Day: April 18, 2024

Zenith Global Health is to host the 4th Africa Healthcare Awards and Summit (AHAS 2024) in Accra.

A statement by the Organisation indicated that, the Summit would take place at the Accra International Conference Centre from April 22, 2024 (summit) to April 23, 2024, (Awards Gala).

It will be on the theme: ‘Advances in Population Health – Tackling Inequalities and Access: A One Health Approach’.

AHAS 2024 would bring together healthcare professionals, policymakers, innovators, and stakeholders from across Africa to discuss pressing issues in healthcare and foster collaboration for sustainable solutions.

The Summit would feature engaging panel discussions, keynote presentations, and interactive side sessions focused on addressing the challenges of population health through a holistic approach.

Topics would include healthcare financing, manufacturing and supply chain management, community engagement, and the role of technology in improving healthcare access and delivery.

‘We are excited to host the 4th Afr
ica Healthcare Awards and Summit in Accra, Ghana. This event serves as a platform for stakeholders to come together, share insights, and explore innovative approaches to advancing population health in Africa.

‘We look forward to productive discussions and meaningful collaborations that will drive positive change across the continent,’ Mary Akangbe, President and Founder of Zenith Global Health, said.

The statement said AHAS 2024 would also include the prestigious Africa Healthcare Awards ceremony, recognising excellence and innovation in various sectors of the healthcare industry.

Awards categories would span healthcare delivery, medical research, technology, and community health initiatives, among others.

‘We are honoured to celebrate the achievements of healthcare professionals and organisations making a difference in the lives of people across Africa. The Africa Healthcare Awards showcase the dedication and commitment of individuals and institutions working tirelessly to improve healthcare outcomes and
promote wellness in our communities,’ Dr Imane Kendili, President of Africa Global Health, Morocco, said.

The statement said registration for AHAS 2024 was open, and encouraged interested participants to visit the official website https://zenithglobalhealth.com/ahas-africa-ticket/ for more information and to secure their spot at the event.

Zenith Global Health was founded in 2016 by the President, Mary Akangbe, a British Nigerian Specialist Nurse Practitioner with over 30 years of experience in the United Kingdom (UK) health system and about 15 years of transforming health across Africa.

Her passion for patients and health systems enabled her to attract support from diverse colleagues and partners to bring Zenith Global Health’s vision to life.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Residents of some upscale neighbourhoods in Accra were gripped by fear as a string of armed robberies swept through their communities, leaving victims traumatized and authorities on high alert.

Among those targeted were prominent individuals, including Matilda Yaaba Amissah-Arthur, the wife of the late Vice President of Ghana.

Yahuza Osumanu, a self-proclaimed businessman residing at Pokuase-ACP, allegedly embarked on a string of residential robberies between the second quarter of 2023 and December 2023, terrorizing residents in affluent areas such as Airport, Cantonments, Tesano and Ridge.

According to details presented in court by police prosecutors, Osumanu’s modus operandi involved forcefully entering the homes of his victims while brandishing a firearm, coercing them into surrendering their valuables under the threat of violence.

On December 5, 2023, Matilda Yaaba Amissah-Arthur fell victim to Osumanu’s brazen attack when he allegedly entered her residence, wielding a gun and issuing threats.

During
the ordeal, Mrs. Amissah-Arthur was subjected to a harrowing experience as the assailant ransacked her home, making off with valuable possessions.

‘On 5th of December 2023 at about 4:00am the Tesano Police Division received information to the effect that the complainant Madam Matilda Yaaba Amissah-Arthur had been robbed.

‘On receipt of the complaint, a team of police personnel was dispatched to the crime scene but on their arrival, the accused person had fled. The complainant told the police that the accused person was wielding a gun and he threatened to kill her if she did not comply with his instructions.

‘She placed a call to the police guard on duty at her residence and asked him to look out for the accused. The guard spotted the accused person in the compound while he was trying to escape with the safe. He gave the accused a chase but the accused abandoned the safe and managed to escape,’ a police fact sheet presented to a court in Accra stated.

