Day: October 12, 2021

Asante Kotoko have completed the signing of George Rodrigue Mfegue, Kickgh.com has reported.

The experienced according to the report signed a three-year deal with the Ghana Premier League side from Avion FC.

The Porcupine Warriors are expected to announce the acquisition of Mfegue as their thirteenth signing ahead of the 2021/22 football season.

Mfegue is joining the Ghanaian giants from Avion Academy where he has been skipper and the club’s top scorer in the last three seasons.

He ended the Cameroon Elite championship last season as the second-highest scoring player having netted 10 goals in the end.

Mfegue masterminded Avion’s promotion to the top-flight in 2018 as one of the club’s main attacking options.

He has scored 26 goals and provided 29 assists for Avion Academy FC since 2018.

Asante Kotoko are currently in Dubai for pre-season ahead of the new campaign.

Source: Modern Ghana

Swedru (C/R),– The Government has offered to sponsor the two-year-old daughter of the Fire Officer who died after going to the rescue of three people who were trapped in a well at a house at Gomoa Obuasi.

ASO Joseph Baidoo with the Agona Swedru Fire Command, lost his life on Saturday October 02 after the rescue mission.

The Deputy Minister for the Interior and Member of Parliament for Gomoa Central, Mrs Naana Eyiah announced the decision during the one-week celebration of the Officer at Swedru.

ASO Joseph Baidoo was also promoted posthumously to Assistant Division Officer Grade Two.

He left behind a wife, Joana Afinah, and a two-year-old toddler.

Speaking to the media, DCFO Mawusi Sarpong, the Director in Charge of Welfare at the GNFS urged the Personnel not to be demoralised by the incident but to continue to save lives and protect property.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra,- Renewable energy is key to the development of Ghana’s power sector, Mr Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Volta River Authority (VRA), has stated.

He noted that significant investments and commitment were required to address these challenges to enable the country achieve its ambition of at least 10 per cent of Ghana’s power generation sourced from renewables by the year 2030, thereby contributing towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 7 (affordable and clean energy) and 13 (climate change).

Mr Antwi-Dankwa said this in a speech read on his behalf at the opening of the Seventh Ghana Renewable Energy Fair in Accra.

The event, which is on the theme “Removing Barriers to Renewable Energy Development in Ghana” is being organised by the Energy Commission.

“Having developed the first large scale grid connected Solar PV plant, 2.5MW at Navrongo at the time when the full range of regulation was not in place, VRA helped shape RE regulation and seek to continue this path by setting the pace in the development and implementation of Wind Power in Ghana,” Anwti-Darkwa said.

“In maintaining our leadership role in the Power Sector, the VRA has successfully undergone a Financial Recovery program and has transitioned into a Sustainability plan, which has renewable energy and conversion of our simple cycle thermal plants to combined cycle as key elements for driving down our cost and our carbon footprint.”

He noted that the VRA had commissioned a 6.5MW Solar PV Plant at Lawra and was currently commissioning a 13MW plant in Kaleo with an additional 13.8MW to commence in Kaleo by the end of 2021.

He said beyond this, VRA was expected to roll out the following RE projects among others within the next five years.

These include 60MW Hydro and 50MW Solar PV Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam Project, 60MW Solar PV at Bongo, 50MW Floating Solar PV on the Kpong Head Pond and 75MW Wind Power Project Phase-1.

“As the foremost generating company in the country, we are the benchmark and the standard for operating practices in the sector,” he said.

“Having been born from Hydro Generation, we continue our journey with the new renewables in addition to converting our simple cycle thermal plants to combined cycle as a means of reducing our carbon footprints.”

Mr Antwi-Darkwa said renewable energy was a great business venture for the VRA and was in line with the government’s policy to have at least 10 per cent of their power generation sourced from renewables.

He said the current state of the Renewable Energy Sector can be seen as challenged, with bottlenecks ranging from financial, technical, and market fronts. Specific challenges that the key industry players face.

He said these include constrained off-take in the regulated market due to the moratorium on signing new Power Purchase Agreements and difficulty in raising long-term Power Purchase Agreement to support long tenure debt financing of utility scale projects

Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Energy Minister, said the Government as part of its efforts in opening up the renewable energy sector for investments, was exploring the regional market and positioning Ghana to become a major exporter of reliable and competitive electricity in the ECOWAS Region.

This, he said, would not only benefit Ghana in terms of foreign exchange earnings, but would also contribute to the regional economic inclusiveness strategy, strengthening energy security and peace in the sub-region.

Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Energy Commission, said the Ghana Renewable Energy Fair, which was now in its seventh year, aims at providing a platform for collaboration between the Government, the private sector and the civil society in the renewable energy industry for the promotion of renewable energy.

