Day: March 3, 2022

Overview:

In East Africa, planting is underway for Belg crops in Ethiopia with concerns due to dry conditions and ongoing conflict in the north. In Kenya, harvest has finalized for Short Rains crops under poor to failure conditions due to persistent dryness. There is increasing concern across parts of the region due to a possible fourth consecutive season of below-average rainfall forecast for the upcoming March to May rains (See Seasonal Forecast Alert Pg. 4). In West Africa, harvesting of main season cereals mostly completed last month under generally favourable conditions except in areas impacted by persistent dry conditions and in conflict-affected regions. In the Middle East and North Africa, winter wheat crops continue to develop under mixed conditions as dryness may impact crop outcomes in parts of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Syria, and Iraq. In Southern Africa, conditions remain mixed for main season cereals as dry conditions have expanded in parts of the subregion, and the passage of several tropical storms and cyclones since January has impacted crops in southern Malawi, Mozambique, and Madagascar. In Central and South Asia, winter wheat crops continue to develop under mixed conditions due to persistent dryness in parts of Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Land preparation for spring wheat crops is underway in Afghanistan and Tajikistan. In Southeast Asia, dry-season rice crops are developing under generally favourable conditions in the north due to sufficient irrigation water supply. In Central America and the Caribbean, Apante season bean crops are developing under favourable conditions in Nicaragua while poor conditions have resulted in Haiti due to previous dry conditions and damage from recent torrential rainfall.

Source: GEOGLAM

Accra, – Mr Ransford Tetteh, a former Acting Managing Director of the Graphic Communications Group Limited, has been appointed the Board Chair of the Ghana News Agency (GNA).

Mr Tetteh, prior to the current appointment, had served as a member of the board.

Other members of the Board are: Mrs Ivy Hoetu, Mr Daniel Addai, Dr N. A. Ibrahim Lartey, Mr Peter Claver Nibepwo Sangber-Dery, Dr Charles Kwening, Ms Juliet Amoah and Mr Kofi Owusu, the General Manager.

This was contained in a press release by the National Media Commission (NMC) signed by its Executive Director, Mr George Sarpong.

This is in accordance with article 168 of the Constitution and section 2(1)(e) of the National Media Commission Act, 1993 (Act 449) and in consultation with the President.

Mr Tetteh is an advocate of sustainable development having studied Development, Governance, Law and Democracy at the Institute for Development Studies of the University of Cape Coast for his master’s degree and Post Graduate Diploma in Communication Studies at the University of Ghana.

Between 2006 and 2013, he was the President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and served on the Governing Council of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) from 2006 to 2016.

A product of the GIJ, he is also a Gordon Fisher Fellow of the Massey College of the University of Toronto, Canada, during the 2000/2001 academic year.

The NMC further stated that, in consultation with the President, it had appointed some other persons to the governing boards of public corporations managing the state-owned media.

For the Graphic Communications Company Limited, the following persons have been appointed: Professor Olivia Frimpong Kwapong, Chair, Mrs Ivy Austin, Dr Valentin Kwasi Mensah, Mr Ebenezer Asante Sefa, Dr. Ama Boafo-Arthur, Mr. Ishaq Kyei-Brobbey, Yaw D. Oppong Esq. and Mr Ato Afful, the Managing Director.

The News Times Corporation is chaired by Dr Kwaku Rockson with Prof. Kofi Quashigah, Mrs Victoria Natsu, Mr Donald Gwira, Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, Mr. Kofi Marrah, Mr Samuel Akwasi S. Sarfo, Ms Doris Adabasu Kuwornu and Mr Adu Owusu, Managing Director, as members.

Prof. Samuel Debrah chairs the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation with Mrs Efuah Ghartey, Dr Kwame Nyamekye, Mrs Ama Serwah Nerquay, Mr. Peter Yarquah, Mr. Thomas Bronii, Mr Adjei Afriyie Nketia, Mr. Samuel Kojo Intsiaba, Dr. Tannoh Debrah and Prof. Amin Alhassan, the Director General, as board members.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Kpone (Near Tema), – Ms. Charity Sikanku, Assistant Greater Accra Regional Community Health, and Planning Services (CHPs) Coordinator, has called for the communities to show ownership of the health facilities.

She said they needed to give strong support to health workers posted to these facilities in their various communities.

She was speaking during a day’s training for health volunteers, to improve their skills in Kpone-Katamanso Municipality.

She encouraged the Community Health Management Committees (CHMC) to give it their all to raise the quality of health services to the people.

Dr Esther Priscilla Biamah-Danquah, Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Health Director said the formation of the Community Health Management Committee was vital for efficient delivery of health care.

She explained that health care delivery was not only for the Ghana Health Services (GHS) and that the communities had a significant role to play.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra, – The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the City of Aarhus in Denmark for the second phase of the Strategic Sector Corporation (SSC) project being implemented in Tema to improve water delivery.

The first phase of the project, from 2020 to 2022, witnessed the signing of a similar MoU between GWCL; The Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) and Aarhus in June 2019 to enhance safe and sustainable water supply and wastewater treatment in Tema.

