Day: October 24, 2021

Kumasi,- The Most Reverend Professor Emmanuel K. Asante, former Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Ghana (MCG), has rallied Ministers of the Church to sensitize members on the consequences of the LGBTQI+ culture on the Ghanaian society.

Kumasi,- The Most Reverend Professor Emmanuel K. Asante, former Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Ghana (MCG), has rallied Ministers of the Church to sensitize members on the consequences of the LGBTQI culture on the Ghanaian society.

“It is our responsibility as Bishops and Ministers to help members to understand what is going on, and what we need to know as Christians,” he noted.

This, however, must be done with reason, not emotions, he cautioned, arguing that the Church could not afford to demonstrate lukewarm attitude towards the challenging issues confronting humanity in the 21st Century.

“These issues are at the core of our Christian, traditional and cultural values,” Most Rev. Prof. Asante stated, while addressing the congregation at the Adum Wesley Cathedral, in Kumasi.

This was on the occasion of the induction of the Right Reverend Stephen Kwaku Owusu as the new Methodist Bishop of Kumasi.

He takes over from the Rt. Rev. Christopher Nyarko Andam, and will stay in office for six years.

According to the former Presiding Bishop, Christians ought to be focused and have a clear picture of the prevailing issues in the society in order to take a firm stance for the growth of the church.

“Some of our churches in the world have already sacrificed Biblical objectivity for postmodernism’s subjective interpretation of the Bible.

“We live in a postmodernism world that has sacrificed Biblical objectivity on the altar of subjective expediency,” he bemoaned.

He drew attention of the clergy to the fact that: “One cannot shepherd the flock effectively in today’s world without critical consideration of these challenges – corruption, the craze for money, insecurity and the hopelessness of mankind.”

They should come to terms with the reality on the ground and strive to address issues as they were in line with Biblical principles, the Most Rev. Prof. Asante, also a former Chairperson of the National Peace Council, advised.

Most Rev. Dr. Paul Kwabena Boafo, Presiding Bishop, MCG, inducting the new Bishop into office, charged him to uphold the tenets of Methodism.

He tasked him to administer his administrative and managerial functions effectively, bringing on board all identifiable groups to promote unity of purpose.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra,- Kofi Buckman, a driver, captured in a video footage engaged in reckless driving and endangering lives of road users at the Airport traffic intersection Sunday morning, has been arrested by the police.

The Director General of Public Affairs, Ghana Police Service, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Kwesi Ofori, told the media that Buckman was in police custody and his vehicle, a Mercedes Benz with registration number C 16 – 18, impounded at the Airport Police Station.

He said after receiving complaints from other road users, the police immediately mounted a search and arrested Buckman.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Asokore,- As government rolls out the nationwide covid-19 vaccination, the response of the public in accepting the vaccines have been phenomenal and impressive contrary to the myths and misconceptions expressed by many in the early days.

Reports indicate that patronage is high as vaccination centres are characterized by queues with people waiting for their turns to take the jabs being administered by trained health staff.

The Juaben North Municipality is one of the areas where the covid-19 vaccination is ongoing successfully with a lot of people visiting the various centres set up to take either the first or the second jabs of the Astrazeneca vaccine.

In all the seven major towns where the vaccination centres are set up – Effiduase, Asokore, Oyoko, Jumapo, Suhyen, Akwadum and Asikasu, some of the people GNA interviewed under the Mobilising Media for covid-19, a project being implemented by the Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) in partnership with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), indicated that people are now convinced that the vaccines were the surest way to protect them against covid-19 complications.

It appears that many people had experienced the covid-19. Either a relative, friend or neighbour have been infected and the outcomes of such experiences are driving demands for the vaccination.

Some residents the GNA spoke to in the municipality said initially, they doubted the safety of the vaccines and the ability of the government to make the vaccines available so that they would not wait for too long in taking the second jabs as it happened in the early days of the vaccination.

