Category: General

Accra, May 10, GNA – Dr. Otiko Afisah Djaba, a former Minister, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, has advised mothers not to be afraid of disciplining their children to prevent them from going wayward.

She said being a good and loving mother did not mean one should not discipline her child, adding: “Spare the rod and spoil your child and you will cry buckets of tears.”

Dr. Djabah gave the advice at a programme organised for the GBC Ladies Association to commemorate this year’s “Mothers’ Day” in Accra.

She asked them to be loving and fair but firm with their children, saying mothers were to have a “hard head and soft heart,”

“However, disciplining your children is not a license to go overboard or to abuse your children. When a child does something wrong, offends you, lies or steals and you punish them by putting their hand in boiling soup or oil, or a child wets the bed and you pour boiling hot water on the child, a child goes out without your permission and you cane the child mercilessly or to death, that is child abuse and criminal.

“Protect your children from all forms of abuses. Extreme discipline can push some children to do worse or misbehave even more. Mothers must find the balance in disciplining children and training them to be responsible. Strive for a balance where you are not too strict or too lenient,” Dr Djabah said.

“Some children do not do any house chores as we have house helps, some houses have cooks so how will these children learn how to cook, these city kids don’t go to the farm. Some parents work hard to foot all the educational bills, build, buy houses and cars for their children and other personal belongings.

“So what will these children do for themselves or their mothers? One child told me not to worry because they will soon have robots to do all the chores in the near future,” she said.

Dr. Djabah said the noble thing a mother could do for her children was to inspire them.

She called on all to celebrate single mothers, mothers with disability and mothers with children with disability or special needs who had double responsibilities.

She charged mothers to relate well with their children, especially as they grew older into adults.

“For the relationship you had when they were babies, children and teenager’s change when they become independent adults, with their own lives and families. You must provide emotional support for your children at all the different stages of their development and growth by being a great mum through thick and thin,” she said.

“Mothers I charge you to be strong and wise mothers who raise stronger and wiser children. Show some love to each other and connect as a demonstration of your love and renew your promise to be the best mum that you can be, the super mum,” she added.

She encouraged mothers to take time off their busy schedules to enjoy their children and be happy together with activities like watching movies, going out to places they like, doing things together like reading, cooking, exercising, shopping, reading, listening to music, playing games, and dancing.

Dr. Djabah said mothers were to chase their dreams, but not at the expense of their children, as it was not good enough to give birth and watch the child being destroyed.

“Children, don’t be selfish or wicked towards your mother. Don’t take your mother’s love for granted. Show your mother some appreciation and love; let her know how much she means to you. Shower her with love, visits, kindness, thoughtfulness, patience, make time for her, and give her useful gifts.

“Remember that a mother’s love is unconditional; mothers have enormous amounts of love for their children. So children treat your mothers well. There is nothing as powerful as a mother’s love and nothing as healing as a child’s love and smile,” she advised.

She emphasised that no matter how grown a child was, he or she would always need the mother and vice versa.

“Imagine what the world would be like without mothers or children. Children, honour and revere your mothers and father. The things mothers can do for love, nobody else can do,” she stressed.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has announced that its National Congress will be held in November 2022.

This is contained in a press release issued on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, and signed by General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketiah.

Meanwhile, after a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the National Democratic Congress held on Monday 9th May 2022 at the Party Headquarters in Accra, a road map has been released for the reorganization of the party.

In the roadmap, the NDC is set to hold branch elections between June and July before Constituency elections are held in September this year.

That will be followed by the Regional Conference and National Congress in November and October respectively.

Source: Modern Ghana

Leading oil and gas and maritime services provider, Adonai Shipping Ghana Ltd., has announced its strong interest in Ghana’s maritime logistics and transport value chain as it seeks to play a pivotal role in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

This new focus, according to the company, will be driven largely by its reliable global trade logistics network OBL Network, which is an elite and trusted set-up of shipping services providers with footprints across Africa.

“The logistics sector is where we will be able to expand our services because we see more possibilities right now, especially in the wake of the single continental market.

Our membership with OBL Network also allows us to do more international business through a trusted network of trade agents and facilitators on the African continent,” the Finance Director of the company, Mrs. Christel Dowuona-Owoo, said in an interview.

In furtherance of its new focus, Adonai Shipping plans to increase investment in critical infrastructure and logistics such as commercial storage and warehousing facilities, a fleet of trucks, and human capital as part of an extensive repositioning to explore both the domestic and continental maritime logistics sector.

“To be able to serve better in this space, we’re looking to invest heavily to help undertake projects on our own. Although we work with a trusted third-party firm to the best of our knowledge, we believe that will enable us to offer high-end value to our business clients,” Mrs. Dowuona-Owoo added.

Adonai Shipping first started in the maritime sector providing crew to offshore ships working in Takoradi around the rigs as we focused strongly on the oil and gas business.

Over the years, additional services such as ship channeling and logistics have been added with the latter becoming its key area of focus of the business going into the future.

Managing Director, Seth Dowuona Owoo stressed that the company has been built around honesty, openness, and integrity in all of its dealings with customers and stakeholders.