The robberies were not isolated incidents. On September
17, 2023, Augustine Kwesi Okere reported to the Airport Police that he had been robbed at gunpoint in his residence, losing two Rolex wristwatches and a significant sum of cash.

Subsequent incidents on December 4 and 5, 2023, saw Daniel Kwame Osafo and Tracy Osei-Hyeaman, becoming victims of similar attacks. The accused made away with expensive jewellery, electronics and cash after threatening them with a firearm.

Margaret Alice Shaw’s home was invaded on December 11, 2023, where Osumanu allegedly looted valuable items, including a Rolex watch and jewellery, before fleeing the scene.

Police, during their investigations, obtained crucial evidence, including CCTV footage linking Osumanu to the crime scenes.

They identified him as the prime suspect, known for his involvement in a series of residential robberies in affluent neighbourhoods.

‘On the 12th of December 2023, the police gathered information that the accused person Yahuza Osuman was the one robbing inhabitants of Accra and that he was at Dome Pilla
r 2.

‘On the 13th of December 2023, the police acting on a search warrant proceeded to House No. DNC 34, Dome Pillar 2, which was the hideout of the accused, but they met his absence. They proceeded to Tantra Hill and arrested one John Dela Sarbah, the shopkeeper of the accused person.

‘He led the police to a two-bedroom apartment where the accused person lived with his family but when they arrived there the accused person had escaped. The police opened the apartment forcefully and a search conducted revealed three power motorbikes, a toy gun, assorted jewellery, some electronic devices, a jackknife, one unregistered Toyota Prado vehicle, one unregistered Lexus vehicle and three other motorbikes which were retrieved from the house,’ police prosecutors said.

Following a widespread manhunt, Osumanu was apprehended on December 15, 2023, in Kasoa. He was found seated in a vehicle and promptly arrested for interrogation.

‘On the 15th of December 2023, the police received information that the accused person was
hiding at Kasoa. The police proceeded to Kasoa and met the accused person seated in the front passenger seat of a grey Honda CRV vehicle. The police team stopped the vehicle, arrested him and took him to the CID headquarters to assist in investigation,’ the prosecution noted.

During questioning, Osumanu reportedly confessed to his involvement in the robberies, admitting to using a toy gun to intimidate his victims. He also identified himself in the CCTV footage captured at the scenes of the crimes.

Further investigations uncovered a trail of ill-gotten gains, with Osumanu allegedly acquiring multiple properties through his illicit activities.

His gains from the robberies include thousands of local and foreign currencies as well as expensive watches and jewellery and phones.

Augustine Kwesi Okere is a businessman residing at Kacela Courts Apartments at Airport Residential Area, Accra.

Complainants Daniel Kwame Osafo and Tracy Osei-Hyeaman are husband and wife residing at Zollink Apartments in Cantonments,
Accra, Complainant Matilda Yaaba Amissah Arthur was the wife of the late Vice President of the Republic of Ghana residing at Tesano, Accra and complainant, Margaret Alice Shaw is a 76-year-old woman residing at Alexander Nest, Ridge, Accra.

The accused person Yahuza Osumanu is a self-acclaimed businessman residing at Pokuase-ACP.

Between the second quarter of the year, 2023 and December 2023, the Police CID received several complaints of residential robberies perpetuated by a single armed man around Airport, Cantonments, Tesano and Ridge.

On the 17th of September, 2023, complainant, Augustine Okere reported to the Airport Police that at about 2:30am that morning, his residence at Kaecla Court Apartments, Airport Residential Area was robbed. On receipt of the complaint, a team of police personnel from the Airport Police Division was dispatched to the crime scene.

The complainant told the police that the accused person, entered his room, pointed a pistol at him and demanded money and other valuables. He was
robbed of two (2) Rolex wrist watches valued at $38,000.00 USD and $23,000.00 USD and cash in the sum of GHC2,000.00 and £3,500.00.

On the 19th of September, 2023, the owner of the Kaeela Courts Apartments Dr. Abu Sakara Foster furnished the police with a pen drive which contained a CCTV footage of the accused person.

