Day: June 29, 2024

The Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA), as of December 2023, has implemented 46 per cent of the overall activities in its 2022-2025 Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP).

Mr. Yohane Amarh Ashitey, the Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, disclosed this during the First Ordinary Meeting of the First Session of the Ninth Assembly of the TMA.

Mr. Ashitey said that despite the financial difficulties the Assembly faced in 2022, 144 activities, representing 92 percent of the 156 programmes and projects in the 2022 Annual Action Plan, were executed and at various stages of completion.

This, he noted, constituted 23 per cent of the overall activities in the 2022-2025 Medium-Term Development Plan (MDTP).

‘The total number of programmes and projects in the 2023 Annual Action Plan was 160, out of which 147 activities, representing 92 per cent, have been executed and some are at various stages of completion. The remaining 5% have been rolled over for implementation in the year 2024,’ he said.

He disclosed that about 54 pe
r cent of planned projects and programmes were geared towards providing social services and infrastructure for the Tema Metropolis, covering economic development, social development, environment, infrastructure, and human settlement, governance, corruption and public accountability, and emergency planning and response.

He indicated that the TMA, with the collaboration of assembly members, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders and partners, would ensure that the implementation of the Medium-Term Development Plan spurred the growth of the metropolis.

Touching on environmental and waste management, the MCE said even though the assembly had over the years legislated bye-laws aimed at ensuring a cleaner and healthier environment, some residents continue to litter the environment with both solid and liquid waste.

‘I am aware and have led various task forces for the past three years to restore some sanity to the environment, but more work needs to be done as a result of the attitude of our people. I
t is therefore a challenge and we must realise that we have much more responsibility at hand to ensure that successes chalked are sustained and built upon.

I strongly implore all and sundry to cultivate the culture of cleanliness in our homes, workplaces, public places, and in our everyday lives,’ he said.

Mr. Ashitey said his outfit would collaborate with all the relevant institutions and agencies to embark on routine clean-up exercises within the metropolis, adding that they had already submitted their sanitation and clean-up exercise plan to the region as requested, and very soon vigorous action would be seen in the metropolis.

He announced that the assembly bye-law had finally been gazetted and expected to instill some form of discipline and ensure compliance by all residents of the Tema metropolis,

adding that the Environmental Health Unit of the assembly had also instituted measures to strengthen its prosecution of sanitation offenders.

He added that to improve waste management, the TMA had acquire
d seven tricycles, one refuse truck (skip truck), and two skip containers, noting that with coverage of the solid waste services system, out of 6,546 premises inspected, 2,523 premises were registered, with the approved solid waste providers.

He further said that a total of 2,193 registered households, representing 87 percent, were provided with the approved litter bins with fittings.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Ghana’s Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment (NDPBA) was launched in Accra with a call on response agencies to implement the recommendations in the report.

The National Assessment was conducted on behalf of the Ghana government by the Disaster Pacific Center (DPC), a United State based organisation with support from the US government and the US-African Command.

Mr Ray Shirkodai, the Executive Director of PDC, said the project helped assess disaster risks, identified and prioritised actions to reduce the most pressing risks in Ghana.

‘By applying the results of this assessment and investing in the necessary resources, we can all help implement the recommendations and make substantial progress in disaster risk reduction’.

He said the project which started a little over a year ago, was not just about assessing risks; but also building a stronger, safer, and more resilient nation and how to help Ghana’s response agencies to identify disaster risk zones.

Mr Shirkodai noted the partnership between NADMO a
nd PDC would continue to grow and evolve as they work together towards their shared goal of a safer and more resilient Ghana.

‘Together, we will build on the foundation laid by this project and strive to achieve even greater successes in the future,’ he added.

He, therefore, commended NADMO and other response agencies and all other stakeholders involved in the project for their collaboration, contributions, professionalism, and dedication throughout the period.

‘Your commitments to enhancing disaster preparedness and resilience in Ghana is truly commendable,’ he added.

