Day: May 31, 2024

An NGO, Agricultural Social Entrepreneurship Foundation (ASEF), has said that no fewer than 40,000 Nigerian youths will be trained for job opportunities in its ‘Waste4Meal’ farming project.

The ASEF President, Mr Oluwole Azeez, made this known while signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with New Generation Nutrition (NGN) and FIDAS African, at International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, on Friday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Waste4Meal is the conversion of wastes into useable agricultural products, such as fertilisers, animal feeds and oil.

Azeez said that 40,000 Nigerians and no fewer than 100,000 African youths and women would be trained on Black Soldier Fly farming and waste aggregation recyclination, with the aim of making them earn a living, promote food security and reduce poverty.

He said that the trainees would be divided into clusters that would spread across all the states in Nigeria and other Africa countries like Ghana, South Africa, Liberia, Uganda
and Cameroon.

‘The cluster persons will create farm for them and work with investors that will bring money into the project for them.

‘I believe that Nigeria can feed itself if the citizenry taps into the project,’ he said.

Azeez said that Nigeria, being the biggest importer of animal feeds in Africa, imported the protein components of animal feeds which could be generated locally, using food waste and other organic waste and black soldier fly.

‘The banana peels, remnant of amala and rice can be converted into fertiliser and protein that fishes and pigs can eat and as well converted into oil we use in frying meat,’ Azeez said.

Also speaking, the ASEF Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Rosemary Adebayo, said the objective of the MoU was to create awareness and empowerment in inset farming industry and introduce Africans into the waste4meal project.

‘We intend to promote alternative sources of protein for farmers to reduce the difficulty they face in the agricultural sector in Nigeria and reduce the amount spen
t on animal feeds.

‘Waste4meal project is about training people the whole value-chain of the black soldier fly profitability,’ she said.

In her remarks, the FIDAS Africa Executive Director, Mrs Omolola Elsie, said that the organisation, being a decentralised online training platform focusing on agriculture, would ensure the success of the training.

Elsie said that her platform would be used to implement all the training component of the project.

Also speaking, the representative of NGN, Mr John Olabisi, said that the project would address the problem of food and livestock feed insufficiency in Nigeria.

In his own contribution, Dr Debo Akande, Director of Business Incubation Platform (BIP), IITA, and Executive Adviser to Oyo State Governor on Agricbusiness, commended the project organisers.

Akande, represented by the IITA Head of Social and Corporate Governance, Mr Wale Oladokun, said that it was a thing of joy for people to be trained and be made to turn the outcome of such training into profitable ways

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The President of Women in Mining Ghana, Dr Georgette Barnes Sakyi-Addo has officially outdoored the BCM Women in Mining Chapter in Accra with a call on women to ensure excellence in their profession irrespective of challenges.

She commended management of BCM for creating an enabling and cordial environment for the establishment of a Women in Mining Chapter.

The Ghana Chamber of Mines annual industry demographic study in 2023 revealed that women represent approximately 10 per cent of the total workforce in the large-scale mining sector.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the BCM Women in Mining Chapter in Accra on Friday, Dr Sakyi-Addo said the formation of the chapters played a crucial role in driving organisational growth.

‘The Women in Mining Chapters plays a crucial role in driving growth in organisations, having a vibrant chapter helps deal with a lot of issues, sometimes the chapters act as a source of research, because when we are organized like that, it is easy to find out what is happening and
find solutions.

‘I wish that we will get to a point where there will be enough women, where the mining sector will be inclusive and we do not need to have Women in Mining groups.

‘But for now we are working on more participation of women in the sector, those who come on board, what is it that doesn’t make them not stay and find solutions to them, for me this also an economic empowerment issue. The natural resources belong to Ghana and if your daughter can get a job there, you know she is going to get good pay and training and some form of security,’ she said.

On her part the Deputy Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Penny Dennis commended BCM for making the formation of the Chapter a reality.

‘It is absolutely delightful to be at the launch of the BCM’s Women in Mining Chapter today, we have been a strong advocate of the Women in Mining Ghana network.

‘It is a really important network; we have had the privilege of hosting for a couple of years now a breakfast on International Women’s Day but more imp
ortantly being able to support their mentoring programme

President of the newly inaugurated BCM Women in Mining Chapter Ama Duose-Bansah said the formation was a demonstration of BCM’s commitment to women empowerment.

‘It is actually a good initiative, one that we are all happy about, because it shows that the company is going to support women empowerment.

‘Our vision is to encourage more women to be bold and come forward to join the extractive sector not just mining but Oil and gas and once it is a field dominated by men,’ Duose- Bansah said.

The event was attended by dignitaries including representatives from Ghana Chamber of Mines, Minerals Commission, Women in Mining Ghana and the Ghana Mine Workers Union.

BCM, a global civil earthworks and surface mining contractor based in Ghana, West Africa, has been operating for nearly 100 years, originally as ‘Harold List and Sons’ in the 1950s, and then as Bayswater Contracting.