On the 4th of December, 2023, the police received a distress call from the complainants Daniel Kwame Osafo and Tracy Osei-Hyeaman to the effect that they had been robbed.

On receipt of the complaint, a team of police personnel was dispatched to the crime scene but on their arrival, the accused person had fled. They told the police that the accused person pointed a pistol at them whiles demanding money and other valuables and succeeded in robbing them of a Cartier wrist watch valued at Nine Thousand United States Dollars ($9,000.00USD), an iPhone Pro Max valued at One Thousand United States Dollars ($1,000.00USD), a Cartier black pen valued at Five Hundred United States Dollars ($500.00USD) an
d a gold chain valued at Five Thousand United States Dollars, ($5,000.00USD) all belonging to Daniel Kwame Osafo.

The accused person also made away with jewelries valued at Fifty Thousand United States Dollars ($50,000.00USD) and a Cartier wristwatch valued at Ten Thousand United States Dollars ($10,000.00USD) belonging to Tracy Osei-Hyeaman.

The CCTV footages at the premises were obtained and reviewed. On 5th of December 2023 at about 4:00am the Tesano Police Division received information to the effect that the complainant Madam Matilda Yaaba Amissah Arthur had been robbed.

On receipt of the complaint, a team of police personnel was dispatched to the crime scene but on their arrival, the accused person had fled. The complainant told the police that the accused person was wielding a gun and he threatened to kill her if she did not comply with his instructions.

She placed a call to the police guard on duty at her residence and asked him to look out for the accused. The guard spotted the accused person in t
he compound while he was trying to escape with the safe. He gave the accused a chase but the accused abandoned the safe and managed to escape.

On the 8th of December 2023, the police obtained CCTV footages from the crime scene and reviewed same. The accused person was identified in the CCTV footage as Yahuza Osumanu, who had been on the police radar for his involvement in series of residential robberies at Cantonments, Airport Residential Area, Ridge and Tesano.

On the 11th of December, 2023, the Papa 51 police patrol team received information about a robbery incident at Ridge. On receipt of the information, the patrol team proceeded to the crime scene. When they arrived at the scene, they met the complainant Margaret Alice Shaw who informed them that she was lying on her bed when the accused person entered her room, pointed a gun at her and instructed her to hand over all her money and valuables to him.

She told the police that the accused person ransacked her room and made away with a Rolex watch valued
at Seventy Thousand United States Dollars ($70,000.00USD), a Panerai watch valued at Fifteen Thousand United States Dollars ($15,000.00USD) belonging to her son-in- law, David Adjaye, jewelleries valued at Fifteen Thousand United States Dollars ($15,000.00USD) belonging to her daughter Asheley Shaw Scott and cash in the sum of One Thousand Five Hundred Ghana Cedis (GHC1,500.00).

An initial assessment by the police revealed that the accused person gained ingress into the house through the victim’s window in the kitchen which was not properly locked. The police took photographs of the crime scene. That same day, the police returned to the crime scene with Crime Scene Management Experts. They processed the scene, reviewed the Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) at the premises and obtained copies of the CCTV footage.

On the 12th of December 2023, the police gathered information that the accused person Yahuza Osuman was the one robbing inhabitants of Accra and that he was at Dome Pillar 2.

On the 13th of December
2023, the police acting on a search warrant proceeded to House No. DNC 34, Dome Pillar 2, which was the hideout of the accused, but they met his absence. They proceeded to Tantra Hill and arrested one John Dela Sarbah, the shop keeper of the accused person.

He led the police to a two-bedroom apartment where the accused person lived with his family but when they arrived there the accused person had escaped. The police opened the apartment forcefully and a search conducted revealed three power motorbikes, toy-gun, assorted jewelleries, some electronic devices, a jack knife, one unregistered Toyota Prado vehicle, one unregistered Lexus vehicle and three other motorbikes which were retrieved from the house.