The Director General of NADMO, Mr Eric Nana Agyemang-Prempeh, said the United States Government through many of its agencies remained a key partner to NADMO in their resilience building efforts.

He noted that the collaboration between NADMO and the PDC was just one of the numerous supports from the US government towards disaster risk reduction.

‘Over the years, NADMO engaged the North Dakota Coast Guard, The US-African Command and other a
gencies in key areas of preparedness and early warning,’ he emphasised.

Revisiting the Akosombo dam spillage, Mr Agyemang-Prempeh said the losses from the devastation reminded them of the need to continue investing in resilience building and preparedness efforts.

The spillage professed great havoc, resulting to displacement, loss of livelihoods and properties in several districts across the regions.

It also impacted key public infrastructure like schools, hospitals, road network, markets, water and power sources, among others.

Mr Agyemang-Prempeh said it was their greatest quest to mainstream disaster risk reduction into all national developmental programmes and activities.

‘In line with this, a comprehensive sector assessment, with key focus on response agencies is seen to aid our understanding and efforts for holistic national all development programing,’ he added.

He expressed their gratitude to the United States and PDC for granting their request for the technical support towards Disaster Preparedne
ss Baseline Assessment, the first of its kind done by the PDC in the sub region.

‘As we witnessed a successful launch through your kind support, the result representation will invite input to signify the completion of a context driven assessment and recommendation’.

Major Berth Simek, the Bilateral Affairs Officer at the Office of Security Cooperation with the United States Embassy in Accra, said the NDPBA intended to support risk-informed and effective decision making to enhance preparedness and sustainable development.

The assessment, she said, provided a comprehensive understanding of the national disaster preparedness capabilities and gaps to improve Ghana’s disaster preparedness, response and recovery.

There were presentation of gifts and certificates to members of the technical committee.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Germany has commended the reforms carried out by Morocco under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, for a more open and dynamic Moroccan society and economy.

In a joint declaration adopted in Berlin by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, Annalena Baerbock, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates of the Kingdom of Morocco, Nasser Bourita, Germany welcomed ‘the reforms carried out by Morocco, under the Leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, for a more open and dynamic Moroccan society and economy.’

In the Declaration, issued following the 1st session of the bilateral Strategic Dialogue, Germany also praised Morocco’s active and constructive role and contribution, under the Sovereign’s leadership to peace and stability in the region.

To this end, Berlin reaffirmed Germany’s vision of Morocco as an essential partner of the European Union, NATO and Germany in Africa, and a crucial link between North and South.

Germany als
o indicated that it was ‘closely following the initiatives launched by His Majesty King Mohammed VI for the African continent, including that of November 6, 2023 for the Sahel region.’

On Friday, Bourita and Baerbock held the first session of the bilateral strategic dialogue, in accordance with the joint declaration adopted on the occasion of Baerbock’s visit to Morocco on August 25, 2022.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr. Kyei Kwadwo Yamoah, the Convenor for the Fisheries Alliance, a civil society organisation, has called for the documentation of the unique indigenous traditional fishing knowledge in Ghana to help in the country’s fisheries management.

Mr. Yamoah said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency following the commencement of the Creating Synergies between Indigenous Practices and Scientific Knowledge (ISIPSK) Sankofa research project, an initiative of the School of Geography and Sustainable Development at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, in collaboration with other stakeholders.

He said it was important for the fisheries sector managers to blend traditional and scientific management as scientific knowledge depended on traditional knowledge, which is known as primary information gathering from practitioners.

He added that in Ghana’s fisheries sector, there were several rich indigenous and traditional knowledge that fishermen applied in their jobs that were yet to be documented.

He noted that
when fishers went fishing and returned at night, they read the stars and applied astronomy to identify where they have to locate their communities, adding that they also used the stars to identify some fish species that would be available.

Mr. Yamoah further said the traditional ways of constructing canoes in Ghana do not have any written diagrams or documents to show how they were done, stating that ‘in Ghana, we have a unique way of having canoes from logs; other places use planks, so it is a knowledge of carving that needs to be documented.’

