Day: May 31, 2024

The Savelugu Municipal Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has held an Inter-party Dialogue Committee (IPDC) meeting for stakeholders ahead of the 2024 general election.

The event, which took place at Savelugu in the Northern Region, was a step in fostering cooperation among political parties and other stakeholders with the aim of promoting peace before, during and after the elections.

It brought together members of various political parties, traditional and religious leaders, youth groups, security services and persons with disabilities.

It formed part of the Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism project being implemented by the NCCE with funding support from the European Union.

Mr Jibreel Alhassan, the Savelugu Municipal Director of NCCE, speaking during the meeting, entreated all stakeholders, especially political parties, to be vigilant as the country approached the December 7, general election.

He said this would help to prevent mayhem thereby preserving the coun
try’s democracy.

Alhaji Aliyu Mohammed, the Northern Regional Director of NCCE, urged residents to embrace dialogue and agree on common ground to maintain peace before, during and after the general elections.

Chief Inspector Mr Daniel Kwasi Andoh, who represented the Savelugu District Police Command, and was the resource person for the meeting, called for sensitisation of the youth to eschew violence and instead promote peace, unity and development.

He urged participants to respect the electoral rules and regulations to ensure peace before, during and after the 2024 elections.

Afa Mohammed Sualihu, the Chief Imam, Savelugu Central Mosque, encouraged NCCE to regularly organise such dialogues to unite the views and positions of political parties to ensure peaceful polls.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A project, which focuses on preventing and addressing the root causes of localised and spillover conflicts as well as vulnerabilities to violent extremism in northern Ghana, has been launched.

The project dubbed: ‘Enhancing social cohesion and social contract through the empowerment of women and youth in three regions of Ghana’, is to enable functional spaces for dialogues and mediation for conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

It is also to empower local governance institutions, actors, and customary governance structures to ensure inclusive governance, economic development and quality service delivery as well as enhance the resilience and agency of women and youth for their full and meaningful participation to contribute constructively to local governance decision-making and conflict prevention and peacebuilding processes.

The project, funded by the United Nations Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund, is being implemented over a period of two years in eight districts in the Upper East, Upper West and
North East Regions.

The districts are Bongo, Bawku West, Garu, Wa West, Sissala West, Yunyoo-Nasuan, Chereponi, and Bunkpurugu-Nankpanduri.

The implementing agencies are the United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the National Peace Council and local government authorities.

Mr Charles Abani, United Nations Resident Coordinator, Ghana, speaking during the launch of the project in Tamale, assured participants of the commitment of the international community to continue to support Ghana to remain peaceful and as a shining example to the rest of the sub-region.

Ghana has been upheld as a model of stability in a sub-region beset by political instability and a new wave of unconstitutional changes of government primarily through military coups and a surge of violent extremism in countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, northern Togo, and Benin.

Despite being relatively politically stable and peaceful, Ghana is affected by many localised conflicts that continue to put increasin
g strain on the existing national architecture for peace and security, hence the project.

Mr Abani said this was the first time Ghana was benefiting from the Secretary General’s Peacebuilding Fund, adding that through the project, the agencies were taking a proactive step to focus on agenda for peace and the absence of violent extremism.

Dr Angela Lusigi, Resident Representative, UNDP said it was a strategic endeavour towards enhancing social cohesion and social contract, through empowerment of women and youth in the beneficiary districts.

She said, ‘Imagine a future where every woman and young person has the power to counteract violence with peace, and extremism with unity. This project is our blueprint for that future. It addresses the root causes of localised and spillover conflicts, and vulnerabilities to violent extremism to keep Ghana’s democracy and peace strong.’

She added that, ‘By empowering our women and youth, we are taking proactive steps towards a safer and more inclusive world.’

Alhaji Sha
ni Alhassan Saibu, Northern Regional Minister said the project was a step in the right direction as it aimed to build resilience and encourage active engagement in peacebuilding and conflict prevention.

He urged all in the beneficiary districts to fully participate in the implementation of the project to optimise its advantages and contribute to the overall objective of promoting peace, stability, and prosperity in the area.

Naana Eyiah, Deputy Minister for the Interior lauded the project saying it complemented government’s commitment to promoting peace in the country.