On the 15th of December 2023 the police received information that the accused person was hiding at Kasoa. The police proceeded to Kasoa and met the accused person seated in the front passenger seat of a grey Honda CRV vehicle. The police team stopped the vehicle, arrested him and took him to the CID headquar
ters to assist in investigation.

During interrogation, the accused person admitted robbing the complainants. He told the police that he went on the robbery operations with a toy gun to prevent any resistance from the complainants. He identified himself in all the CCTV footages from the various scenes. He also led the police to the various crime scenes and demonstrated to the police how he gained ingress into the various houses to rob the complainants.

Investigations have revealed that the accused has over the period acquired a number of properties through the unlawful activities of robbery.

Source: Ghana Web

The Attorney-General’s Office has advised that the minor allegedly married to the Gborbu Deity of Nungua, in the Greater Accra Region, be released to the family today, April 18.

This follows the signing of a bond by her parents to ensure that they observe child protection laws and protocols, while she is in their custody.

At an emergency press briefing in Accra, on Thursday, Madam Darkoa Newman, the Minister Designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection, said the Social Welfare Department had taken the girl through counselling, while the medical assessment conducted on her showed that she was a virgin.

She said the Ministry’s investigations revealed that the girl was 15 years having been born in July 2008.

She had no emergency health concerns and was also hale and hearty.

The Minister said the decision to release the girl to her parents was in her best interest to continue her education.

It was also in accordance with Section 2 and 5 of the Children’s Act 1998 (Act 560).

Under the law, no person
below 18 years can enter into any form of marriage.

Meanwhile, Mr Alfred Tua-Yeboah, the Deputy Attorney General, said the Attorney-General’s Office had taken full delivery of the docket regarding the matter and instructed its officers to review it to ascertain whether there was marriage to a human being and thus any cause for prosecution.

On March 30, 2024, a viral video on social media alleged that 63-year old Gborbu Wulomo, Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII, had married a 12-year-old girl.

The allegation sparked public condemnation, with some civil society organisations calling for the immediate prosecution of the chief priest and his elders.

They argued that the act violated the girl’s human rights and dignity.

However, the traditional authorities explained that the girl was a mystery child who was selected by the deity at birth to be his fourth wife.

After six years of grooming, the ceremony was performed to enable her to render some unique services, reserved for a virgin to the deity.

They blamed
the controversy on the excesses of the Master of Ceremonies, saying her dramatisation led to misinformation.

Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng, the Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, also said the Ministry’s investigations revealed that there was no actual marriage between the minor and the Gborbu Wulomo.

He said the ceremony was only a ritual to elevate the teenager to the status of a queen mother.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Last week, senior Indian diplomat, Dammu Ravi, Secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs, paid a pay a visit to Uganda, as part of his three-nation African tour.

Ravi addressed the Uganda-India Business Conclave, which saw a 35-member multi-sectoral business delegation from India traveling to the African country to seeking to expand ties in areas from manufacturing and agriculture to renewable energy, healthcare, and tourism. Expanding ties with Uganda is part of India’s broader strategy in Africa – and it comes at a critical time.

In January this year, Uganda hosted the 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit, followed by the third South Summit and the G77+China Summit. This is indeed an important milestone for the Ugandan President, both diplomatically and politically.

The landlocked country of East Africa, Uganda was recently suspended from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) by the United States due to multiple accusations related to human rights violations. This was f
ollowed by the freezing of new lending to Uganda by the World Bank.

Given the above, President Yoweri Museveni ensured the guests were impressed during the Summit. In his speech, he pledged to realign the country’s foreign policy to emphasize greater cooperation among the Global South. In its bid to dodge the American economic bullet, Uganda seeks new partnerships beyond China. In India, Museveni may be seeing one.

India, as a founding member of NAM, actively participates in the Summits, and in 1983, hosted the 7th Summit in New Delhi. The fact that Dr S Jaishankar, India’s Minister of External Affairs, represented India at the 19th NAM Summit illustrates India’s support for Uganda.

