Day: September 28, 2021

The President’s nominee for Amansie West District Assembly, Hon. Nii Larteh Ollenu was on Friday, September 24, 2021, unanimously endorsed by the Assembly Members of the District.

The nominee, who was seeking re-election after serving his first term of office, obtained 100% of the total votes cast.

All 37 members present voted ‘YES’ to affirm their confidence and trust in the nominee whom they believe is the best choice to bringing development, both physical and socio-economic to the people of Amansie West District.

The occasion was witnessed by Mr. Dennis Kwakwa, the Ashanti Regional Youth Organiser for the ruling New Patriotic Party, who also represented the Ashanti Regional Minister, Hon. Yaw Frimpong Addo, Dep. Minister for Food and Agriculture and MP for Manso Adubia, the newly confirmed DCE nominee for Amansie South District Assembly, Hon. Clement Opoku Gyamfi, Chiefs and people from within the Amansie West District and beyond, heads of Departments and institutions within the District including the Coordinating Director of the District.

The confirmation was coordinated by the Electoral Commission of the Assembly and chaired by the Presiding Member of the Assembly, Hon Dominic Kwabena Agyei.

Speaking after his confirmation, Hon Nii Larteh Ollenu thanked President Akufo-Addo for believing in him. He promised to continue the good works that has earned him the trust of the President and even work harder towards the full realisation of the ‘Break the Eight’ agenda.

He also thanked all Assembly Members for their overwhelming endorsement. He said since Assembly Members are not paid, their only motivation is to see real development in their various Electoral Areas, which he is determined to promote.

He enumerated few of the many projects that the Assembly had started over the few months that he was determined to ensure their completion. He noted that the Assembly had started the final phase of the Nana Bi Kusi Appiah II Office Complex, a four (4) storey 52 office room multipurpose office complex to contain the District Education Directorate, the Immigration Service Department, Agric Department, GRA, SSNIT, SIC and Stool Lands.

He continued that the District Assembly had started the construction of a Divisional Police Headquarters at Manso Nkwanta, a bungalow for the Divisional Police Commander and Residential facilities for the Police Service, Immigration Service and the Information Service Departments, all of the Assembly.

Hon. DCE added that the Assembly is also benefiting from the Government’s flagship programme, dubbed ‘Agenda 111’, which is a 100 bed District Hospital.

According to him, the Assembly intends to complement that with the construction of a Nurses’ training college.

In a related development, the Presidential nominee for Amansie South District Assembly has been confirmed.

The representative of the Regional Minister, Mr. Dennis Kwakwa said, the massive endorsement of the DCEs of both Amansie West and South Districts is a clear indication of the fact that the President of the Republic had taken his time to nominate competent people to represent him at the various Districts.

He was optimistic that the two confirmed DCEs would work toward ensuring total development in the two Districts.

Source: Modern Ghana

New York, – Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles has described her start at the Tokyo Olympics in summer as a mistake.

“If you looked at everything I’ve gone through for the past seven years, I should have never made another Olympic team,” the US athlete told the New York magazine in an interview published late on Monday.

“I should have quit way before Tokyo, when Larry Nassar was in the media for two years,” she said referring to American convicted sex offender Nassar.

The 58-year-old is serving a life sentence after pleading guilty to sexually abusing women and girls in 2017 and 2018.

“But I was not going to let him take something I’ve worked for since I was 6 years old,” Biles added.

The four-time Olympic champion was among hundreds of gymnasts and their parents who filed sexual abuse lawsuits against Nassar.

Biles was considered a top candidate for several Olympic gold medals before Tokyo. However, after her withdrawal from the women’s team final, she made her mental health issues public and subsequently refrained from competing in several other events.

“My perspective has never changed so quickly from wanting to be on a podium to wanting to be able to go home, by myself, without any crutches,” she said.

The bronze medal on the balance beam was like a small triumph for her.

Recently, at Judiciary Committee hearing on the FBI’s handling of the Nassar, Biles vividly described her horrific experiences.

She complained that the US Federal Police and officials of the responsible sports federations had not followed up on her tips about the abuse for a long time.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Travellers looking for new experiences and longing to dust off their suitcases and travel gear can start packing and head to the airport hassle-free, as countries ease travel restrictions for Ghanaian vacationers.

Ahead of the much anticipated holiday season, here are some quarantine-free destinations you can plan to visit: Dubai, Turkey, Maldives, Seychelles, New York, Washington, New Delhi, Mumbai, Abidjan, London (if fully vaccinated) and Beirut.

With seven weekly flights from Accra, Emirates safely and conveniently connects passengers from Ghana to 12 quarantine-free destinations across the airline’s network, via its Dubai hub, making the most of a trip with a stop-over in the must-visit city.