Madam Sena Siaw-Boateng, Chief Director, Ministry of National Security said the project had come at a crucial time and reflected the commitment of all stakeholders in fostering peace and social cohesion.

She said the Ministry had undertaken several projects and activities as well as empowering women and youth through skills training so that they did not fall prey to extremist tendencies.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Donyaepa and the Ghana National Poultry Network Association (GAPNET), two non-governmental organisations have expressed concern over the illegal mass slaughter of donkeys for hide in the country, stressing that the situation is leading to extinction.

They particularly raised the concern that the phenomenon was being perpetuated by some Chinese nationals and supported by some indigenes to illegally slaughter donkeys particularly in Northern Ghana and export to China.

The two organisations made these observations during a stakeholder engagement held in Bolgatanga as part of the Fight Against Donkey Extinction (FADE) Ghana project being implemented by the two organisations in collaboration with Brooke West Africa in Dakar, Senegal.

Dr Roger Adamu Lure Kanton, National Advocacy Officer, FADE Project, who made observations on behalf of the organisations, therefore, called on stakeholders particularly the government and the donkey value chain actors to formulate pragmatic measures to safeguard the donkey race f
rom extinction in the country.

With funding from Brooke Foundation, United Kingdom, the project which is being implemented in the East Mamprusi and West Mamprusi Municipalities in the North East Region, and the Bolgatanga, Kassena-Nankana Municipalities and Bongo District in the Upper East Region, seeks to rally the support of relevant stakeholders to fight against the illegal slaughter of donkeys in Ghana for their hide for export to China.

The engagement was also to seek the support of the stakeholders to close down identified Chinese donkey hide processing centre located at the heart of Bolgatanga.

The engagement brought together the Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana Police Service, Department of Agriculture, Environmental and Sanitation Unit, Department of Veterinary services, butchers among other actors in the donkey value chain.

Dr Kanton noted that China used to have about 14million donkeys, however, within four years, about 13million donkeys were killed for hide, ind
icating that the hide is being used to manufacture anti-aging agent and other cosmetic products.

This situation, he said prompted the Chinese government to ban the slaughter of donkeys in the country and it had compelled those engaging in the trade of hide to turn their nets towards Africa, South America, and some parts of Asia.

‘In 2014, all the Chief Veterinary doctors of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) met in Abuja and came out with a communiqué to their governments which Ghana is part to ban the mass slaughter of donkeys and just a couple of weeks ago, the African Union in Addis Ababa banned the slaughter of donkey for hide in all 52 African nations’, he said.

Despite all these directives, he lamented that Ghana and other countries such as Nigeria had not taken concrete steps to address the situation and still allowed donkeys from Sahelian countries to be transported into the countries to be slaughtered.

He said apart from engaging relevant stakeholders including the District As
semblies, Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Agriculture, Cocoa, and Food among others, through the project, the biggest donkey slaughter house in Ghana located at Walewale where 100 to 150 donkeys were slaughtered daily had been closed down.

Mr Rex Asanga, the Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive, indicated the slaughter of donkeys were not done in the area, however, the packaging and exporting of the hide was what was illegally done in Bolgatanga by some Chinese.

He said the situation was worrying, stressing that the rate at which the donkeys were being slaughtered, could lead to extinction, and noted that the Assembly was working with stakeholders to identify these operation centres and to take action against them.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has for the second year in a row, emerged as a double winner at the African Banker Awards, winning both the ‘Bank of the Year’ and ‘Deal of the Year (Infrastructure)’ awards.

The prestigious recognition was announced at the awards gala ceremony held in Nairobi, on the sidelines of the African Development Bank (AfDB) annual meetings and attended by over 300 of the continent’s leading figures in banking and finance.

The achievement was shared with the Ghana News Agency, in a release by Afreximbank, a Pan-African multilateral financial institution, which is mandated to finance and promote intra-and extra-African trade.

The award organisers, African Bankers Awards 2024, highlighted Afreximbank’s exceptional performance across various metrics, key among them, ‘considerably changing the banking landscape by reaching out to new customers, offering new services, adopting inclusiveness by bringing the unbanked into the banking space, making use of new technologies, and
helping to drive growth through a stronger financial sector.’

The Bank of the Year award reflects Afreximbank’s outstanding financial performance, as the Group’s results for the financial year ending 31 December 2023 showed remarkable strength and resilience, surpassing the previous year’s performance.