As a matter of fact, to help Uganda host the Summits, India donated the government of Uganda 10 executive buses, five ambulances, ten tractors, 2,664 flags, and flag poles prior to the event. India may find Uganda to be a credible partner in East Africa. Undoubtedly, the endorsement for Uganda’s 2024-2027 presidency of the NAM
grouping is a testament to the country’s leadership and multilateral engagements.

India may find Uganda to be a credible partner in East Africa. Undoubtedly, the endorsement for Uganda’s 2024-2027 presidency of the NAM grouping is a testament to the country’s leadership and multilateral engagements. However, New Delhi is likely to tread carefully in furthering its relations with Kampala given its strong ties with China and recent altercation with the USA.

India’s Relations with Uganda: Past and Present

The relationship between India and Uganda dates back to when Indian sailors traded goods in dhows across the Indian Ocean, long before the Christian era, when European sailors sailed around the world. The word ‘dhow’ in Swahili refers to any pre-European ship found in the Indian Ocean, especially those that originate in India.

After the abolition of slavery in 1834, the British brought with them more than 30,000 Indian ‘coolies’, a racist term for indentured laborers, for the construction of the Uganda Rail
way. Eventually, a large number of them settled in East Africa and made Uganda their home.

India’s freedom struggle inspired the early Ugandan activists to fight colonization. In 1960, known as the Year of Africa, marked a turning point of African independence with 17 new countries created just that year, and another 18 in the next year.

On 14 December 1960, a “Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples” was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, which proclaimed the necessity to ‘steadfastly bringing to a speedy and unconditional end the provisions of the Charter and the present colonialism in all its forms and manifestations.’

The matter was initially proposed for inclusion in the agenda of the Assembly’s fifteenth session by the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, Nikita Khrushchev, during his address to the General Assembly on 23 September 1960. Uganda became independent on October 9, 1962.

However, in August 1972, Ugandan dictator Idi Amin ord
ered the country’s entire South Asian population to be expelled, accusing them of sabotaging the economy. Around 50,000 Indians and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) along with other Asians had to leave.

Five decades later, in January this year, the President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni called that move a ‘mistake’ and expressed gratitude to the Indian community of Uganda for the service that they rendered over the decades. Indeed, anti-Indian policies were promptly reversed once Museveni assumed office in 1986. Several actions have been taken to guarantee the reinstatement of bilateral relations, including the return of belongings that had been confiscated from Indians and PIOs.

Uganda’s Growing Bonhomie with India

Kampala and New Delhi have significantly deepened trade ties over the past two and a half decades. Since 1995, when the constitution established Uganda as a Republic, India’s trade with Uganda witnessed a sharp rise, almost nine percent annually, and today, it stands at nearly $1.3 billion. Indian
exports to Uganda stand at $ 695 million rising from just $ 57.4 million in 1995.

Since 2008, Uganda has been part of India’s Duty-Free Tariff Preference (DFTP) scheme that India offers to almost 35 least-developed Countries. Based on the scheme, 98% of India’s total tariff lines are duty-free. Uganda’s exports to India consisted mainly of coffee, cocoa beans, and dried legumes, while it imported primarily pharmaceutical products, vehicles, plastic, paper and paperboard, and organic chemicals.

India’s Burgeoning Diaspora

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made history in 2018 when he addressed the Ugandan parliament as the first Indian Prime Minister. During the PM’s visit, several agreements were signed, including one that waived the requirement for a visa for official and diplomatic passport holders, established a regional material laboratory in Uganda, and agreed to bilateral defense cooperation.

The PM also announced two Lines of Credit totaling $64 million for the production of dairy and agricultura
l products as well as $141 million for the construction of electrical lines and substations. Additionally, it was announced that numerous Indian Army training centers would provide additional training to the Uganda People’s Defence Force.

India’s first overseas educational campus was established in Uganda when, in April 2023, National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) of India inaugurated its campus in Jinja.

Notably, this town, in southern Uganda, on the shore of Lake Victoria, is also the center of the country’s Indian community. In 1997, Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi there. Few know that in 1948, a portion of Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes were immersed in the Nile near Jinja.

