Prampram (G/A)- The Anglican Young Peoples Association (AYPA) branch at the Christ the King Anglican Church (CKAC), in Sakumono, on Sunday presented assorted food items to some residents of Prampram in the Prampram District of the Greater Accra Region.

The items, which included packets of rice, cooking oil, assorted drinks, and confectioneries among others, were distributed to support residents of the predominantly fishing community.

The visit was essentially an evangelism drive dubbed: “The Ark; an act of random kindness Experience” by the Association, as part of its month-long youth celebration held under the theme “Manifesting the Fruit of the Spirit-Galatians 5:22-23”.

It afforded members of the Association, the opportunity to have first-hand interaction with members of the community. It further served as an avenue to advocate and spread the gospel of Christ.

Ms Jessie Robertson, Secretary to the Association preaching to some fisher folks, explained that the fruit of the Holy Spirit was a visible attribute of a true Christian life.

According to her, Christians could exude and effectively portray these physical manifestations including love, if they prayed, read and reflected on God’s words, subjected themselves to the leadings of the Holy Spirit whose work in their lives, would produce the harvest, and ultimately accept Christ.

Brother Michael Duku, President of the AYPA, who led the team said the donation was an act of Christian charity to exemplify the love of God.

The great commission, he said required Christians to be witnesses, drawing others to the fold and taking the gospel to those who have not accepted Christ as saviour of the human kind.

A beneficiary of the gift, Madam Matilda Sarfowaa commended the Association for making efforts to share the word of God, and said “without Christ in our dealings, anything we do would be worthless”.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Bolgatanga – MrRocksonAyineBukari, Upper East Regional Minister at the weekend paid tribute to the Upper East Regional Director of Information Services Department, Mr Nelson NobertAyamgaMba, who died about a month ago and was buried on Saturday.

MrBukari showed appreciation to the deceased for the astute manner he performed his duties as Regional Director of the Service.

The Minister said the deceased exhibited a lot of professionalism in his work and endeared himself for any tasks assigned to him and added that the late MrMba performed well in the organisation of town hall meetings among others.

According to the Minister, the deceased did not lord his age and position on anyone he worked with and played crucial role in his public relations duties.

MrMba rose through the ranks as the Builsa District Assistant information Officer in 1990 and the Bongo District Officer in 2000 combining both administrative duties and filing news events from these districts as a stringer with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in the region.

He also worked as the Bolgatanga District Information Services Department Officer between 1995 and 1999 and was re-assigned to the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council as the Public Relations Officer, working assiduously and combining his work as a stringer.

MrMba in 1994 became an information officer and in 1998 was promoted to senior information officer and worked through until 2010 when he rose from the ranks to become the Regional Director of Information until his death at the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital in June 2018.

The late MrMba was born on September 3, 1958 and was a native of Bongo, in the Upper East Region. He left behind a widow, four children, and two grandchildren.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra- The Forestry Commission has warned the chiefs and people who are selling land at the SakumoRamsar Site to stop the practice or face the wrath of the Commission.

MrKwadwoOwusuAfriyie, the Chief Executive of the Commission, said the Commission had not authorised any chief or anybody to sell the land or approved the putting up of buildings within the Ramsar site.

He said the Commission would, therefore, demolish all uncompleted structures on the site except those in the demarcated zones to save the site from destruction.

MrAfriyie was speaking at a stakeholders meeting, which was attended by the Paramount Chief of the Nungua Traditional Area, other chiefs in the surrounding communities and the Member of Parliament for Tema West Constituency, to find a lasting solution to the encroachment on the site.

Of the five coastal Ramsar Sites, it is only the SakumoRamsar Site that is owned by the Government of Ghana. The land in the rest of the four areas are owned by the chiefs and the people of the respective traditional jurisdictions.

So people look at what is happening at the other sites where the ownership of the land is in the hands of the chiefs and they think the same applies to the SakumoRamsar Site, he said.

MrAfriyie urged the public to check out the ownership of the land with the Lands Commission or the Forestry Commission before making a purchase to avoid seeing their investments go to waste.

We called on all chiefs in the area to help the Forestry Commission save the Ramsar Site but not perpetrate illegal activities themselves. It came to light that a chief had wanted to build his palace within the Ramsar Site, which is totally unacceptable, he said.

Some chiefs also use land guards to prevent staff of the Forestry Commission from doing their work of protecting the Ramsar Site, he said.

MrAfriyie also called upon the Police to assist the Forestry Commission to curtail the activities of land guards and support the protection of Staff of the Forestry Commission to do their work effectively without interference from armed land guards.

He said there were plans to develop income generation opportunities such as ‘ecotourism that had the potential to preserve the ecological functions of the Lagoon by dredging to remove the silt, reconnect the sea to the Lagoon so that the fishermen could enhance their livelihoods, and develop water sports as well as create other job opportunities for the teeming unemployed youth.

The SakumoRamsar Site was established alongside four other coastal Ramsar Sites in 1992. The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance is an inter-governmental treaty intended to promote the wise use and conservation of wetlands through local, regional and national actions and international cooperation.

Ghana signed unto the Treaty in 1971, in Ramsar in Iran.

The SakumoRamsarSite, is one of the most important coastal wetlands that used to receive about 32,500 Migratory Birds in Ghana, made up of 66 different types coming from Europe and Asia.

The wetland also receives most of the waste water from the Tema Township and treats it before releasing it into the sea.

Source: Ghana News Agency