It said Afreximbank was honoured for its USD 155 million investment in Great Horn Investments Holding (GHIH) as part of the Deal of the Year – Infrastructure category.

This funding supports a series of development projects in Djibouti’s Damerjog Industrial Development Free Trade Zone.

It said the deal was brokered last year following a meeting between Afreximbank, President Prof. Benedict Oramah and President of Djibouti Omar Guelleh, during the 2023 Summit of Heads of State of the African Union that was also held in Nairobi.

Prof. Oramah, President and Chairman of Board of Directors, Afreximbank noted: ‘We are extremely delighted to win both the Bank of the Year and The Deal of the Year for Infrastructure
as these awards underscore our expertise in development financing.

‘I accept these awards on behalf of the hardworking staff of Afreximbank, our customers and partners, and also the Alliance for African Multilateral Financial Institutions who work tirelessly to make the change that Africa needs.

‘Many of our members have excelled in tonight’s ceremony and this demonstrates the magnitude of their continual contribution towards meeting the development needs of our great continent -including infrastructure, trade, SME lending among others.’

According to the release, the partnership was to help Djibouti achieve its goal of becoming a regional trans-shipment and logistics hub, and boost intra-African trade, given Djibouti’s strategic location in the horn of Africa and support neighbouring economies such as Ethiopia and Somalia through access to freight services.

The facility is critical to Djibouti’s economic development as the funds would be used for the completion of the Damerjog Oil Jetty, expected to provi
de marine connectivity to the free trade zone, and for the construction of a 150,000m³ first storage depot/oil tank farm, as well as for other costs related to the projects.

Now in its 18th edition, the African Banker Awards celebrate the achievements of individuals and institutions that have contributed significantly to the growth and development of Africa’s Banking sector over the past year.

There were 18 other personal and institutional awards.

At the end of December 2023, Afreximbank’s total assets and guarantees stood at over US$37.3 billion, and its shareholder funds amounted to US$6.1 billion.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Electrochem Ghana Limited, a commercial salt production company and a subsidiary of the McDan Group of Companies, has presented an amount of tGHC200,000 to the Ada Traditional Council in support of this year’s Asafotufiami festival.

Mr Abdul Razack Adams, the Chief Executive Officer of Electrochem, presenting a cheque to the council during the launch of the 2024 edition of the festival, expressed his outfit’s gratitude and commitment to the growth of Ada.

Mr Razack thanked the traditional council, the paramount chief, and other leaders and the people of Ada for supporting the company to operate within the Songor Lagoon, indicating that Electrochem was like a baby, which was growing, learning, and needing care to thrive.

He revealed that ‘this year’s Asafotufiami festival will even be better than that of last year because Electrochem is fully coming on board,’ he stated.

According to him, the company had introduced the community pans initiative to help communities along the Songor enclave, in addition to
the provision of interest-free loans to the women to make them stable and self-reliant in their businesses, noting that his outfit was ready to make the best out of the Songor lagoon for the Ada state and Ghana to benefit.

‘We have added GHc1, 000,000 to the loan scheme, and I will make sure that it increases to GHc10m in the years ahead. Nene Chairman, as we are expanding our operations to the Ada East District, I want to emphasise that our production will be increasing and will soon get to one million or two million metric tonnes of production of salt per annum. When that happens, it means that the royalties to be paid to the Ada State will increase, and I am envisaging over sixteen million US dollars annually,’ he said.

Nene Agudey Obichere III, the Manklalo of Ada, who chaired the festival launch, hailed Electrochem, describing the company as the catalyst for transformation in Ada State, ending years of underdevelopment.

He said, ‘The company’s commercial salt production and social investments have bro
ught significant positive change to the area.’

He thanked them for their support of previous festivals and local projects, stating that the first phase of the two major development plans shared with the council by Dr Daniel McKorley, Chairman of the McDan Group, was already yielding the needed result.

‘For years, we had untapped ‘white gold’ resources; Electrochem’s arrival changed everything. They’re not only mining but also investing in social services and our festivals, making a huge impact,’ the Manklalo said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A coalition government is emerging in South Africa for the first time in the country’s history following parliamentary elections.

With just under 52% of the votes counted, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party had 41.93% of the total on Friday morning, according to the National Electoral Commission (IEC).