Today, the Indian diaspora residing in Uganda exhibits the most robust and long-lasting cultural and economic ties towards Uganda. There may only be 20,000 Indians in Uganda, making up less than one percent of the country’s overall population. Yet, they provide about 65% of all national taxes.

Inde
ed, Indians living in Uganda play a significant role in the Ugandan economy, especially in sectors like manufacturing, trade, agro-processing, banking, sugar, real estate, hotels, tourism, and information technology. They are not only some of the biggest taxpayers in the country but also provide jobs to thousands of Ugandans. Over the last two decades, these PIOs and NRIs have invested more than $1 billion in Uganda.

To further India’s connectivity with Uganda, last year, Ugandan Airlines launched direct flights between Kampala and Mumbai. The service, initially revealed in 2021, is Uganda Airlines’ only second destination outside of Africa.

As a result, Ugandan Airlines joined Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, and Ethiopia as the fifth flag carrier to connect their national capitals with India. The airline now operates from Mumbai thrice a week and aspires to expand to include new and important destinations in Delhi and Chennai.

Diplomatic rapprochement

Uganda has vacillated between steady economic growth and aut
horitarian leadership. President Yoweri Museveni, who has been ruling the country for 35 years, has won another term in 2021 and is set to lead for another five years.

While the country has managed to rebound from the pandemic and marked a 5.3% growth in the 2023 financial year ($114 billion at the end of 2023 in PPP term), the state of its economy looks dire amid mounting debt from China the World Bank and the IMF, including $1 billion Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement for past-pandemic recovery from IMF.

Since Uganda’s severe anti-LGBTQ legislation, its relations with the United States have plummed. To recall, in May 2023, Uganda enacted its contentious Anti-Homosexuality Act, which carries a life sentence or perhaps the death penalty for homosexuality.

Since January 1, 2024, the USA has barred Uganda from benefitting from AGOA as a measure of punishment. AGOA is a preferential trade arrangement that allows member countries duty-free access to the US market for around 6,000 products.

The US dec
ision has created ripple effects for Uganda’s economy, deterring World Bank loans and many Western foreign direct investments. As this economic pushback may potentially increase the inequality in the already volatile nation, the country may eventually lean on economic support from China. In the words of President Museveni, ‘In case Uganda has no other choice than borrowing, there exists plenty of non-Bretton Woods sources who are eager to lend’.

With huge opportunities available in the Indian market, Uganda can make better use of India’s duty-free tariff scheme, and recover its losses from missing out AGOA. A stronger India-Uganda relations, including bilateral trade and increased investments from India, could deter the country from turning entirely towards China. Currently, India and Uganda are two of the closest allies.

As Uganda retains the Presidency of NAM for the next three years, India can make use of its historic and present relation with Uganda and together, may effectively assume the leadership of
the Global South under the banner of NAM.

Indeed, EAM Jaishankar’s second visit in as many years is a powerful sign of growing bonhomie between the two countries and the relevance of one to the other. Therefore, Uganda’s role as a champion and future leader of the Global South will be determined by how well it manages its multi-alignment.

Source: Ghana Web

Access to input dealers, extension services and market opportunities have been identified as major challenges facing smallholder farmers and agriculture value chain actors in some communities in northern Ghana.

To help address these issues, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a Non-Governmental Organisation, has organised a fair dubbed: ‘Dryland product trade fair,’ in Bolgatanga for some smallholder farmers in the Upper East and Upper West regions.

This is to help create linkages among the stakeholders in the agriculture value chain.

It was organised under the auspices of Creating Lands of Opportunity: Transforming Livelihoods through Landscape Restoration in the Sahel (LOGMe), a three-year project being implemented in Ghana, Burkina Faso and Niger.

The project has funding support from the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security through the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

In Ghana, it is being implemented in collaboration with the Savannah
Agriculture Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-SARI), the Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the A Rocha Ghana, an NGO in eight communities in four districts.