“I was very doubtful of the safety of the vaccine considering the circumstances under which it was produced and the long wait for the second jabs after the first batch of people took the first of the Astrazeneca in March this year, but I am now convinced,” says a 29 year old teacher, Mr Yaw Kina.

He revealed that one of his friends who took the first jab of the Astrazeneca got infected with the disease, but did not experience any complications, however, a neighbour who had not been vaccinated at all, nearly died from covid-19 complications after a long battle at the Eastern Regional Hospital.

This indeed has changed my perception about the vaccines, hence, my resolve to get vaccinated”.

Abena Oduro from Asokore in an interview said her brother-in-law got infected but her sister tested negative because she had been vaccinated adding that, “it took several days for my brother in law to be tested positive.

For a long while, he was being treated for malaria my sister who is a is a nurse suggested that he test for the COVID-19 and it came out positive. All this while, they lived under the same roof slept on the same bed but my sister tested negative and that has convinced me to take the jab.

Mrs Nana Yaa Konadu, New Juaben North Municipal Director of Health in an interview, noted that the exercise had been smooth and the participation of the public had been very encouraging. “We think that the education and campaign about the vaccines are going down well with the people”.

She said so far, more than 2000 vaccines had been administered with mainly the Astrazeneca for both the first and second jabs and urged the public not to panic as more of the vaccines would be deployed to ensure that the target set by the government to vaccinate about 20 million of the Ghanaian population by the end of the year was achieved.

She observed that more elderly persons were taking the jabs and described it as very good since the aged were predisposed to many ailments or underlining conditions which had the tendency to fuel the covid-19 complications and called on everyone including the young to visit the nearest centre for their vaccinations.

The Municipal Director stressed that the vaccine minimizes covid-19 complications to the barest minimum and all must ignore the myths and perceptions and endeavour to take the vaccines coupled with observation of the safety protocols.

Estimates indicate that approximately 40,000 people above 18 years were targeted to be vaccinated in the Municipality out of the over 1.7 million estimated for all the 33 Municipalities and districts the Eastern Region.

The covid-19 vaccination began in march after the country became the first recipient of the Astrazenecca under the COVAX initiative and as at October 3, over 2,025,183 persons had been vaccinated countrywide according to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) situational report.

About 1,369,515 had received the first dose of the Astrazenecca, Sputnik V, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna vaccines whiles 820,037 are fully vaccinated, meanwhile, vaccination is ongoing across the Region whiles government continues to procure more vaccines to ensure that about 20 million of the population get vaccinated by close of the year.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Tema,- Superintendent Kwabena Otuo Acheampong, Tema Regional Crime Officer has appealed to the public especially those who witness crimes of crime to cooperate during investigations as that is crucial for prosecution.

He assured the public that the Police would continue to protect the identity of any person who assisted security officers during investigations, saying, “we need witnesses and evidence to prosecute criminal acts”.

Speaking at the seventh “Ghana News Agency-Tema Regional Office Stakeholder Engagement and Workers’ Appreciation Day,” seminar Supt. Otuo Acheampong said, it was the responsibility of the public to report crimes to the Police wherever or whenever they occurred.

“Crime reportage is a form of citizens’ civic responsibility as it helps in crime prevention strategy, policy formulation, and budgeting,” and stressed that the minor incidents, rape, and defilement, should not be resolved in the house.

According to him, when people report cases to the Police, they should cooperate with investigation and prosecutions, because the involvement of the complainant would help get the needed evidence for judgment.

He said, in criminology, there was a term called the figure of crime, the unreported crime and undisclosed does not help in crime statistics.

Supt. Otuo Acheampong who spoke on the, “Role of stakeholders

in combating crime within the Tema Region,” emphasised that it was the responsibility of the public to provide tip-off to the Police on criminals, crime, any dangerous characters or situation in the community.

The Regional Crime Officer said the vision of the Ghana Police Service was to be a world-class Police Service capable of delivering planned, democratic, protective, and peaceful services up to standards of international best practice.