The preliminary result means a large-scale loss of around 15 percentage points for the ruling party, which secured 57.5% of the vote in the last parliamentary elections held in 2019.

If the former party of anti-apartheid campaigner Nelson Mandela remains below the 50% mark, as is now considered likely, it will have to form a coalition.

In the past 30 years, since the beginning of democracy in 1994, the ANC has always won an absolute majority and ruled the continent’s strongest economy alone.

In the preliminary results the economically liberal Democratic Alliance (DA) came in at 23.43%, while the party founded only six months ago by former President Jacob Zuma, uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), is on 1
0.58%. The Marxist-influenced Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party follows close behind with 9.78%.

According to the preliminary results, the ANC will also lose its absolute majority in the country’s economically strongest province, Gauteng, which includes the capital Pretoria and the economic centre of Johannesburg.

The ANC is also expected to fall below 50% in KwaZulu-Natal, Zuma’s home province.

The country’s second strongest province economically, the Western Cape, where Cape Town is located, has been governed for years by the DA. The preliminary results suggest it will retain its absolute majority there.

Members of 52 parties competed for the 400 seats in the National Assembly on May 29. The newly elected parliament must form a government and elect a president within 14 days of the announcement of the final results.

The ANC’s historic electoral losses can be attributed to its weak record in government. The country of 61 million people is currently facing an ailing economy, mass unemployment and str
uggling state-owned companies. There are regular power cuts as well as high levels of crime and corruption.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Information Communication Technology (ICT) students from across the Sub-Saharan Africa region exhibited a strong show at the global final of the 8th Huawei ICT Competition held in Shenzhen, China from May 23-26, 2024.

A statement issued in Accra said the region entered 18 teams, the most of any other area, and emerged with the most prizes of any other region.

The four teams won the Grand Prize, including Nigeria Cloud Team 2, Nigeria Computing Team, Tanzania Network Team, and Uganda Network Team 1, while six teams won the First Prize including Kenya Network Team 1, Kenya Network Team 2, Nigeria Network Team 1, Nigeria Network Team 2, Uganda Network Team 2, and Nigeria Cloud Team 1.

The Second Prize had three teams): Madagascar Network Team, Kenya Computing Team 1, Uganda Computing Team, with five teams winning third prize including Kenya Cloud Team 1, Kenya Cloud Team 2, Kenya Computing Team 2,

Ghana – Farm Choice (Innovation Track), South Africa – ATS (Innovation Track).

The Women in Tech Awards had tw
o teams Uganda Network Team 2 and Kenya Cloud Team 2.

The 2023-2024 ICT Competition circuit attracted more than 170,000 students from over 2,000 universities and colleges across more than 80 countries and regions, making it the largest offline competition since its launch in 2015.

The statement said more than 160 teams consisting of over 470 contestants from 49 different countries and regions reached the global final in Shenzhen, having previously been successful in their respective national and regional competitions.

Dr. Mrs Olayinka Taibat Jinadu, Professor at the University of Ibadan and coach of Grand Prize-winning Nigeria Cloud Team 2, said, ‘This competition is really important to close the gap between academia and the application of that knowledge in Industry.’

Mr Samuel Kinuthia Kariuki, Professor at Zetech University and coach of Second Prize Kenya Computing Team 1, said, ‘The skills that the students are gaining through this competition will help them gain employable skills that are in demand in
Kenya, and across the whole of Africa and maybe the whole world. This competition is helping our students gain the required skills so that they can easily gain

employment in the future.’

Ms Vhutshilo Maeba, the University of Venda student, who earned third Prize for her team’s road safety innovation on behalf of South Africa, said of the competition, ‘It opened my mind to think more technically and to the fact that tech can be used to bridge any gap in industry. It has exposed me to possibilities.

[As far as future careers] it opened my mind and my world – everything is possible.’

Dr. Esther Thaara Muoria, Kenya Ministry of Education Principal Secretary, State Department for TVET, Ministry of Education, said of the global final ‘We in Kenya are really grateful to organizations like Huawei for organizing a fraternity like this one where a student will work knowing that they are not only working for the absolute knowledge that they are going to get in the process, but also towards an opportunity to really f
ight it out with others and be able to be awarded.’