The beneficiary communities are Awaradone and Yameriga in the Talensi District, Gbango and Tarikom in the Bawku West District, Dalaasa and Naadema in the Builsa South District, all in the Upper East Region, as well as Nanchala and Sakalu in the Sisaala East District of the Upper West Region.

The fair, which brought together about 100 smallholder farmers, afforded them the opportunity to showcase their products, interact with value chain actors for improved service delivery and build networks and linkages with potential customers.

Ms Dorcas Owusuaa Agyei, the National Coordinator of IUCN, said the project aimed to empower communities to contribute significantly towards landscape restoration while creating income generating opportunities for the beneficiaries.

She said apar
t from training them on sustainable agricultural practices, the beneficiary communities had been introduced to irrigated vegetable production by providing them with solar powered mechanised boreholes.

They were also introduced to agroprocessing to add value to raw products and other alternative livelihoods interventions like soap making using low-cost materials.

She said her outfit assessed dryland products, which revealed a disconnect between farmers, input dealers, processors, intermediaries, marketers and consumers.

She said the main purpose of the event was to support the farmers with livelihood enhancement opportunities and to display their products as a means to promoting the value chain for dryland products.

Dr Julius Yirzagla, a Senior Research Scientist with SARI, said climate change impact was hitting hard on the agriculture sector, which called for climate-smart and sustainable agric production to help communities adapt to the changing weather.

Thus, the project, through a Sustainable Value Ch
ain Development Plan, introduced and trained smallholder farmers on best agronomic practices, and improved/ high yielding seeds, particularly soya beans and maize, he said.

Mr Sulemana Matthew, the Talensi District Director, Department of Agriculture, stated that climate change was likely to push a lot more people into food insecurity and poverty, hence the need to adapt.

He commended IUCN and its partners for building the capacity of the communities to adopt climate-smart agriculture.

Ms Christina Akolgo, a member of the Awaradone Women smallholder farmers association, said the project had provided an alternative source of livelihoods for them during the dry season.

She said the fair had given them the opportunity to get connected with major actors in the value chain to improve production.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has urged the government to diversify companies it cannot maintain and run efficiently.

According to him, there are several government companies and entities that are struggling that can do well with private partnerships.

He disclosed this during the commissioning of a 430-kilometre natural gas pipeline by Genser Energy from Nyinahin to Anwomase in the Ashanti Region.

‘It’s about time that the government realizes that it’s not going to work for the government to be involved in setting up companies without involving the private sector, it doesn’t work.

“The government should confront policies and involve the private sector and you can attract more investors into the country which will create more employment.

‘VRA and others are all government establishments, let’s give it out and diversify them into the private sector and get more money there and get the right people to do it.

“GRIDCo and others let’s give them the money and get the qualified people… and let them work.
Electricity Company is in a situation where we don’t know, but that also must be diversified and given to the private sector,’ Otumfuo stated.

He continued: ‘Why are we still holding on when we don’t have the money? We’re not able to collect all the taxes we want, we’re going to IMF and all those for money. We’re hanging on to industries we cannot maintain and run.

‘It’s about time we face reality and decide on what government should be doing and what the private sector should be doing. This is a testimony of the private sector and they were able to attract investors,’ he stressed.

Source: Ghana Web

Stakeholders in the export sector have lamented the absence of direct exporters in the Volta and Oti Regions.

The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), the Ghana Export Import Bank (EXIM) and others including the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), brought up the situation at a breakfast meeting in Ho recently saying it affected the outlook of the heavy production enclave.

Mr. Hanan Abdul Abubakari, Acting Manager of the EXIM Bank in the Eastern, Volta and Oti Regions, said efforts to identify direct exporters continued to prove futile, adding that only one existed and was based in the Oti Region.

He shared how funds allocated for the export sector in the regions continued to lay dormant, and appealed to stakeholders to help entrepreneurs in the enclave cross the thresholds to export markets.

Ms. Doris Bansah, Regional Director of GEPA, which organised the meeting, said among efforts to address the situation was the organisation of an export school for businesses in the Volta and Oti Region.