With the Expo 2020 Dubai just around the corner, Emirates passengers from Ghana can get the opportunity to visit the much-awaited world expo with the airline offering a free Emirates Expo Day Pass with every ticket purchased from the airline and provided the stop-over time in Dubai is at least six hours, additionally, visitors travelling to Dubai between 1 October 2021 and 31 March 2022 have an opportunity to earn a “Mile-A-Minute” through Emirates award-winning Skywards programme.

Whether it’s a stop-over or vacation in Dubai, the vibrant city of Dubai caters to everyone and their interests and passions. Whether travelling solo or with family and friends, travellers can safely enjoy the convenience of Dubai with world-class experiences such as family-friendly water parks, explore the history and heritage of Dubai and bargain at the souks for bespoke designs and little treasures.

With an array of shopping malls with kid’s entertainment areas and dining experiences, Dubai has something for everyone, and for every budget.

Experience Emirates double-decker flagship aircraft, the A380 when planning a trip to the USA. In October, the airline will introduce its flagship aircraft with a daily service and will also ramp up its US flights to meet increasing demand, with flights to New York increasing to 19 weekly and Washington DC will go up to five weekly flights.

Visiting the US is always a marvel well-known for its magnificent cities, iconic landmarks and stunning landscapes.

Another destination to consider on a ‘family trip’ bucket list is Turkey. Istanbul exudes history and culture taking influencers from different cultures.

Ghanaians can explore the architecture, many museums, bazaars and shopping and delectable food, contributing to an utterly thrilling and memorable trip. Emirates will operate its flagship A380 to Istanbul, starting from October 1.

If you are looking to travel and explore the world, yet remain close to home, then Abidjan awaits with fond reminders of the similarity among African cultures, welcoming you with familiar, yet unique scents, sights, and experiences.

For the love-struck individuals seeking to make bold propositions to their better halves, or for those seeking to re-ignite their love and passion, or celebrate missed honeymoon vacations and anniversaries, the Maldives and Seychelles are open to tourists wanting to relax, unwind and create new memories, with an abundance of luxury hotels, resorts and picturesque white sandy beaches.

For added ease of travel, and to provide customers with peace of mind, Emirates continues to lead the industry with innovative products and services that address traveller needs during a dynamic time. Recently the airline took its customer care initiatives even further with even more generous and flexible booking policies, an extension of its multi-risk insurance cover, and helping loyal customers retain their miles and tier status.

Emirates has led the industry in protecting the health of its customers to ensure a feeling of safety and confidence when deciding to fly. Emirates customers travel with the assurance that the latest health and safety measures are in place at every step of the journey. The airline has also recently introduced contactless technology and scaled up its digital verification capabilities to provide its customers with even more opportunities to utilise the IATA Travel Pass.

Travellers will still be required to either be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before the date of travel or present a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken between 48-96 hours prior to arrival, depending on the destination. Emirates has a dedicated COVID-19 travel hub with updated travel requirements and guidance on emirates.com.

Source: Ghana Web

Saboba (N/R),- Mr George Kitingyaab Bingrini, the President’s nominee for the position of District Chief Executive (DCE) for Saboba District in the Northern Region, has been confirmed by Assembly Members of the area.

Out of the 37 Assembly Members present during the confirmation votes at Saboba, 34 voted in favour of Mr Bingrini, representing more than two-thirds of the Assembly Members to confirm his nomination.

In his acceptance speech, Mr Bingrini, who was also the incumbent DCE for the area, expressed gratitude to the President and the Assembly Members for the confidence reposed in him to serve the area again.

He assured the assembly members that he would be committed to the assignment to ensure that the people of the area benefitted from the government’s projects and policies.

Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, Northern Regional Minister, who spoke during the confirmation, said the district over the years, had benefitted from the government’s interventions and promised that he would liaise with the necessary authorities to ensure it was elevated to Municipal status.

Mr Kumburigma Joseph, Presiding Member, Saboba District Assembly urged the Assembly to rally behind the DCE for the benefit of the area.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Kintampo (BE/R),- The Assembly Members (AMs) of the Kintampo North Municipality on Tuesday confirmed Mr Isaac Baffoe Ameyaw, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s Nominee for the Municipal Chief executive (MCE) position with 100 per cent yes votes cast.

Mr Ameyaw had all 64 votes cast, 45 elected and 19 government appointees in an election conducted and supervised by the Municipal Office of the Electoral Commission at Kintampo in the Bono East Region.