The second phase is from 2023 to 2025 with a possible national implementation of a third phase from 2026 to 2028.

The overall objective of the partnership is to achieve a well-functioning and sustainable water delivery system for residents of Tema and businesses, as well as reduced environmental pollution through improved collection and treatment of wastewater.

As part of the project, a long-term plan and strengthened institutional setting, organisational structures, capacities, skills and procedures for sustainable and climate resilient urban wastewater management is envisioned.

It also envisages a long-term plan and strategy for reduction of Non-Revenue Water (NRW) and strengthened systems, capacities, skills and procedures to bring down NRW and increase the level of financial and technical sustainable drinking water services in Tema and its environs.

Earlier at a separate signing, Mr Yohane Amarh Ashitey, Mayor of Tema, declared interest for the continuity of the partnership on behalf of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly.

The city of Aarhus is focused on the sustainable development of the city regarding climate mitigation, climate adaption and water management to achieve Sustainable Development Goals on clean water in Aarhus and internationally.

Aarhus facilitates sustainable development by sharing experiences, methodologies and technologies in water management.

Mr Tom Nørring, Ambassador of Denmark to Ghana, said the dual focus of SSC project – wastewater and non-revenue water – made it unique and significant as it demanded an inter and intra institutional collaboration and knowledge sharing between Denmark and Ghana.

The Project, he reiterated, would directly contribute to achieving the United Nations SDG six, which envisioned clean water and sanitation, improving livelihood and growth in Ghana.

The Ambassador said Denmark would do its utmost to make the expected Danida Sustainable Infrastructure Finance – funded Aveyime Water Project become a reality to significantly improve access to water for residents and industries in the eastern part of Greater Accra.

Mr. Henrik Seiding, Managing Director of the City of Aarhus, who signed the MoU on behalf of Aarhus, expressed delight at the collaboration to address specific water issues in Tema, stating that it underlined the huge relevance and value of the partnership within the Strategic Sector Cooperation and the need to deepen such cooperation.

Like Aarhus, he said, Tema was a vibrant urban area with lots of activities and growth, which necessitated constant demand for more water from many types of consumers.

He said the City of Aarhus had for decades worked on issues like water loss and protection, resource efficiency and the overall development of a smart and cost-effective utility that delivered the services citizens and industries expected.

Mr Clifford Braimah, Managing Director, GWCL, said despite the challenges the GWCL was confronted with, the Company was able to deliver water to majority of the country’s population, adding that the partnership would further strengthen its efforts in a sustained manner.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Ho,- Two basic schools in the Ho municipality have suffered major roof damage during a rainstorm Wednesday March 3, 2022.

 

Mr Divine Bosson, Ho Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), who went on an assessment tour, found some pupils of the two basic schools, EP Bankoe cluster of schools and the Ho SSNIT Flats Presby Basic School, displaced. 

Classes one A and B of the EP Bankoe School were found with half their roofs torn off, leaving pupils at the mercy of the weather. 

The storm detached the whole roofing unit of a classroom block of the SSNIT Flats School and carried it several yards across the compound, tearing the roof of another classroom in the process before landing after a close to a family residence nearby. 

Pupils from four classes, basic one to three and basic six, have been forced to study under the shade of trees. 

Books and other study material had been soaked by the rain and teachers and pupils were seen salvaging them to be dried out in the sun. 

Heads of both schools reported no casualties as schools were out of session during the storm. 

The MCE, who was in the company of the City’s engineers and officers of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), ordered roofing sheets to be provided for the affected schools for immediate reconstruction. 

 He said the Assembly would enforce laws surrounding the erection of physical structures and would ensure that buildings and other structures were of the required integrity. 

The rainstorm, which started at around 1600 hours and raged for less than an hour, with strong winds that collapsed more than 20 major advertising billboards in the Municipality and caused varying degrees of damage to the roofs of homes. 

Similar devastation was recorded across the Volta and Oti Region, which many had described as a rare occurrence or climate change induced. 

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra, – The FAO Representative to Ghana, Mr Ndiaga Gueye, says the contributions of artisanal fishers, especially women to the fisheries and aquaculture value chain, needed to be recognised.

He said the sector contributed significantly to the local economy and provided jobs for men women and youths alike.

Mr Gueye made the call for the recognition at the launch of the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (TYAFA 2022).

The initiative seeks to promote awareness about the importance of small-scale fisheries and aquaculture in Ghana and beyond, while providing the necessary platforms for State and non-State actors to deliberate and strengthen policy options for moving the sector forward through interactions that will empower stakeholders to act.

It is also to serve as a community of practice to showcase the code of conduct for our fisher folks.

More than 2 million Ghanaians being fishermen, processors and traders, and their dependants amounting to about 10 per cent of the population participate in this sector.

The FAO Representative said the IYAFA 2022 was an opportune time to acknowledge the artisanal fishers, who continue to contribute to the food security and economy of Ghana.