She no
ted the need for enhanced linkages and collaboration among the various stakeholders, and said by working together, should be able to address the export sector’s ‘slow progress.’

Mr. Alexander Dadzawa, Programs Director of GEPA, who graced the meeting, joined the conversation that sought to find ways to kick up the export sector in the two regions.

He said the regions continued to expand potentials as an export hub, and that various players deserved commendation and support.

The Programmes Director assured that the enclave would benefit from a coconut revitalisation project being undertaken by the Authority.

GEPA is also organising the maiden edition of an African indigenous craft fair, the Adinkra International Arts and Crafts Fair which would be held from April 26 to May 06 in Aburi, and Mr. Dadzawa was hopeful the regions would be well represented.

Mr. Chris Amponsah, GEPA’s Director of Public Relations, spoke on the 17 strategic export products, and encouraged industrialists to seek opportunities of t
he African Continental Free Trade regime to access markets on the Continent.

Mr Amponsah said challenges with farm outgrowers was affecting the availability of industrial raw materials, and should be considered by stakeholders.

Dela Gadzanku, Chairman of the Association of Ghana Industries in the Volta and Oti Regions said the collective vision of the private sector was to make the enclave the most industrialised, and commended investors and stakeholders for revving up the economic landscape in recent times.

He used the occasion to talk about the need for indigenes and Ghanaians as a whole to seek stakes in the budding economy, assuring that the Association continued to work closely with various actors in sustaining industrial growth.

Mr. Augustus Awiti, the Volta Regional Coordinating Director, who chaired the meeting, charged various entrepreneurs and industrial groups to maintain close working relationships with GEPA in developing the export economy, and assured that the regional administration would p
rovide the needed support.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has challenged the Electoral Commission (EC) to publish names of its staff who have been arrested in connection with the alleged theft of five Biometric Verification Registration (BVR) devices.

The election management body, after a series of denials, recently confirmed that some of its BVRs had been stolen from its stores, raising eyebrows in the country. As the main opposition NDC mounted pressure on the EC to find the equipment, the Commission reported that some staff had been interdicted in connection with the stolen BVRs.

Earlier this week, the Director of Electoral Services at the EC, Dr Serebour Quaicoe, told newsmen that the Commission had handed over some 5 individuals suspected to be involved in the alleged theft of the BVR devices to the police.

Speaking to JoyNews on April 13, Dr Quaicoe disclosed the police began investigating the matter about a month ago when the electoral body officially notice
d the BVRs were missing.

‘So they have been interdicted and they are now going through the security investigation. I am told that they will be arraigned before court soon. If they are found guilty, the law should deal with them,’ he said while urging Ghanaians that there was no cause for alarm about the missing BVRs since they have not been activated.

But in a reaction to the development, Asiedu Nketiah, Chairman of the NDC cast doubt over the assertions of Dr Quaicoe and urged the EC to publish the names of the staff who had been handed over to the police.

Speaking on Inside Politics on TV XYZ, Asiedu Nketiah also known as General Mosquito quizzed: ‘Who are those people who have been arrested? have they published anyone’s name? Don’t they have names? Why have they not been exposed?’

‘The persons who have stolen the equipment can register people elesewhere into the ECs database. We have seen NPP-affiliated persons taking peoples’ Ghana cards outside Ghana elsewhere. Tell us those you have apprehended,’ he
said in Akan.

Concerns

Meanwhile, Civil Society Organisation CARE Ghana has cautioned that the missing biometric verification devices (BVDs) belonging to the Electoral Commission (EC) can negatively affect the integrity of the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.

The Executive Director of CARE Ghana, David Kumi Addo, who spoke on TV XYZ evening news posited that the stolen devices can be used to disrupt the upcoming limited registration exercise to be conducted by the EC and the December 7 elections if the electoral management body fails to find the kits.

‘This is a national issue and I think all Ghanaians must be interested in this matter,’ Kumi Addo told Oheneba Boamah Bennie.

‘These devices can be used to delete the data of the EC, transfer voters from one constituency to the other and cause confusion on election day,’ he added.

Source: Ghana Web