensure the lasting defeat of Hamas, the release of all the hostages, and a better future for Gaza.’

According to estimates from the United Nations, around 800,000 Palestinians have fled Rafah since the start of the operation two weeks ago. Many of them are refugees from other parts of the Gaza Strip who had sou
ght refuge in its southernmost point.

The White House said that Sullivan had provided information on discussions with Egypt to secure its border with Rafah and to secure the continued flow of humanitarian assistance through the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel into the southern Gaza Strip.

Kerem Shalom has become key to supplying humanitarian aid following the closure of the Rafah crossing by Israeli forces at the start of the month. Hamas has recently attacked the crossing and Israeli settlements with rockets.

According to media reports, Egypt has indicated it will not coordinate aid transports through Rafah until the Israeli forces withdraw. Talks on reopening the crossing are reported to be continuing.

Following his talks with Sullivan in Jerusalem, Netanyahu posted on the X messaging service that the continuation of the war in Gaza, with an emphasis on Rafah, were discussed, along with ‘increasing the humanitarian effort in the Strip.’

According to the White House, Sullivan and the Israelis discusse
d ways of ensuring that humanitarian workers could safely deliver aid to those in need and establish fixed corridors inside Gaza to ensure aid is able to reach all those in need.

Aid has also been arriving by sea at a temporary pier constructed off the Gazan coast by the US Navy.

Reflecting a rise in tensions within the Israeli government, Gallant has demanded the creation of a political alternative to Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Benny Gantz, a fellow cabinet member, threatened over the weekend to resign if a plan was not in place by June 8 to set up a civilian administration to run the Gaza Strip.

Israeli military operations continued in other parts of the Gaza Strip. The Hamas-controlled health authority reported the deaths on Sunday of at least 24 Palestinians in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the centre of the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli army confirmed that a senior Hamas police officer had been killed in a targeted attack and that another Hamas commander and five activists had been killed in a separate attac
k in Nuseirat.

Tunnels on the border to Egypt had also been discovered and destroyed.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court said on Monday that he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top leaders from Palestinian extremist group Hamas over war crimes committed in Israel and Gaza.

Prosecutor Karim Khan said he is requesting warrants for Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Gaza Strip beginning on October 8, a day after Hamas militants launched their unprecedented attack on Israel.

Among the allegations are ‘starvation of civilians as a method of warfare’ and ‘intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population,’ a statement from Khan’s office said.

Warrants have also been requested for Yehya al-Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, along with Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, the head of the group’s military wing, and Ismail Haniyeh, who sits atop Hamas’ political bureau and is seen as the group’s overall leader.

They were accused by Khan of bearin
g responsibility for murders, rapes, hostage-takings, torture and other inhumane acts from at least October 7.

Fighters from Hamas and other militant groups from Gaza killed some 1,200 people in the unprecedented massacre on communities in southern Israel on October 7. They also injured and raped countless others and took some 250 hostages back to Gaza.

Israel responded by sealing off the Palestinian territory and launching a massive aerial campaign to eliminate Hamas. At the end of October, Israeli ground troops were sent in and much of the coastal strip has since been rendered uninhabitable.

More than 35,000 Palestinians are said to have been killed in the fighting so far, while thousands of others are threatened by famine.

In his statement, Khan said that evidence gathered by his office ‘shows that Israel has intentionally and systematically deprived the civilian population in all parts of Gaza of objects indispensable to human survival.’

This was achieved, among other things, ‘through the imposition
of a total siege over Gaza,’ including the closure of border crossings from October 8 ‘for extended periods and then by arbitrarily restricting the transfer of essential supplies – including food and medicine – through the border crossings after they were reopened.’

Khan said his office ‘submits that these acts were committed as part of a common plan to use starvation as a method of war and other acts of violence against the Gazan civilian population as a means to (i) eliminate Hamas; (ii) secure the return of the hostages which Hamas has abducted, and (iii) collectively punish the civilian population of Gaza, whom they perceived as a threat to Israel.’

Regarding the Hamas leaders, Khan said evidence showed that al-Sinwar, al-Masri and Haniyeh ‘planned and instigated the commission of crimes on 7 October 2023, and have through their own actions, including personal visits to hostages shortly after their kidnapping, acknowledged their responsibility for those crimes.’

‘We submit that these crimes could not h
ave been committed without their actions.’

He added that there were also ‘reasonable grounds to believe that hostages taken from Israel have been kept in inhumane conditions, and that some have been subject to sexual violence, including rape.’

The International Criminal Court prosecutes individuals for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Israel does not recognize the court, but the Palestinian territories are a state party, so the prosecutor is authorized to investigate.

Legally, an ICC arrest warrant against the persons concerned would mean that states that have signed the ICC statutes would be obliged to arrest these persons and hand them over to the court if they enter the territory of these states.

A year ago, the court also issued international arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian commissioner for children’s rights. Both are accused of war crimes in connection with the abduction and forced adoption of Ukrainian children to Russ
ia.

At the end of April, Netanyahu slammed the prospect of a possible arrest warrants against him and other Israelis by the ICC as an ‘unprecedented anti-Semitic hate crime.’

Such a step would violate Israel’s right to self-defence following the Hamas massacre on October 7 last year, he said in a video address.

Source: Ghana News Agency