Mr Kofi Dzamesi, Chief Executive Officer Bui Power Authority (BPA), in a speech read on his behalf, said the BPA was collaborating with the Nuclear Power Ghana (NPG) to ensure that Ghana gets its first nuclear power plant.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra,- By the end of the year 2020, there were 160 inmates including five females on Ghana’s death row, Amnesty International (AI) Ghana Office has said.

Amnesty International has described death penalty as unfair and discriminatory.

“The Death Penalty violates the right to life as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

It has therefore called for the abolishing of Death Penalty in Ghana’s statutes as same constituted torture.

Speaking at a media briefing in Accra on the commemoration of the 19th World Day against Death Penalty 2021, Mr Frank Kwaku Doyi, Director of AI Ghana, noted that Ghana had ratified conventions against torture, hence the need to take the practice out of Ghana’s Statute.

This year’s celebration is themed: “Women and the Death Penalty, an invisible reality”.

Death penalty comes in the form of firing squad, lethal injection, hanging, among others.

Ghana still retains Death Penalty in law and inmates can be executed at any point in time at the signing of a death warrant by the President of the Republic.

The last execution carried out in the country was in the year 1993.

Mr Doyi said the conditions of men and women on death row did not meet international standards, as inmates reported of poor sanitary facilities, isolation, lack of access to medical care, among others.

According to Mr Doyi, appeals were not mandatory in Ghana and the majority of those on death row were unable to appeal against their convictions and death sentence.

He said in Ghana, the death penalty had been imposed mainly as the mandatory punishment for murder, noting that, judges were unable to consider any mitigating factors relating to cases, the circumstances of the offence and the background of defendants at sentencing when they impose death penalty.

Mr Doyi said there were no proof that imposition of death penalty had reduced crime.

“There is no credible evidence to show that the death penalty deters crime more effectively than life imprisonment.

There are examples of countries which maintain the death penalty in their legislation and yet crime rates have remained at high level, for example the United States.

He therefore appealed to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame, to put into effect the President’s directive to initiate the process of amending the Criminal and Other Offences Act-1960 (Act 29).

The Director of AI further appealed to Mr Alban Sumana K. Bagbin, Speaker of Parliament to support and pass the Private Member Bill currently before Parliament, so that Death Penalty would be remove from the Criminal and other Offences Act.

In his view, Ghana could learn from its fellow West African country, Sierra Leone, whose Parliament unanimously voted in favour of abolition of the Death Penalty in July 2021.

He said AI would mount a continuous campaign on abolishing Death Penalty.

Mr Francis Xavier Sosu, Member of Parliament for Madina Constituency, noted that inmates on death row would need a minimum of GH¢75000 and maximum of GH¢120,000 to file an appeal against death sentence.

Mr Sosu further observed that Forensic Systems in the country were not well developed and some judges could make mistakes when sentences were passed.

He said in advance countries, forensic system played key role in cases.

Mr Samuel Agbotsey, Campaign and Fundraising Coordinator, AI Ghana, said it was important that the debate on the abolishing of Death Penalty was not done partisan lines.

He said AI had gone to the aid of a woman on death row and his organization would assist her to file appeal against her sentence.

Mr Agbotsey said this year’s celebration focus on women, because they suffered a lot of domestic violence on the quiet and unable to mount good defence when they were held for an offence.

In June this year, Mr Sosu introduced a Private Member Bill to remove the Death Penalty from the Criminal and other Offences Act -1960 (Act 29).

If adopted and signed into law, the law would abolish the Death Penalty for most offences.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra,– President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Tuesday, invited the winners of the 2021 Energy Commission’s Senior High Schools’ Renewable Energy Challenge to Jubilee House.

The innovative competition, which is part of the ongoing Seventh Ghana Renewable Energy Fair, is slated for Thursday, 14th October.

The President extended the invitation in a speech read on his behalf at the opening of the Seventh Ghana Renewable Energy Fair in Accra.

The event, which is on the theme “Removing Barriers to Renewable Energy Development in Ghana” is being organised by the Energy Commission.

The introduction of the “Energy Commission’s Senior High Schools’ Renewable Energy Challenge” in 2019, saw schools in the Greater Accra Region participating in it.

This year’s Challenge has 90 Senior High and Technical Schools from across the country participating in it.

“This is very good news to hear and I am optimistic that more schools would even join in subsequent years,” the President said.

“I am expecting very brilliant young boys and girls from Mfanstiman Girls Senior High School; Mamfe Methodist Girls Senior High School; Accra Technical Training Centre; Gyaama Pensan Senior High Technical School; Acherensua Senior High School; and Navrongo Senior High School; who will be competing to make us proud.”

He urged the participants in the Competition to put in their best efforts and they would surely be awarded accordingly.

He charged the Energy Commission to ensure that the winning project was taken up and developed further in order to make it marketable.