Mr Kwasi Adu Gyan, the Regional Minister urged Mr Ameyaw to discharge his duties with diligence by working according to laid-down procedures through mutual understanding and even stronger collaboration with the AMs and other key stakeholders to achieve the ultimate aim of holistic development of the area to improve the livelihood conditions of the people.

Mr Gyan commended the AMs for the unity and non-partisanship exhibited through the confirmation of the MCE and assured the constant commitment of the Regional Coordinating Council to provide the needed support for the MCE to be successful in his endeavours.

In his acceptance speech, Mr Ameyaw pledged to serve without discrimination and create an enabling environment to promote all-inclusive administration to promote the area’s speedy progress.

He stated unity was a tool for national development and therefore expressed commitment to unite the people through an open door administration to allow for grassroots’ level participation in the decision-making process to improve local governance.

Mr Ameyaw said the area was well-endowed with natural resources that offered great opportunities for tourism and agriculture development among other socio-economic activities and promised to work with stakeholders to explore and develop those resources to generate income for the growth of the local economy.

He thanked President Akufo-Addo for the opportunity to serve his people in the MCE capacity and promised to work tirelessly to boost the implementation of the government’s flagship programmes and policies for a more positive impact in the lives of the people.

Mr Ameyaw, aged 47 is a businessman and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the Methodist University of Ghana.

Hitherto his appointment, he was the Managing Director of Isaac Baffoe Ameyaw Enterprises and had also been the Financial Extension Officer for the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Kintampo.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra,- Dr Kofi Issah, the Director, Family Health Division, Ghan Health Service (GHS), Tuesday, said the country has made progress in the total fertility rate and the lives of women and families.

He said within a quarter of a century, total births per woman reduced from 6.4 in 1988 to 4.2 in 2014 as reported in the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS).

Dr Issah disclosed this at the launch of the 2021 National Family Planning Week in Accra, on the theme: “Family planning in the midst of COVID-19. Take control. It’s an everyday thing”, to create awareness and mobilise support for shaping the future.

He said the 2021 Population and Housing Census also provided further information that household size had reduced from 4.4 in 2010 to 3.6 in 2021, indicating that a lot of progress had been made in the area of family planning and other population strategies.

However, there remains a large unmet need for contraception in the county, saying despite the universal knowledge in family planning the practice of contraception remained low at 25per cent of married women for modern methods, whilst 62 percent of sexually active adolescents had an unmet need for family planning.

He said some socio-economic and cultural factors were mainly responsible for the low utilization of available maternal health services, and family planning services were no exception to this.

The fear of side effects, rumours, myths, and misconceptions were the most frequently cited reasons for non -use of modern family planning methods, while the poor attitudes of health workers and provider bias were also deterrents to utilization and efforts were being made to address this.

He said activities for the launch include media and stakeholder engagement meetings, television and radio discussions, Provision of free services at selected locations, Health talks to organized groups, Floats, and other community mobilization and awareness creation activities.

“We have to make this commemoration the turning point in improving access to family planning services as part of our RMNCAH and Nutrition Strategic Plan (2022-2025) and path to Universal Health Coverage,” he said.

Dr Stephen Ayisi-Addo, the Programme Manager, National AIDS and STI s Control Programme, said it was very essential that family planning promotion be continually integrated with all other services such as HIV prevention and control to ensure the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

He said though the COVID-19 pandemic was still around, every experience must be set up to become better, so “we would have to turn the tide against COVID-19,” and work collectively and proactively to mitigate the impact of the disease through innovative ways and pragmatic approaches.

We need to also advance the strategy to prevent unintended pregnancy in specific populations, saying without disaggregating the data, the problem may not be properly identified, he said.

Dr aysi-Addo also called for a closer look at the various groups such as those who were vulnerable and encouraged the use of available data such as the DHIMS and other sources to guide planning in line with all strategic plans.

Mr Niyi Ojuolape, the UNFPA Country Representative, stated that FP saves lives, prevents unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions, reduces the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, and lowers the incidence of deaths and disabilities that were related to complications of pregnancy and childbirth in the country.

It had also been established that FP empowered women by giving them the right to decide whether and when to have their children which gave them the ability to completely assert their bodily anatomy, and called on all partners to remain committed to improving FP in Ghana especially among vulnerable populations and those left furthest behind.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Wiaga (U/E)- Mrs Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, the National President of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has presented two separate cheques to two members of the Association in the Builsa North Municipality of the Upper East Region.

This is to cater for their medical expenses.