He said the Police Service existed to deliver services in crime prevention detection, apprehension, and prosecution of offenders consistent with the expectations of Ghana stakeholders for maximum protection, safe, secure, and peaceful communities.

Other speakers at the event were Mr Faris Attrickie, General Manager, Technical Operations, SIC Insurance Company PLC who spoke on the topic, “Compulsory Insurance in Ghana: feasible or a myth” Dr Stephen Ayisi Addo, Programme Manager, National AIDS/STI Control Programme who spoke on National HIV/ AIDS Intervention

Source: Ghana News Agency

Kperiga (NE/R),– The Islamic final funeral rites, known as ‘Adua’ of the late Hajia Mariama Bawumia was on Sunday performed at Kperiga, a community in the West Mamprusi Municipality of the North East Region.

The late Hajia Bawumia who was affectionately called Maame, was the mother of Vice President Dr Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia who passed on in the early hours of Monday, September 13, 2021 in Accra, at age 81.

She was a native of Kpasenkpe, a community in the West Mamprusi Municipality, and was one of the first female students from the north to gain admission into the Wesley Girls High School in Cape Coast, in the Central Region.

A tribute read by Mr Yakubu Bawumia, one of her sons, on behalf of the children, noted that even though their father had 19 children, it was difficult for any outsider to differentiate amongst them who her biological children were.

“She treated us all the same. Maame was very kind at heart and had a very good sense of humour. She therefore got on very well with many people.

“She was very tolerant and empathetic, and would give away most of the money we gave her to other people.”

The children in the tribute further recalled that their late mother encouraged them to take their education seriously, “She kept reminding us that was all my father and her could give us in life. We should not expect anything from them beyond that.”

According to the children, Hajia Bawumia lived a fulfilled life, blessed with good health as she hardly fell sick, “The short period of her illness at the end was the only time she had been admitted in hospital.”

They described her as a committed and devoted Muslim who prayed religiously every day until her death, adding that “She was kind, caring and a loving mother. We could not have wished for a better mother.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in the company of the First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, described the late Hajia Bawumia as a woman of “unfailing courtesy” who welcomed friends of her son to her home.

“We thank her for her service to her family, community and nation. May her soul rest in perfect peace in the bosom of the Almighty until the last day of the resurrection when we shall all meet again, amen,” President Akufo-Addo said in a brief address.

The National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu who led Islamic prayers, reminded the gathering that death was no respecter of persons, and called on all to reflect on their lives, and prayed for the peaceful repose of the soul of late Hajia Mariama Bawumia.

“Our mother who has departed, needs nothing apart from our prayer,” the Chief Imam said through his spokesperson.

Sheikh Sharubutu expressed gratitude to Almighty Allah for the peaceful co-existence among practitioners of different faiths, saying “If you observe what has brought us together here, and the beauty of this gathering, it tells you that we are truly united.”

Dignitaries who attended the ‘Adua’ included high government officials, the Chief of Staff, Madam Akosua Frama Osei-Opare, Mr Ambrose Dery, the Minister for the Interior, Mr Alan Kyeremanten the Minister for Trade and Industry, Members of Parliament, and religious and traditional leaders.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Wassa- Amenfi (WR),- Mr Cornelius Ahiekpor, the Wassa-Amenfi Municipal Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has reminded Ghanaians of the need to keep to national Cohesion and inclusiveness as the country continued in its strides for development and advancement in democracy.

The Director said this during a Dialogue hosted by the Commission with support from National Security Ministry.

It was on the theme: “Empowering Ghanaians to Stand for National Cohesion and Inclusive Participation.”

Mr Ahiekpor said it was imperative to remind Ghanaians on their collective responsibility of maintaining peaceful coexistence.

He said, “We are particularly engaging the interparty dialogue committee among Political Parties and other stakeholders in the collective responsibility of ensuring peaceful coexistence as a cornerstone of national cohesion”.

Mr. Ahiekpor reinforced the role of political parties as key stakeholders for ensuring peace and security in the country as well as deepen the existing collaboration between the NCCE, Political Parties, the Youth, Security Agencies, District Assembly, chiefs, civil society and community leaders.