“The operation of Adonai Shipping Ghana is driven largely by its Dutch expertise and a business culture which it has diligently infused into every area of the business and these solid values have seen the company grow into a formidable player in Ghana shipping and logistics industry,” he said.

According to Sales Supervisor, Ephraim Djabanor Tetteh, the surging cargo volumes through Ghana’s ports also open up opportunities for cargo handling supply chain and transportation services.

“Our main focus now is logistics in the areas of clearing, forwarding and import, and exports as well as cargo haulage services. We currently transport goods to landlocked countries in West Africa. As a third-party business, we are looking at exploring that aspect of the maritime transport sub-sector even better,” he said.

Source: Ghana Web

Fiapre (B/R), May 10, GNA – A Circuit Court at Fiapre in the Sunyani West Municipality of Bono Region has convicted and sentenced four persons to a fine of GHC10,800.

00 for causing harm to Civil Servants while performing their lawful and official duties.

They are John Akans, a retired civil servant, 75, Godwin Awuni, 22, unemployed, Patrick Anyorigiya, 21, student and Lydia Akaweli 36, trader.

A fifth accused person Eunice Akans, 25 and a mobile banker was however acquitted and discharged for lack of evidence as an accomplice.

The Court Presided by Miss Rita Amoanywaa Adusah consequently sentenced the prime perpetrator, John Akans to pay a fine of 600 penalty units, equivalent to GhC7,200.00 or in default serve one year in prison in hard labour (IHL).

The other three accomplices were each fined 100 penalty units, equivalent to GhC1,200.00 or serve a month’s jail term IHL each.

The sentences, according to the Court were to serve as deterrent to other people with the intention to take the law into their own hands.

Police Inspector (P/Inspt.) Emmanuel Sampson, who prosecuted the convicts, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) later in an interview that the culprits were charged with six counts of “prohibition of development without permit, obstruction, threatening, using insult and abusive language, assault and causing harm”.

P/Inspt. Sampson said on Wednesday, June 10, 2020, a team of civil servants from the Sunyani West Municipal Assembly were on lawful and official duties at Fiapre, but the convicts unlawfully attacked, assaulted and prevented them from performing their duties.

In a related interview with the GNA, Mrs. Gifty Nyarko Karikari, a Physical Development Planner at the Assembly and the team leader of the Assembly’s Spatial Planning Committee said they were executing a demolishing exercise at Fiapre-Zongo on that day to pave way for an access road rehabilitation.

She said the team were clearing structures including make-shift residential buildings and toilet facilities on a road used as an alternative route that eased traffic congestion on the Fiapre-Sunyani main road.

Mrs. Karikari said to this effect, there was the need for that road to be cleared of all obstructions for reliable access in case of emergencies.

She said the team was therefore on a monitoring exercise to ascertain work done the previous day when the accused pounced on them, assaulted and threatened them to stay away if they indeed wanted to live and enjoy the rest of their lives

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra, May 10, GNA- Mr Prince Bagnaba Mba, President of Forum for Equity, a human rights Non-Governmental Organisation has appealed to traditional rulers to be proactive and take preemptive moves against partisan politics.

“As traditional leaders, we must stand firm and should avoid the dictatorship of any Politician that will want to push us around to achieve political points.”

Mr Mba, who was speaking to the Ghana News Agency on political interference in traditional activities in Accra on Tuesday said Royalty was all about leadership and with well-defined roles within government and they must assert and exhibit the capacity of carrying the people along in the absolute interest of development.

He said the country was endowed with abundance of natural resources from Aflao to Zanlerigu, and it was therefore incumbent on the chiefs and traditional rulers to mobilise their subjects to undertake communal ownership of viable ventures.

“Paramount chieftaincy should not be a part-time vocation. We have instances of absenteeism and the infiltration of foreign religious practices to the detriment of traditional worship and practices.”

He said Political appointees and elected representatives normally had specified durations, but as custodians of culture, chiefs should rise up to the challenges of making the best out of the present circumstances.

“How does one explain the absence of many traditional chiefs, who only rush back home to welcome important dignitaries and return back to base”.

He accused King Makers of enstooling or enskinning unqualified contestants based on political influences from the top, or due to the highest bidding, which resulted into confusion, conflicts and unending litigation.

“Too much dependency on central government without resources curtails the development agenda of traditional areas. Governments come and go back, but the traditional Authorities must galvanise the process to ensure better standards of living.”

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ultimate Women Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has stressed the need to formalise the annual Mother’s Day celebration and use the occasion to honour illustrious stateswomen.

This would inspire women to climb higher in politics and actively participate in decision- making processes and governance.

The foundation seeks to encourage and motivate indigenous and vulnerable women and girls to know their worth and to empower and well-position them to contribute to the development of their communities and the larger society.

Dr Freda Prempeh, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tano North Constituency and the founder of the Foundation made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Duayaw-Nkwanta in the Ahafo Region, to mark this year’s celebration.

The second Sunday in May every year is Mother’s Day, well-celebrated, particularly in India, to honour the existence of mothers and their significance in people’s lives.