The beneficiaries, who are in good standing, and stationed at the Saint Lucas Health Centre at Wiaga and the Sandema Hospital in Sandema, the Municipal capital, are suffering from various medical conditions not covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

Mrs Ofori-Ampofo, who presented the cheques of GH¢ 15,000.00 at Wiaga and GH¢ 10,000.00 in Sandema through Mr Thomas Lambon, the Upper East Regional Chairman of the Association, said the GRNMA took keen interest in the welfare of its members across the country.

“Six per cent of monthly total dues deducted from Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) goes into the GRNMA’s Health Fund. This seeks to address the cost of ailments that fall outside the remit of the NHIS for members,” she said.

She said the Association had issued seven cheques, which amounted to a total of GH¢ 125,000.00 to support sick members in good standing in the Bolgatanga, Builsa North Municipalities, and the Binduri District of the Region after leadership received information of the ill health of six members.

A member of the Association, whose room was gutted by fire, in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality also received some support from the Association, the National President disclosed.

Mrs Ofori-Ampofo, through the Regional Chairman, who was in the company of some Regional and Municipal Executives, took time to engage nurses and midwives at Wiaga to explain operations of the Association and how dues of members were expended.

She reminded members that the Association had three main deductions; the dues, building level and the Nurses’ Fund, two per cent of the basic salary of workers were deducted as dues, and GH¢20.00 was also deducted monthly towards the Regional and National Secretariat projects.

“Hostels are constructed across the country with one National Secretariat to serve as office for the Association and temporal places of abode for members at discounted rates.

“Seven have been completed, six fully furnished and inaugurated one yet to be furnished, and three are at various levels of completion,” the National President said.

On the Nurses fund, Mrs Ofori-Ampofo also reminded members that an amount of GH¢50.00 was deducted from members into the fund, saying “It is currently being invested and managed by Axis Pension Limited.”

Managements of the two health facilities expressed gratitude to leadership of the GRNMA for the gesture extended to their staff, “It is not just the amount, but the gesture. It is not our wish to fall sick, but when it happens, we need support as individuals, Dr Isaac Awaedem, of the Saint Lucas Health Centre said.

At the Sandema Hospital, Mr Prosper Asandem, the Health Service Administrator and Mr Stephen Adombire, the Acting Nurses and Midwives Manager both thanked leadership of the Association on behalf of Management and the beneficiary staff for the support, “This is not the first time the Association is helping our staff, and we appreciate the gesture.”

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dentsu Ghana, a leader in advertising and marketing communications, as part of its CSR activities has donated educational materials worth thousands of Ghana Cedis including computers, projectors, assorted reading and creative books for various levels, math sets, set squares, crayons, legos, and A4 sheets to the Tesano Cluster of Schools.

This forms part of the company’s wider social impact strategy that rouses the talent, energy, and aspirations of our people and delivers for our clients, our shareholders, and the wider society.

Speaking at the donation ceremony, the CEO of Dentsu Ghana, Mr. Andrew Ackah, said, “The fundamental part of our business is communication and communication comes through education. It is essential for the business to have the right skillsets in the right places with the right empowerment culture. At Dentsu, we believe the right foundation must be laid to achieve this.”

“Our value of being responsible hinges on being good corporate citizens who impact and build brighter futures for the communities in which we operate through a sustainable world, fair and open society, and digital for good. Our aim is to empower the next generation to do more, to achieve more, and to become more. It is on this backdrop that we have selected the Tesano Cluster of schools,” he stated.

Mrs. Joyce Nana Simmons, Headteacher of Tesano 1KG/ Primary School, who received the items on behalf of the Tesano cluster of schools expressed her excitement, emphasizing the importance of the educational materials to the school as it will improve learning outcomes.

She said she was “overwhelmed by the level of donation done by Dentsu” adding that Dentsu has been very generous to the school in the past and was thankful that the company could do it again despite the impact of COVID-19 on businesses.

She implored the students to use the materials for the purposes for which they were donated to achieve greater laurels in the Okaikwei North Municipal Assembly.

The ceremony ended with a breakaway session where staff visited the various classes in the cluster to interact with students and empower especially those who are preparing for BECE.

Also present at the ceremony were Madam Bithia Awuku-Asante – General Manager, Carat Ghana; Mr. Emmanuel Odoom – General Manager, iProspect; other managers and staff of Dentsu; Mr. Hardy Tamimu, School Improvement Support Officer (SISO) for Circuit 25, Apenkwa; Mr. William Korku Yormewu, Headteacher – Tesano JHS; Mr. Kingsley Akrofi – Headteacher, Tesano’2’ Primary A school, and Rev. Vida Boafoa Adjei – Headteacher, Danboi JHS.

Tesano Cluster of Schools hosts Tesano ‘1’, ‘2’ Primaries, Tesano, and Danboi Junior High Schools.

Source: Ghana Web