A brief film on war and its devastating effects preceded the dialogue.

Mr. Justice Ennin, the Western Regional Director of the NCCE, spoke on National Security Strategy and the National Framework for Counting Violent Extremism and Terrorism.

He said, the country’s domestic threats to security and national cohesion tend to be caused by local socio-economic and cultural grievances aggravated by poverty, unemployment, violent radicalization, political point scoring and reciprocal attacks, religious tensions, inequality, and marginalization.

He said the recent emergence of terrorists and secessionist groups across the sub-region called for alertness to avert any unforeseen situation that might destabilize the peaceful co-existence in the country.

Superintendent Daniel Amoah, the Municipal Police Commander, elaborated on the Public Order Acts, 1994 (Act 491) and Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019 (Act 999).

He said the Police Service was there to protect lives and properties and also the fundamental laws of the state.

Superintendent Amoah encouraged the public to volunteer information about any suspicious characters in their communities and even church and mosque in order to maintain peace and harmony.

The Commander called on community leaders to form watchdog committees in their various communities and support the efforts of security agencies to fight crime and other violent activities.

Mr. Albert Takyi former MCE for the Municipality who chaired the dialogue noted how peace was critical for development and called on the people to be law abiding.

Pastor Patrick Nartey from the Local Council of Churches, Political Parties, Nananom, Youth Groups and other participants, during the open forum shared experiences on peace and security and pledged their support for peace and national cohesion.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra, Oct. 24,GNA – Sinapi Aba Savings and Loans Company Limited, a leading non-banking financial institution in Ghana, has received ISO 27001 certification per the central bank’s directive to financial institutions to enhance cyber and information security.

This makes it the first Ghanaian savings and loans company to obtain the certification to improve its Information Security Management Systems.

Mr Degraft Agyapong, Head of Cyber and Information Security, Sinapi Aba Savings and Loans, told the media in Kumasi on Friday, that the company made a frantic effort to safeguard its data and improve customer confidence in the company hence the attainment of this feat.

He explained that Sinapi Aba Savings and Loan’s certification followed Bank of Ghana’s directive that financial institutions must meet the international standardization of being ISO compliant in the wake of the banking sector challenges in recent years.

It would be recalled that many players in the financial sector were affected by the regulator’s unprecedented financial sector clean-up exercise.

ISO 27001 structures how businesses should manage risk associated with information security threats, policies, procedures and training for information security threats.

Impact on business

According to Mr Agyapong, by obtaining certification in ISO 27001, organizations had the opportunity to prove credibility and show customers that the organisation was working according to recognized best practices.

This credibility is often a deciding factor, giving the certified organization a competitive advantage on the financial market.

It means customers data and information are given maximum security and priority of protection.

The Head of Cyber and Information Security said ISO 27001 was recognized all around the world as it increased business opportunities for organizations and professionals.

He explained that the standard provided companies with the necessary know-how for protecting their most valuable information, “but the company in this way proves to its customers and partners that it safeguards their data.”

As technology is developed and improved, so does the increased need for information security.

As a result, many businesses like Sinapi Aba Savings and Loans have resolved to continuously vote funds for security investment to maintain appropriate security controls, levels of risk and data sensitivity.

Background

ISO 27001 which is published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), in partnership with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the leading international standard compliance and focuses on information security.

ISO-27001 is part of a set of standards developed to handle information security as it provides a framework to help organisations of any size or any industry protect their information systematically and cost-effectively by adopting an Information Security Management System (ISMS).

The standard contains information security guidelines and requirements intended to protect an organisation’s data assets from loss or unauthorized access and recognised its commitment to information security management through certification.

It includes a risk assessment process, organisational structure, information classification, access control mechanisms, physical and technical safeguards, information security policies, procedures, monitoring and reporting guidelines.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Koforidua,- The Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) is to revive the school alert programmes which involves comprehensive sexual reproductive health education in schools in the Eastern Region to sensitised school children on the threats of HIV.