Artisanal fisheries and aquaculture are mostly practised on small scale levels with players having relatively small production units with limited levels of technology, which comes with relatively small capital investment.

The activities of artisanal fishers, including fish processors, fish mongers and other value chain actors, are commonly managed at family levels or communal levels.

He said the works of artisanal fishers were done largely to provide food to the community while providing livelihoods and jobs for actors along the value chain.

Mr Gueye said though the importance and value of artisanal fisheries and aquaculture could not be over-emphasised it had not garnered the necessary recognition it duly deserves globally.

He said the launch of IYAFA 2022 would leave stakeholders with a great sense of responsibility; “we all have diverse roles to play to make it a memorable year.”

He said it was important to advocate and promote programmes aimed at small-scale artisanal fisheries and aquaculture at the local governance level to improve their production abilities and widen their livelihood opportunities with the aim of expanding the local community and contributing to food security.

Has called on State actors and Development partners to take a renewed interest in small-scale artisanal fisheries and aquaculture in their development assistance for food security and nutrition, poverty eradication, and natural resource sustainability.

The FAO Representative said the Voluntary Guidelines would help to guide dialogue, policy processes, and action of all actors in the value chain at all levels, from local communities to global fora.

These guidelines will help to preserve our water bodies from the use of chemicals to catch fish at sea if fisher folks adhere to what the guidelines require of them.

FAO has supported the development of these Voluntary Guidelines and communication materials in some selected Ghanaian languages to facilitate awareness raising and training of stakeholders in the various fishing communities, which will bring to light the consequences of some behaviours and its negative impact on the aquatic system.

Mrs Mavis Hawa Koomson, the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, expressed gratitude to FAO for the Technical Assistant Programmes extended over the years to the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector.

She said FAO past Programmes had yielded positive results in contributing significantly to food and nutrition security, sustainable livelihoods, and poverty eradication in the fishing communities of Ghana.

He said fish was a major component in Ghanaian diet and the average Ghanaian consumed about 24kg of fish annually, which was higher than the world’s average of 16kg, making it evident that fish was the principal source of low-cost protein in Ghana.

“Despite the risk and labour-intensive nature of their work, our gallant Fishers work tirelessly to ensure availability of fish all year round, hence the high consumption pattern of fish in Ghana,” she added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The management of Ghana Premier League, Asante Kotoko, and representatives of Access Bank Ghana have presented the new team bus to Manhyia on Wednesday, March 2 at the Manhyia Palace.

During a short ceremony at the Royal House, management led by CEO Nana Yaw Amponsah, along with Access Bank presented the coach worth GHS 2 million to Life Patron Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.

The Volvo MarcoPolo B&R BioSafe Executive Coach will serve as the first-choice bus for the Porcupines due to its unique features in handling COVID-19.

Kotoko last week announced the acquisition of the new 34+1+1 seater 2021 Volvo Marcopolo B8R Bio-Safe Executive Coach through a new partnership deal with Access Bank.

The Porcupine Warriors made their trip to Accra on Wednesday with the luxurious team bus for the 2022 President’s Cup against their rivals, Hearts of Oak on Friday at the Accra Sports Stadium.

Pictures of the bus’ visit to the Manhyia Palace below

The team is likely to officially make first use of the bus when they travel to Accra to play Hearts of Oak in the President’s Cup.

Source: Modern Ghana

Cape Coast,- The city of Cape Coast is witnessing a magnificent facelift as it gears up to welcome thousands of merrymakers and visitors from all walks of life to grace Ghana’s 65th Independence Day celebration.

The historical city and adjoining communities had been draped in the national colours of red, yellow and green, reflecting independence and sovereignty.

The National flags have been hoisted in and around the town with huge billboards mounted and displayed at vantage locations to welcome the joyous occasion.

Taking a tour around town on Thursday, the Ghana News Agency observed that faulty street lights across the Metropolis had all been fixed, bushy roadsides cleared, and hawkers removed from the street pavements.

Major roads leading to the Cape Coast Sports stadium have been reshaped with others fully asphalted, making the town look shiny and decorated.

At the Sports Stadium, the venue of attraction, the GNA saw some vehicles of security agencies parked around the stadium while their personnel were actively rehearsing and gearing up for the event.

The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and the Information Service Department (ISD) have intensified public education on the impending programme.

Residents, who spoke to the GNA expressed joy and were anxious to participate in the various programmes.

Mr Agyei Aboakye, a Headteacher, was excited that another national event had been brought to the Region after the Farmers Day held in December year.

“The town has become beautiful, and I wish it remained so even after Independence Day or a lot of these National events be held here for the entire Region to benefit from it”, he said.

Mrs Gifty Amponsah, a trader, expressed delight that choosing the region for national events had brought huge development in Cape Coast and lauded the organisers for a good job.

Master Felix Andoh, a student, said he was preparing to march to impress and hoped that his school would emerge the best of all considering how much effort they had invested in preparing for the event.

He said the celebration would also allow him to see the stadium for the first time.

Source: Ghana News Agency