He further said, ‘We also have traditional ways of net construction; when nets are stolen, traditionally, they have ways of identifying their own because they are uniquely constructed, but for a layman, when you get to the fishing community, you will think that all are the same; we have traditionally woven nets, and every fisherman has a unique way they do theirs.’

According to him, there are places that fishermen have identified as spawning grounds that need to be
properly captured to inform fisheries management.

‘What is even more important is that in those days, there were traditional norms and other forms of cultural practices that, when they followed, they called on the belief system, the sea god, to provide them with a bumper harvest. And they believe it is workable; we need to document them to appreciate and understand them,’ he emphasised.

Mr. Yamoah further recalled that in the olden days, there were times that the traditional leaders would not allow fishers to go to sea at certain seasons based on certain signals they had picked up by reading the stars or observing certain environmental happenings and had various reasons, including the sea being envisioned to be rough or if a disaster would occur.

‘There are traditional fishing methods that need to be captured and are unique to Ghana; we can even use them to promote tourism or share them with the global community for some recognition,’ he indicated.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr. Evans Akpah, Assemblyman for Adaklu Kodzobi Electoral Area in the Adaklu district at the weekend appealed to government to as a matter of urgency rehabilitate the deplorable Ho – Adaklu Kodzobi road.

He said the bad nature of the road was compounded by the recent rains almost making it impassable.

Mr Akpah made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Adaklu Kodzobi in the Adaklu district.

He said construction works began on the road, but the contractor abandoned the work some 14 years ago.

The Assemblyman stated that most drivers stopped plying the road adding that the few who were doing so charged exorbitant fares.

He said Adaklu Kodzobi was the fastest growing community in the Adaklu district due to its proximity to Ho.

Mr Akpah stated that it was also the nearest community to the University of Health and Allied Science and the Ho Technical University.

He said for this reason, most students from these universities and workers reside in the community.

He also disclosed that the b
ridge over river Da on the road was very narrow that anytime it rained no vehicle could go to Ho nor come to the community making it difficult for workers and students to go to work and school.

Mr Akpah therefore called on the Adaklu District Assembly, Mr. Kwame Agbodza, Member of Parliament for Adaklu and the government to help solve ‘this nagging problem

Source: Ghana News Agency

Ms. Felicia Edem Attipoe, the Tema West Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), says the assembly is taking steps to contribute its quota to the development of the agriculture sector in the country.

Ms. Attipoe delivering a sessional address at a general assembly meeting said TWMA’s focus in respect of agricultural improvement included grains, vegetables and poultry.

She added that some key aggregates, financial institutions, input suppliers and farmers would be engaged to enhance agriculture production in the municipality.

She further said that the aassembly through government’s Planting for Food and Jobs (PJF) Phase Two, would introduce the Ghana Agriculture and Agribusiness Platform (GhAAP) mobile app for digital farmer registration to help address the traditional methods of collecting vital information to improve agriculture support.

She said the second phase of the PFJ, launched this year, is a five-year plan to modernize agriculture and address the challenges observed in phase one with key issues related t
o marketing and sales leading to post harvest losses.

Other challenges she noted included poor quality of seeds and fertilizer, poor delivery in respect of mechanisation and inability to access credit facilities.

The MCE explained that 356 home and farm visits had been done to assist farmers, Farmer Based Organizations, and other clients along the agriculture value chain by providing them with technical knowledge on new technologies as well as advisory services.

She said her outfit had trained 83 individuals in snail and mushroom production while a demonstration site for practical learning centres had been established for interested individuals.

She added that the assembly had collaborated with the fisheries department to undertake monitoring visits to catfish farmers to enable sustainability of catfish farming in the municipality.

Touching on animal rearing, she said routine vaccination programmes and prophylactic treatments were carried out as they were essential for maintaining healthy livestock.

She
said an antemortem and postmortem examination of 1644 cattle, 20 sheep and 165 goats were carried out at the abattoir to ensure healthy and quality meat consumed by the community.

Source: Ghana News Agency