Restrictions and school breaks in 2020 due to the covid-19 pandemic led to many girls getting pregnant implying that they indulged in risky sex behaviours without using any form of protection exposing them to sexually transmitted diseases including HIV.

Mr Ebenezer Abrokwah, Acting Eastern Region Technical Coordinator of the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) said the covid-19 restrictions slowed down activities of the HIV campaign and sensitisation in schools, and needed to revive it to prevent infections.

Mr Abrokwah who was speaking with the Ghana News Agency under a covid-19 media project being implemented by the Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) in partnership with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) said the move was to step up HIV campaign to reduce the misconceptions about HIV.

Apart from the schools alert programmes, he indicated that the campaign by the District Implementation Committees (DICs) and other communities are using platforms such as the churches and the community information centres to reach out to people on the key messages of HIV to create the needed awareness for to curb infection.

The Eastern Region recorded over 10,000 teenage pregnancies in the year 2020 and reports indicate that from January-June 2021 over 1,000 teenage pregnancies had already been recorded.

This, according to the Acting Technical Coordinator raised concern for HIV infections in the region adding that, “all these teenagers getting pregnant confirms our fears that people are indulging in risky sexual behaviours without any form of protection leading to pregnancy and other sexually transmitted diseases which has not been established yet”.

He explained that the schools’ campaign was yielding positive results as they had the opportunity to answer questions, which bothered the young ones about sexual health education and HIV.

That he said would go a long way to prevent risky sexual behaviours among the youth especially those in schools.

The campaign also provided the opportunity to test as many people as possible and quickly put them on the ART to protect them from illness and opportunistic infections as well as counsel them with regards to their sexual behaviours to prevent infecting others.

With COVID-19 and it’s restrictions, all these activities went down, giving people the false sense of security that HIV was no longer a threat, yet, the covid-19 restrictions had affected many people economically, so, trading sex for money as a result of vulnerabilities is on the rise.

Currently, the Eastern Region has a prevalence of 2.7 showing that over 31,758 of the population between the ages of (15-49) years averagely were HIV positive, with Lower Manya Krobo, Upper-Manya Krobo, Yilo Krobo and Asuogyaman districts leading the regional chart high prevalences.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected those living with HIV in Africa?

There is evidence that the AIDS-related death toll could double in sub-Saharan Africa from 2020 to 2021 if HIV services are severely disrupted as a result of Covid-19. This would mean an additional 500,000 AIDS-related deaths.

But not only that, new infections among children through mother-to-child transmission could increase by even more than 100 per cent in some countries in Africa. We could see the progress made in fighting AIDS reversed by 10 years. And that’s dangerous.

“It’s therefore important to put the message out there that we should keep up the two struggles, on HIV and COVID-19. Do not drop one for the other”, Mr Abrokwah noted .

COVID-19 and people living with HIV

According to the Executive Director of the UNAIDS, Ms Winnie Byanyima, “COVID-19 is a serious disease and all people living with HIV should take all recommended preventive measures to minimize exposure to, and prevent infection by, the virus that causes COVID-19.”

She explained that as in the general population, older people living with HIV or people living with HIV with heart or lung problems may be at a higher risk of becoming infected with the virus and of suffering more serious symptoms.

“All people living with HIV should reach out to their healthcare providers to ensure that they have adequate stocks of essential medicines,’ she cautioned.

She said despite the scale-up of HIV treatment in recent years, 15 million people living with HIV do not have access to antiretroviral therapy, which may compromise their immune systems.

“We will actively learn more about how HIV and COVID-19 together impact on people living with HIV from countries and communities responding to both epidemics. Lessons in rolling out innovations or adapting service delivery to minimize the impact on people living with HIV will be shared and replicated as they become available.

“Until more is known, people living with HIV—especially those with advanced or poorly controlled HIV disease—should be cautious and pay attention to the prevention measures and recommendations. It is also important that people living with HIV have multimonth refills of their HIV medicines”, she added.

Source: Ghana News Agency