“We should in the very near future see this Challenge produce breakthrough projects that shall make it to the global level.”

The President wished the participating students the best of luck in the Energy Competition.

“To the teachers and the Regional Science, Technology, Mathematics and Innovation Education (STMIE) Coordinators, thank you for your efforts in preparing these students.”

President Akufo-Addo said the Government was leaving no stone unturned in providing quality leadership in its quest to develop a sustainable energy economy with very few challenges.

He said it was therefore, a laudable idea to have stakeholders in the energy sector come together every year to deliberate and brainstorm on matters affecting the sector and present concrete measures to address them in order to ensure that industry players truly benefit from their investment.

He reiterated that the Ghana Renewable Energy Fair, which was now in its seventh year, was providing the platform for the above aim to be achieved.

“I believe that this can be extended to cover the entire energy sector in order to make the sector truly sustainable”.

Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the Minister of Energy, said the Government as part of its efforts in opening up the renewable energy sector for investments, was exploring the regional market and positioning Ghana to become a major exporter of reliable and competitive electricity in the ECOWAS Region.

This, he said, would not only benefit Ghana in terms of foreign exchange earnings, but would also contribute to the regional economic inclusiveness strategy, strengthening energy security and peace in the sub region.

Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Energy Commission, said the Ghana Renewable Energy Fair, which was now in its seventh year, aims at providing a platform for collaboration between the Government, the private sector and the civil society in the renewable energy industry for the promotion of renewable energy.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Kumasi,– The Ashanti Regional Health Directorate with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is set to roll out an adolescent health communication campaign in the Asante-Akim South Municipality.

The campaign dubbed, “Medaakye Nti” seeks to engage various stakeholders on adolescent sexual reproductive health issues with the ultimate goal of tackling teenage pregnancy in the Municipality.

As part of the strategies to make a significant impact, the Municipal Health Directorate would identify and train adolescent champions and peer support service providers to lead the advocacy and facilitate peer education sessions.

There shall also be community sensitisation and outreach education sessions in collaboration with traditional leaders and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working at the community level.

Ahead of the implementation, a stakeholders’ consultative meeting has been held at the Regional Health Directorate to discuss the role of stakeholders.

It was attended by stakeholders drawn from the Asante-Akim South Municipal Health Directorate, local CSOs and traditional rulers.

Dr. Michael Rockson Adjei, the Deputy Director in charge of Public Health, said 16 million adolescent girls gave birth globally every year with 95 per cent in low- and middle-income countries.

He said complications from early pregnancy and childbirth was the second leading cause of death among girls aged between 15 and 19 worldwide.

One out of every eight pregnancies, he noted, were among adolescents and that they also accounted for 13 per cent of all births and 15 percent of all maternal deaths in Ghana.

He said the Ashanti Region averagely recorded 18,000 teenage pregnancies between 2016 and 2020, a situation, he said, required the involvement of all stakeholders to address.

“Adolescent pregnancies have generally decreased in the last five years but there is the need for us to do more to bring the numbers down in order not to disrupt the development of our adolescent,” he appealed.

He said Asante-Akim-South was not selected because of the prevalence rate of teenage pregnancy in the municipality, but the commitment of stakeholders to health interventions as well as the huge numbers of the adolescent population.

The success of the campaign, according to him, would pave way for the extension to other districts.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Bekwai (AR),- The Lions Club International (LCI), District 418-Ghana, in collaboration with Abenkyiman Hospital has organized “Hope for Diabetic Foot Trainer of Trainees” to heightened awareness on symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of Diabetes in the Bekwai Municipality of the Ashanti Region.

Madam Helen Maku Obeng, immediate Past District Governor, D418, said enhanced prevention involves, early detection and proper management of the diabetic foot and increase awareness of the disease.

Speaking at the “Hope for Diabetic Foot” training, Madam Obeng said as part of the objectives of the project, LCI was expected to expand and improve diabetes diagnostic and management services in underserved region by equipping the Abenkyiman Hospital to treat diabetic complications including 168 diabetic foot surgeries.

The Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) under the auspices of District 418, launched the “Hope for diabetic foot project” with a grant from the LCIF – the official charitable wing of LCI, which provides grant funding for local and global humanitarian efforts.

LCI has established a partnership with Hope Surgical Foundation to conduct medical and surgical outreach programmes and ensure that patients living with diabetes do not develop the unpleasant complication of the foot.

Madam Obeng said the capacity of health professionals would be developed to examine patients with diabetes closely for early signs and those who stand a great chance of limb salvage, preservation of limb function and reduction of morbidity and mortality associated with the disease.

She said a total of 450 volunteers would be trained to conduct 250,000 diabetes paper risk assessments and awareness creation as part of the project, adding that 120 screening events were expected to be held to educate individuals with diabetes on treatment routines, self-management and healthy lifestyles.