It has a strong presence in the region and has established a reputation as an ind
ustry leader in earthworks and surface mining contracting.

The company has extensive international experience in bulk and detailed earthworks for construction and mining projects and has combined civil earthworks skills with open pit mining skills since 1994; often undertaking large-scale construction earthworks projects using medium-sized mining plant and equipment and has expanded throughout West Africa, Tanzania, Central Asia, and Jordan.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Police Service says it has forwarded a duplicate docket on Nana Barima Ababio, aka Benlord Ababio, a self-acclaimed traditional ruler who allegedly shot and killed a soldier over land dispute at Kasoa, to the Office of the Attorney General for advice.

At the Achimota District Court on Thursday, Prosecution led by Detective Inspector Samuel Adu Berchie therefore prayed for a date.

The court adjourned the matter to June 13, 2024, as prosecution awaits the advice of the Attorney General.

Meanwhile, the court has remanded into Police custody Nana Barima Ababio, aka Benlord Ababio and his accomplice Nana Kofi Kwakye into Police custody.

When the matter was called, the accused persons’ lawyers were not available in court.

Some family members of the slain soldier expressed their anger at the Police when the faces of the accused persons were covered and escorted into a Police vehicle.

Mother of the soldier, Nana Kwakua, has appealed to President Akufo Addo to intervene in the matter for so the family
to obtain justice.

Benlord Ababio, also known as Nana Barima Ababio, a self-proclaimed security operative is accused of shooting to death Lance Corporal Michael Danso over a land dispute.

The Police recently picked up Nana Amo Kofi Kwakye, an accomplice, and arraigned him.

Benlord, the self-proclaimed traditional ruler in Kasoa, is reported to have colluded with Kwakye to kill the soldier.

The two have been jointly charged with conspiracy. Benlord has been charged with murder.

The court has preserved their pleas.

The prosecution told the court that on April 30, 2024, at around 1600 hours, Lance Corporal Michael Danso and two colleagues, Lance Corporals Abdul Omar Rahman and Ametus Matthew, drove to Millennium City police station in a Toyota RAV4 to report a trespass.

They were informed that some encroachers were developing a parcel of land belonging to Lance Corporal Abdul Omar Rahman.

The accused appeared at the police station, and Benlord attacked and opened fire on Lance Corporal Michael Danso who
driving the vehicle, killing him instantly.

Ben Lord was disarmed by the police and arrested for investigations.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Judicial Committee of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, has affirmed Nene Dame Agbewornu II as the chief of Sege Nakomkope.

This was after restoring and setting aside an earlier judgement by the Judicial Committee of the Ada Traditional Council.

The Committee, in its judgement in an appeal case on April 30, 2024, a copy of which is available to the Ghana News Agency, set aside the November 24, 2020, judgement of the Ada Traditional Council and restored an earlier judgement from the council on June 7, 2012, which was entered in his favour as chief of Sege Nakompe.

The chief, together with one other, appealed against the setting aside of the June 7, 2012, ruling, which was based on reasons that the said judgement was ‘procured or obtained by fraud.’

The Judicial Committee of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, chaired by King Professor Odaifio Welentsi III, noted that Mr Gideon Dame Agbewornu, the first plaintiff, was a member and elder of the Agbewornu gate of the Lomotey We, which i
s not in dispute, stating that with his position, he would be clothed with the capacity to assert the legal and customary right of the Agbewornu gate to occupy the Sege Stool based on a report made to the Lomobiawe tribe by Agbator Sewu in respect of the rotational occupancy of the Sege Stool.

The committee further stated that it is a well-known rule of evidence that when fraud is alleged, even in civil proceedings, it must be proved beyond reasonable doubt, adding that the standard of proof beyond reasonable doubt is codified under the Evidence Act 1975 (NRCD 323) in Section 13(1), indicating that there was no evidence on the record of appeal to suggest that the Judicial Committee of Ada Traditional Council was influenced, swayed, or deceived by the description of Nene Agbewornu, the chief of Sege, among other issues.

‘The Committee’s order to the Agbeowornu gate to present Nene Agblorwornu II as the next chief of Sege can also not be said to be a fraudulent act perpetrated by the Plaintiffs therein,’ it i
ndicated.

It added that ‘for the foregoing reasons, the appeal succeeds, and same is accordingly allowed. The judgement of the trial judicial committee dated 24th November 2020, as well as the costs are hereby set aside, and we enter judgement for the Defendants/Appellants. The judgement of the judicial Committee of the Ada Traditional Council dated 7th June 2012 is hereby restored.’

It also awarded costs of GHs15000.00 in favour of the Defendants/Appellants and against the Plaintiffs/Respondents.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Akatsi District office of the Electricity Company of Ghana Limited (ECG) has embarked on a community education programme on their operations.

The exercise, which started at Akeve and Gui, all within Akatsi South, among several aims, would educate residents in the various communities about ECG’s activities and how to get their challenges resolved, use of ECG Power App, and energy conservation.

