Day: April 12, 2024

Bedeku-Kpornya, April 12, GNA- Mr. Abraham Teye Korley, Assembly Member for Bedeku Electoral Area in the Ada East District, has cut the sod for the construction of a three-unit kindergarten and six-unit classroom blocks for Bedeku Kpornya Primary School.

The project is being supported by community members who voluntarily contributed bags of cement and some cash for the construction of the classrooms.

Mr. Korley said he was poised to make a positive impact in his community.

Mr Korley said as the community members were in support and had started contributing towards the project, they would appeal to other philanthropists to support them in completing the project within the shortest possible time.

Nene Tetteh Wormenor III, Chief of Bedeku-Kpornya, expressed his excitement about the project, indicating that the way children from the community have to cross the highway and walk long distances before accessing education at Korlekorpey and Bedeku had always been a bother for him.

He stressed that it had been h
is long-time dream to get a school in his area but did not know how to go about it until the new assembly member came in and gave his support.

He recounted that he and the assembly member shared their sentiments with the community members at a meeting, and they agreed to contribute towards it.

He appealed to the indigenes of the community, those residing there and elsewhere, to as a matter of urgency, come to their aid to support the project for its completion.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A promotional event for the seventh China International Import Expo and the Hongqiao International Economic Forum was held in Windhoek, capital of Namibia, on April 9.

Approximately 120 people attended the event, including representatives from Namibia’s Ministry of Industrialization and Trade, the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), businesses, and exhibition organizations.

Shen Jian, chargé d’affaires ad interim of the Chinese embassy in Namibia, noted that China has been Namibia’s second-largest trading partner and the largest source of foreign direct investment for consecutive years. He expressed hope that Namibian businesses can better understand the CIIE through this event and bring more high-quality local products to the Chinese market to share development opportunities with China.

Song Shangzhe from the CIIE Bureau provided an overview of the CIIE. He stated that over the past six years, an increasing number of African enterprises and unique local products have entered the C
hinese market through the expo. As a global public good, the CIIE is willing to support African enterprises and their high-quality products, including those from Namibia, in entering the Chinese market, Song added.

Yu Zirong, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, shared basic information about the Hongqiao International Economic Forum, an important part of the CIIE. He expressed hope that more topics relevant to developing countries, particularly African nations, would be included in the forum’s discussions. He also anticipated increased attention and participation from Namibia and other African countries in future editions of the forum.

Representatives from the Namibian government and trade associations said that they will actively mobilize local enterprises to participate in the CIIE to seize the opportunities offered by the Chinese market.

During their time in Namibia, the CIIE working team also visited local institutions and enterprises, including NIPDB
and the Namib Desert Diamonds Ltd, to further encourage their participation in the CIIE.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Electrochem Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of the McDan Group of Companies and a commercial salt production company in the Ada Traditional Area, has donated GHC 200,000 to support the Ada Community Chiefs Association.

Dr Daniel McKorley, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the McDan Group of Companies, who presented the money at a meeting with the chiefs, expressed his gratitude for their support for the operations of Electrochem.

He also pledged to continue working with them for the success of the Ada Traditional Area.

Nene Tetteh Asigbey III, the Chief of Asigbekorpey and Chairman of the Ada Community Chiefs Association thanked the company for the gesture, saying it was the first time that a company was undertaking various corporate social responsibility projects in the area ahead of the commencement of its operations.

He said the company had done a massive job so far and needed to be supported for the continuous development of the entire concession and the Ada state.

‘If you are not in support of this
development, don’t prevent others from benefiting,’ he said.

Mr Abdul Razack Adams, the CEO of Electrochem, said the company has allocated a portion of its concession to the community chiefs for the proceeds to be used to develop peculiar issues in their communities.

He said the company would also create other salt pans for the queen mothers and the Ada Traditional Council and were working on setting up a fund to cater for the elderly in Ada State.

Madam Louisa Atta Akpoto, a Communication Team Member, debunked claims that the company would be relocating communities along the lagoon.

The management during the interaction also revealed that they would be extending their operations from the Ada West District to the Ada East District in a few weeks.

They also appealed to the chiefs to educate their community members on the value of the project to the traditional area, saying the company has employed about 400 permanent workers and over 1,500 casual workers during every mining season.

Source: Ghana News Ag
ency

The National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) in collaboration with the Center for National Culture (CNC) have offered employable skills training for some women in the Bono Region to empower them economically.

In all, more than 300 vulnerable women were trained in soap making, bead production, washing powder, liquid soap and other detergents.