Madam Obeng indicated that over 300,000 persons were to benefit from the project for a period of two years, as it was therefore mandatory and prudent to maintain records during the term of the project.

She said the project would provide medical support for diabetic patients in Ashanti, Ahafo and the Northern part of the country.

“As Lions, we have a responsibility to ensure the long-term sustenance of the project and we will partner with the Hospital and the Hope Surgical Foundation to develop an integrated surveillance and monitoring of the diabetes delivery programme in the project area,” she stated.

She called on the trainers to contribute towards the reduction in the prevalence of diabetes, which had been rising more rapidly in the country especially in deprived communities, and appealed to them to employ the knowledge acquired to educate their respective communities.

Participants were taken through the Epidemiology of Diabetes in the Ashanti Region, Diabetes in Pregnant Women and a presentation on Diabetes Foot – early recognition, diagnosis and management.

Mr Clement Nti-Boateng, Bekwai Municipal Health Director, who gave an overview of the epidemiology of diabetes in the Ashanti Region, said as at September 2021, some 210 cases of diabetes of persons aged between 60 to 69 years had been recorded, while persons between 50 to 59 years, 200 cases had been recorded.

He said, for persons between 35 to 49 years, 139 cases were recorded, with 56 cases recorded for persons aged 20 to 34 years, while persons five to 19, some eight cases were recorded as of September 2021.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The World Health Organisation (WHO) took an historic step in the fight against malaria when it recently recommended the use of a malaria vaccine for young children. The announcement marked a major achievement – the development of the first ever successful malaria vaccine against falciparum malaria, the deadliest form of malaria and the one that is most common in sub-Saharan Africa.

The wide uptake of the vaccine could prevent thousands of deaths in the region. According to the 2020 World Malaria Report, over 250,000 children under the age of five years died of malaria in Africa in 2019. That is a very sombre statistic for a treatable and preventable disease.

The development of the vaccine (called RTS,S) has taken over 30 years. It is the culmination of work by researchers from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, in partnership with the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline and the global health organisation PATH.

Producing an effective malaria vaccine has been challenging as the malaria parasite is able to hide from the human immune system. In addition, different forms of the malaria parasite infect the liver and red blood cells.

Vaccine trials were started in 2019 in three African countries – Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. The study showed that the RTS,S vaccine was safe in young children, that it reduced hospitalisation and death in vaccinated children by over 70%, and that a successful malaria vaccination programme was possible in rural African settings.

The pilot study also showed that the vaccine was able to reach children who were not being protected by other methods like bed nets in the study sites. This provided additional support to the calls for the widespread use of the vaccine in malaria-affected areas.

Since 2015 malaria case numbers have been either flat or on the rise. This follows 15 years during which the numbers had been on the decline.

The addition of the RTS,S vaccine to the malaria control and elimination toolkit could get global efforts back on track. But it cannot be viewed as the silver bullet required to achieve malaria elimination.

Not a complete solution

The vaccine has several shortcomings.

Firstly, in its current form it only works very effectively in very young children, aged between five and 17 months. These children must be given three vaccine doses, at least one month apart. A fourth booster dose is recommended at 18 months for the vaccine to work optimally.

This is makes running an effective vaccination programme very challenging. One possible solution is using community-based vaccination programmes to increase access and improve compliance.

In addition, although the vaccine prevents severe disease, it doesn’t necessarily prevent infection. This is similar to the COVID-19 vaccines.

Thirdly, it’s only effective against one (Plasmodium falciparum) of the five human malaria parasites.

There are other concerns too. One is increased vaccine hesitancy across Africa.

There are also likely to be challenges in meeting the demand for vaccines, given the current focus on producing COVID-19 vaccines.

In light of these challenges, the RTS,S vaccine cannot replace existing effective interventions. These include indoor residual spraying and the use of insecticide treated bed nets. Instead, the vaccine must be used alongside these to break the malaria transmission cycle.

As the RTS,S vaccine is only effective in young children, it will only be used where they are at higher risk of infection than older children. Such conditions are generally found in moderate to high transmission areas. In these areas, frequent malaria infections result in older children developing partial immunity.

This immunity prevents children from showing the signs and symptoms of malaria. They become asymptomatic carriers of malaria. Many malaria-endemic African countries, including Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia and South Africa, have very low transmission intensities, so the population does not develop immunity against malaria.

Including the RTS,S vaccine in a childhood immunisation programme in these low transmission countries would not be cost-effective.

Despite the challenges associated with the RTS,S vaccine, its addition to the suite of malaria control interventions is a leap forward in the global fight against malaria. But vaccine innovation must not stop here. Efforts must be put into developing a vaccine that is effective in older children and adults, which requires only one dose and is effective against all human malarias.

Source: The Conversation