Mr Samuel Diasempah, the Akatsi South District Manager of ECG who led a team of other senior officials to the area on Thursday, exposed customers to issues on high bills, safety precautions, momo fraud alert, and others.

He said their outfit operated on an excellent customer service basis and that they were ready to work at reaching customer’s needs when the need arose.

Mr De-Asempa further appealed to customers to exercise patience when issues with their billing systems emerged since ‘they will be resolved when reported.’

He, however, cautioned those who intentionally engage in fraudulent, illegal, and unaccep
table activities against the company to be on the lookout for triggering punitive measures when caught in those acts.

Mrs Eunice Tweneboah-Kodua, the Volta Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO) of ECG who accompanied the team, took the customers through the status-quo of the company’s billing systems, and the various innovative operations such as ‘Correct and Collect.

She said the move would resolve all issues, as well as enhance the company’s revenue drive ambition for uninterrupted and reliable supply.

Mr Johnson Agbemazie, the Assembly Member for the area, disclosed to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the exercise was an excellent one that would drive away all doubts and fear between the two parties.

‘We are fully satisfied with the exercise. This educational drive has helped my people to understand some important things and we need to commend ECG for the intervention.’

Mr Agbemazie also disclosed that some billing issues were instantly resolved on the field, adding, ‘We must also pay our bills on t
ime to avoid disconnection.’

The Community Education programme, according to ECG, would be extended to all Electoral Areas within Akatsi South and other Districts and Municipalities in the Region.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Forestry Commission (FC) has called on the citizenry to continue to inspect and nurture all planted trees from previous years to maturity to help protect the environment to achieve the impact of tree planting exercise.

Though the unfavourable current climate conditions had had some impact on the exercise, it was important to replace all dried trees to ensure the full realisation of the purpose of the Green Ghana project by the government, to preserve the environment.

Mr John Allotey, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the FC made the call when he paid a courtesy call on Mrs Justina Marigold Assan, the Central Regional Minister on preparations towards the upcoming Green Ghana Day.

He was accompanied by Mrs Joyce Ofori Kwafo, the Corporate Affairs and Media Relations Manager of FC, Mr Bennet Ntiamoah, the Regional Manager of the FC and other District Officers.

‘We need to regularly inspect all planted trees to see whether they’re doing well or not, and revamp dying ones,’ he appealed.

Mr Allotey sai
d the country had projected to plant more than 10 million trees on Friday, June 09, the day of the exercise and was optimistic to meet the target or probably exceed it.

‘The citizenry has shown commitment and support over the years,’ he said and encouraged them to continue to partake in the tree planting exercise, as the surest way to recover depleted forest reserves and water bodies for the benefits of all.

More than 600,000 trees are expected to be planted in the Central Region with focus on revamping about 80 per cent of lost forest reserves and other areas of importance.

The forest remaining 20 per cent would be distributed to available spaces requiring trees such as fruit bearing and ornamental trees.

Mrs Assan pledged her full support and commitment to the project and urged all to show up on the day and make the Central Region greener.

The team later inspected some previous sites where trees had been planted over the last three years and this included the University of Cape Coast campus, where many
of the trees had been matured and were growing well.

Mr Samuel Jinapor, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, earlier this year launched the Green Ghana Day project with a call on the citizenry to commit to plant and grow at least 10 million trees, for a greener tomorrow and for the survival of generations unborn.

He said the government was pursuing an aggressive afforestation and reforestation programme, which had led to the cultivation of almost 721,000 hectares of forest between 2017 and 2023, under the Ghana Forest Plantation Strategy.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The fourth edition of the Ghana Tourism Expo, the largest and most anticipated tourism event in Ghana, is set from September 11 to13, 2024, at the Akwaaba Village in Accra.

This year’s expo promises to be bigger and better, with over 200 exhibitors from Ghana and beyond showcasing the best of African tourism.

In a release issued to the Ghana News Agency on Friday, in Accra, Mr Emmanuel Treku, Chief Executive Officer and Convener, Inter Tourism Expo Accra, said the event would feature a range of activities, including cultural performances, cooking demonstrations, and travel trade shows.

‘There would also be a food bazaar, networking opportunities, leisure eco-tourism tours, exclusive discounts and promotions for attendees, panel discussions on industry trends and insights, among others.’

He also noted that the event promised to be an unforgettable experience, with exhibitors showcasing the best of African tourism.

‘Thought leaders in the likes of The King of Accra, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, Alain St. A
nge, former Tourism Minister of Seychelles and Professor Ezra Aharone, Director, Centre for Global Africa, USA will be speaking.’

Mr Treku said, ‘registration is now open for exhibitors, attendees, and media representatives. Tickets can be purchased online.’

This year’s expo would be held under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture and in partnership with the Economic Trade and Investment Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ministry of Trade and Industry, The High Commission of India in Ghana and The School of Creative Arts, University of Education, Winneba.

Source: Ghana News Agency