A statement issued and signed by Mr Williams Ohene-Adjei, the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Region Manager of the NPRA, said the training was held in Sunyani on March 8, 2024, to mark this year’s celebration of the International Women’s Day on the theme ‘invest in women; accelerate progress.’

The statement which was made available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani said Mrs Effuah Gyimah, the Senior Manager of the NPRA, represented Mrs Drusilla Naa Yartekai Frimpong, the Director, Human Resources and Administration of the Authority.

Addressing the opening session of the training, Mrs Gyimah highlighted the crucial role of women towards accelerated national de
velopment hence the need to empower them economically so they could also contribute towards the upkeep of their families.

It said there was a need to identify and channel significant resources to empower vulnerable women not only to make them self-reliant but also to build their self-esteem and inspire them to register and join pension schemes.

That was the surest way the nation could eliminate old age poverty among women, Mrs Gyimah stated and reiterated the need for women to show interest and plan for their retirement by joining pension schemes.

Mrs Gyimah called for more opportunities to be created for women as ways of building their capacity and enhancing their economic prospects.

Mrs Gyimah, it said, used the opportunity to interact with prospective retirees of the Ghana Education Service in the region and glorified them for their hard work, dedication, and selflessness in serving the nation.

Mrs Gyimah also interacted with Human Resource practitioners in the local government sector and sensitised t
hem to the new Pension Act, urging them to continually liaise with their trustees to provide up-to-date information on the contributions of employees.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Hundreds of Muslims in Effutu Municipality held their Ed-ul-Fitr prayers and thanksgiving at Wonsum, a community in Winneba to commemorate the end of the Ramadan month.

Alhaji Mohammed Monsuri Issah, Effutu Municipal Chief Imam, led the worshippers to thank the Almighty Allah for bringing them to the end of the fasting period.

He charged the youth to continue to reflect on the principles of the fasting to continuously enjoy its benefits.

Alhaji Issah prayed for the Almighty Allah to intervene in this year’s election for peace to prevail always.

He cautioned the youth not to allow themselves to be used by politicians to disturb the peace of the country because peace was paramount and Islam religion stood for peace and urged them to eschew acts that could tarnish the image of Islam.

He thanked Allah for all that he had done for Muslims in Ghana, and for the acceptance of their prayers, supplications and continued blessings, peace and grace on the country.

Alhaji Zubeiru Kassim, Effutu Municipal Chief Exe
cutive (MCE), thanked the Almighty Allah for protection and guidance for a successful end of their 30-day fast.

‘My Muslim brothers and sisters let us be law abiding and eschew all anti-social vices, which trigger mayhem or tarnish the image of the Islam Religion while celebrating the Ramadan,’ he advised.

He said all that they needed was peace to go about to serve the Almighty Allah and to contribute towards the development of the country without any hindrances.

He said the December general elections was around the corner, and they must go out in their numbers to vote massively for Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, the sole candidate among the lot who had the ability to drive the economic development of the country.

They should also vote for Mr. Afenyo-Markin, the incumbent Member of Parliament to continue with the good works in the Municipality.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A day’s consultative forum to collate inputs from key stakeholders to influence political parties’ manifestos for the 2024 general election, has been held in Tamale.

it was organised by SEND GHANA, a civil society organisation, and funded by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The forum was to deepen participatory governance and help develop people-centred policies towards enhancing the livelihoods of citizens, especially the vulnerable.

Participants were drawn from the Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper East and Upper West Regions, and their inputs focused on gender and social protection, adolescents and reproductive health, Water, Sanitation and Health (WASH), Education and Health.

Mr Mohammed Mumuni, Regional Programme Manager, SEND GHANA, speaking at the event, said it sought to involve citizens in the development processes of political parties’ manifestos to ensure that those manifestos addressed their practical realities and needs.

He said: ‘Over the last two decades, we have observed
that our development as a country was largely influenced by political parties’ manifestos. In order to get political parties to develop comprehensive and more inclusive manifestos, which reflect the needs of the people, citizens must contribute their opinions on the needed policies, hence the forum.’

After a round table discussion during the event, participants for the WASH sector proposed that political parties’ manifestos should have policies and programmes that would help to minimise open defecation.

For the health sector, participants proposed the need to support the production and consumption of locally available nutritious foods to address malnutrition, especially among children in communities.

They also wanted the manifestos to show how they intended to ensure regular procurement and timely distribution of vaccines to address infant mortality.