Dr Prempeh highlighted the significant roles of women and mothers in society, regretting that despite their contributions to national development, many women and girls still went through the worst forms of human rights abuses.

She therefore called for concerted efforts towards eliminating bad traditional practices such as outmoded widowhood rites and female genital mutilation (FGM) which remained inimical to the growth and development of women and girls.

“Culture and tradition to a large extent are good because they reflect on the true identity of the people, but we can’t allow practices which abuse the human rights and dignity of women and girls to continue in society”, Dr. Prempeh indicated.

Dr Prempeh, also a Minister of State in-charge of Works and Housing said issues concerning women and girls must be prioritised in decision-making processes to give them a voice in society, saying until their voices were heard, the fundamental human rights and dignity of women and girls would continue to be abused.

Mothers, Dr Prempeh, a former Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection explained had different roles, from being caregivers to becoming protectors, friends and mentors.

“We must therefore use the occasion to strengthen the existing bond between us and our mothers, honour, care, recognise and appreciate them,” she added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra, May 10, GNA- Ghanaian businesses must develop systems and structures that will enable them to scale up and compete on the global front.

That, according to Mr Nelson Amo, the Chief Executive Officer of Innohub, would propel the expansion of businesses, reduce unemployment and boost economic growth.

“There is the need for Ghanaian entrepreneurs to be innovative and build businesses that can readily scale across the African continent, and compete on the global front,” he said.

Mr Amo made the remarks at the launch of the third cohort of the SNV GrEEn Accelerator Project – an initiative, which seeks to contribute to addressing the root causes of irregular migration by supporting sustainable and climate resilient local economies and development.

The project will provide business development support to four female and one male green business in the Ashanti and Western regions of Ghana in agriculture and agribusiness, and WASH sectors over a six-month period.

The beneficiaries are WaterForce Ventures, Baanuena Farms, Ayden Ventures, EcoPeriod, and Supreme Pod Company limited.

The programme was under the theme, “Adopting a gender inclusive approach towards circular economy: why it matters.’’

Mr Amo expressed profound gratitude to the SNV Ghana and the European Union (EU) Delegation in Ghana for the initiative to promote circular economy, business development and job creation.

Ms Stephanie Eyram Akrumah, Project Development and Socioeconomic Impact Director, Centre for Green Growth, emphasised the need for all stakeholders to contribute to advancing the green and circular agenda.

She said each gender had a critical role to play in the circular economy, right from the family unit to the work environment.

“We all use a lot of plastics and papers on a daily basis at home and in the work place, therefore, a conscious effort to reduce its usage, reuse and recycle is the way forward,” she said.

Mr Laouali Sadda, Project Manager, SNV GrEEn Project, said five businesses would receive mentoring and coaching specifically geared towards enhancing their scalability and investment readiness.

He said the selected businesses would be linked to local and international investors, adding that the businesses would participate in an investor forum to enable them showcase their sustainable innovations.

The GrEEn Project was launched in 2019 to provide technical support to businesses engaged in sustainable productions in the projects thematic sectors while enhancing job creation.

The project is being implemented in the Ashanti and Western regions of Ghana with a 20 million euros funding from the EU through the EU Emergency Trust Fund (EUTF) for Africa.

Innohub, a Business Accelerator and Impact Investment Platform, is the Accelerator Partner for the GrEEn project.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Paul Amaning, the Eastern Region New Patriotic Party NPP Chairman hopeful, has said a promise by former President John Mahama to abolish the E-Levy if elected in 2024 is a scam.

According to him, Mahama and his NDC are no alternative in deciding a direction at the crossroads, because they cannot be trusted to move the country towards prosperity.

Speaking to Kwaku Dawuro on Accra-based Wontumi FM 95.9 , he said, “Just like the one-time premium and the repeal of talk tax that John Mahama and his NDC promised, but failed to implement when they were in power, this promise is just a political talk.”

“In any event, can John Mahama explain the difference in his 17.5% tax on financial transactions and his manifesto pledge to impose a uniform tax on all electronic transactions? Are these measures E-Levy in disguise and does he stand by them?” Paul Amaning asked.

“If we reflect deeply,” Amaning said, “We will accept, as the records show, that significant change to our political institutions and conduct, economic structure and management and positive social impact, has mostly happened under the NPP’s watch.”

He continued, “Many very significant national reverses occurred under the six years of John Mahama’s Presidency. He has since been rejected twice in elections. It’s possible his recent address is motivated by self-preservation towards his continued leadership of the NDC into 2024, given that both insiders and external observers are writing him off.

“Under John Mahamas’ leadership, Ghana will slip backwards into chaotic incompetence. Just like his autobiography tells all, he cannot take decisions. As he says in his book, he will ride this country like a bicycle, out of control and dangerously downhill, merely hopeful of survival.

“The 2024 presidential election is expected to be about two choices: whether we choose to build on the significant gains so far made under President Akufo-Addo with a new presidential candidate from the NPP who comes with his or her own fresh ideas as well or to choose the candidate the NDC are threatening to bring back, John Dramani Mahama.”

Source: Modern Ghana