Mr Oliver Wonekha, Uganda’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, said, ‘These competitions are extremely important for the work Huawei does, and in terms of corporate social responsibility. I think these kinds of competitions are a more sustainable support and a more sustainable way of giving back to people and communities because students are the future and Huawei is full invested in their futures.’

Mr Zhou Hong, President of Huawei’s Institute of Strategic Research, said, ‘To make sure everyone can truly enjoy the benefits of digitalization, while such technologies are making radical progress, Huawei believes it is crucial to guarantee that digital technologies are accessible to all.’

Mr Peng Honghua, President of Huawei’s ICT Strategy and Business Development Department, said, ‘ICT is the cornerstone of the intelligent world. Through the Huawei ICT Competition, we aim to provide students with a global platform to compete and exchange ideas.’

Meanwhile, Huawei also held the ICT Accelerating Education Transformation Summit and awarded 24 instructors the title Huawei ICT Academy Global Most Valuable Instructor for the first time.

This award aims to show gratitude for the important contributions these instructors have made to talent development and mark them as role models that show how the brightest minds can develop even brighter minds.

These role models will help drive the sustainable development of the ICT talent ecosystem.

The Huawei ICT Competition is an annual contest held by Huawei for global university and college students.

Through the competition, Huawei aims to provide students

with an international platform for healthy competition and the exchange of ideas. Since its launch in 2015, the competition has helped students enhance their ICT knowledge and practical skills, while also increasing their ability to innovate by using new technologies and platforms.

The goal is to advance technological development and facilitate digital inclusi
on around the world.

Source: Ghana News Agency

BAT, a leading tobacco and nicotine products company, has advocated a regulatory framework that encourages adult smokers to switch to smokeless alternatives.

BAT’s recommendations are to accelerate progress towards achieving a smoke-free world.

On World Vape Day, BAT West and Central Africa called for the implementation of sustainable regulation for smokeless nicotine and tobacco products such as vapour products for a smoke-free Ghana.

It said such regulation should encourage adult smokers to switch, protect consumers with stringent safety standards and prevent underage access to tobacco products.

The Company proposed four principles for effective and impactful regulation relating to smokeless tobacco and nicotine products.

It said for instance, with access to consumer-relevant products, regulations could allow a wide range of smokeless alternatives to ensure that consumers accessed those alternatives and made informed choices about switching based on the available scientific evidence.

BAT said for adu
lt-only consumer, regulations should discourage the use and sale of smokeless tobacco and nicotine products by and to the underage.

It said robust and properly enforced quality and safety standards should be at the heart of regulation to protect consumers.

The Company said regulation should also provide enforcement authorities with the necessary powers to apply penalties and sanctions to those who failed to comply with regulations, particularly those who supplied non-compliant products and sold to underage.

Mr Yarub Al-Bahrani, the Managing Director, BAT West and Central Africa, in a press release copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, said ‘Providing adult smokers with reduced risk alternatives to make informed choices is crucial both for countries looking to reduce their smoking rates and for global public health.’

‘Whether or not governments can take advantage of these products and maximise their harm reduction potential depends as much on the implementation of progressive, risk-proportionate regu
lation as it does on changes in consumer behaviour.’

The statement said countries that had implemented regulations that recognised the harm reduction potential of smokeless products and supported their use for adult smokers had experienced a decline in smoking.

Noting that the UK, US and Japan were all reporting their lowest smoking rates on record, while Sweden was on track to declaring itself smoke-free this year, 16 years ahead of the 2040 EU target.

‘This is largely a result of widespread awareness, regulated availability, and usage of smokeless alternatives, such as vapour products, heated products and nicotine pouches.

‘There are widespread misconceptions about the risk of smokeless products compared to smoking. These discourage many smokers who don’t quit smoking from switching to these

smokeless products. The science is clear, well-stewarded smokeless tobacco and nicotine products have a considerably lower-risk profile than smoking.

‘It’s the toxicants released by the burning of tobacco that cau
se the harm associated with smoking,’ Mr Yarub added.

He said BAT’s purpose was to create ‘ Better Tomorrow by Building a Smokeless World.’

That commitment, he said, was demonstrated in various ways, including the Company’s investment of more than 5,598,600,000 Ghana Cedis a year in the development of smokeless tobacco and nicotine products, which were sold across over 75 markets globally.

Source: Ghana News Agency