In the Social Protection sector, they suggested a more sustainable funding source for social protection initiatives to help address the delays in executing s
ome of the social protection interventions.

They also proposed that adolescent reproductive health education be taught as a separate subject at the basic school level to ensure more awareness of the rights of adolescent girls and other young people.

Mr Mumuni said SEND GHANA would engage the various political parties to ensure that the inputs collated at the forum were captured in their manifestos.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has commended the Rotary Club for contributing significantly to Ghana’s socio-economic development.

He said Rotary International, through its affiliates, had always been a pillar of hope for many people.

Rotary Clubs, he said, had chalked significant victories in Ghana, protecting countless futures through widespread efforts, adding that, these critical initiatives underscored Rotary’s commitment to a healthier future for the nation.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu, who was speaking at the opening of the Rotary International District 9104 conference in Kumasi, said Rotary’s focus on providing sustainable water solutions and improving sanitation, had transformed many lives, adding that, it was very important the association continued embarking on projects that aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The King, touching on Rotary’s efforts in education, said building schools, awarding scholarships and supporting literacy had opened hope for Ghanaian youth and this ‘inv
estment is pivotal in helping our future leaders to achieve on a grander scale.’

‘Economic empowerment has also been a key focus with Rotary’s work in micro-finance, vocational training and agricultural support catalyzing economic growth, job creation and self-sufficiency, thus; re-enforcing our economic fabric,’ he added.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, touching on the theme for the conference ‘Rotary: Creating Hope for Ghana’ indicated that it was not just a theme but a mission and a call to further action.

Rotary must therefore poise itself to champion initiatives that foster environmental sustainability, equitable education and broad economic opportunities, paving the way for a prosperous future for all Ghanaians.

Addressing health challenges beyond polio, including malaria, HIV/AIDS and new emerging health concerns remained imperative and Rotary’s continued efforts are essential in building a robust healthcare system accessible to all.

The Asantehene said collaborative efforts were also vital to surmounting c
omplex challenges and urged the association to forge stronger bonds with governments, the private sector and civil societies to achieve sustainable and impactful outcomes.

He said while Rotary sought for peace, the chieftaincy institution would continue to resolve issues that brought animosity to communities in Ghana.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II charged the club to continue leveraging on strengths to build legacies of prosperity, equity and sustainability for Ghana.

Mr David Osei Amankwah, District Governor (Rotary District 9104), said as part of the features of Rotary, members were committed to empowering the people economically by giving microloans to small groups and tracking the progress of their businesses.

Rotary also offered literacy and vocational skills and other social interventions such as education, healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene projects.

Mr. Amankwah said Rotary embarked on an initiative dubbed ‘Rotary Greens Ghana’ initiative which seeks to transform the idea and task of ‘greening’ our
environment by planting trees from being just a physical activity to an ingrained social and behavioural change.

The hope was to meet a target of planting 100,000 trees by World Environment Day in June 2024.

Another significant project the District Governor talked about was the Solar Vaccine Shelter Project.

It aims to provide identifiable health facilities with more reliable and consistent sources of power to store vaccines.

Presently, there are about 2,223 facilities across the country without Cold Chain Equipment (CCE).

This includes 326 requiring Solar Direct Devices (SDDs comprising a panel, an inverter and a fridge).

Source: Ghana News Agency

Commuters across the country have been asked not to pay any additional transport fares.

This advice is coming from the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC) and on the heels of the recent arbitrary increase in transport fares by some drivers.

A press release jointly issued by GPRTU and GRTCC and copied to the Ghana News Agency asked the citizenry not to pay any extra fares until a consensus was reached.

The statement described such increases as illegal and in contravention of the Administrative Instrument on the review of public transport fares.

The transport bodies indicated that they had not reached a consensus with the Ministry of Transport on adjustment in fares following recent hikes in fuel prices and the attendant operational cost.

‘As has been the practice, the leadership met with the Ministry of Transport on Wednesday 10th April 2024 to present our demands. Once consensus is reached, the public will be duly informed,’ the statement
said.

‘Therefore, any increase outside the Administrative Instrument should be disregarded and treated with contempt,’ the statement added.

‘We, therefore, urge commuters not to pay any fare outside the existing fares.

‘We also want to urge all drivers to abide by this directive and have confidence in the leadership,’ the statement said.

It urged all Regional Administrations, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, and the Station Welfare Committees to ensure compliance with the existing fares.

They assured transport operators of the leadership of the two bodies’ commitment to continuously push for the welfare of transport operators.

Source: Ghana News Agency