Category: General

Accra: Mr Francis-Xavier Sosu, a National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament for Madina, says parental leave, ranging from seven days to four weeks for fathers to support their spouses after childbirth, will address the gender gap.

He, therefore, advocated an extensive leave for working parents to replace the existing three-month maternity leave, which he described as insufficient, particularly for women.

Mr Sosu, also a Human Rights Lawyer, made the statement at a stakeholders’ briefing workshop on the Maternity Leave Extension; Paternity Leave Introduction and removal of Value Added Tax (VAT) on imported pads Bill held in Parliament in on Monday.

The workshop is part of the MP’s efforts to address a Private Member’s Bill proposing an amendment to extend maternity leave from three months to four months introduced in Parliament.

The Bill, which seeks to amend the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), is also proposing an option for an additional two weeks of maternity leave in the case of a caesarean section
(CS), stillbirth(s) or multiple births.

The Bill’s primary objective is to promote gender equality and ensure protection for both men and women in a suitable context.

The Labour (Amendment) Bill, 2023, also known as Parental Leave for All, is pushing for the introduction of paid paternity leave for men for a minimum of seven days.

It is aimed at allowing new mothers adequate time to give birth, exclusively breastfeed, care for and bond with their new baby, as well as recover before returning to work.

The essence of paternity leave is to enable men to take care of their wives and assist the new mothers with domestic chores.

Mr Sosu emphasised that the proposed parental leave for fathers was pivotal in fostering shared responsibility in childcare.

‘The significance of the initial seven days will allow fathers to actively participate in late-night feedings and baby care, thereby contributing to the establishment of a strong bond with their newborns.’

‘I have had some women say why do you want men to also
have parental leave? Well, and I said, it’s the same thing. The advocacy in terms of bridging the gender gap has to do with protection for both men and women,’ the MP said.

Mr Sosu noted that the initial seven days were a critical period for ‘responsible’ fathers to be present during late-night baby care, fostering a deeper connection with their newborns and providing support to their wives who had given birth.

Madam Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe, a National Democratic Congress MP of Ada, said the affordability and availability of sanitary pads were a fundamental necessity to health, dignity, and access to education.

‘The call for the elimination of import duties and Value Added Tax is rooted in the belief that financial barriers should not deny anyone their basic human right to menstrual hygiene,’ she said.

Madam Gifty Twum Ampofo, a New Patriotic Party MP for Abuakwa North, called for the non-politicisation of the issues and that concerted efforts were needed to address them holistically to support both genders.

Other speakers called for the availability of sanitary pads to students in various schools as part of their prospectus.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra: Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellembelle, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has donated 100 pieces of roofing sheets valued at GHc12,000 to assist the chief and people of A.B Bokazo complete the construction of the chief’s palace.

The donation was in response to a letter written by the Queen mother of the town, Nana Assuah Eba II to the MP’s office.

Making the donation, Mr Buah said he had always responded to the calls and needs of the town.

The MP assured the community of his avowed commitment to bringing more development to the town.

The Caretaker of the town, Nana Ebi Nyameke, expressed gratitude to Mr Buah for his support to the traditional council when the chief passed on recently.

He prayed for God’s blessings for the MP for his swift response to the needs of various towns in Ellembelle.

Nana Ebi Nyameke assured the MP for more votes for him in the upcoming general elections, because of his selfless leadership.

Queen mother of the town, Nana Assuah Eba II, appealed for 50 plastic chairs plus ot
her items for the Community Health Planning Scheme (CHPS) compound.

Mr Buah promised to assist in that direction.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra: The second phase of the three-tier Obetsebi Lamptey Interchange project is set to be completed in September 2024.

Mr Owusu Sekyere Antwi, the Chief Resident Engineer of FAS Consult Limited, who gave the assurance, said work on the project had resumed in February 2024 after a long suspension.

Work on the second phase of the project commenced in March 2021 and was initially scheduled for completion in March 2023.

However, work on the project halted due to the government’s external debt exchange programme.

The second phase of the project is being executed by Messrs QGC UK Limited at a cost of pound 92 million.

Briefing Mr Francis Asenso-Boakye, the Minister of Roads and Highways, during a tour of the site, on Monday, Mr Antwi said work on the project had commenced in earnest and was on course for completion by September.

He said the project stood at 83 per cent complete, with major steel work on the bridge from Kwame Nkrumah Circle to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital done.

The Resident Engineer, howe
ver, explained that ‘The bridge is 389m. All the steelwork on the bridge is completed. We have put concrete slabs on the bridge, and we are yet to put reinforcement and asphalt.’

Additionally, he said, construction of the major drains along the road was also at various stages of completion.

‘We have done many of the storm drains. We are left with the storm drain towards Korle Bu and the storm drain in front of STC and Royal House Chapel and that is what we are working on now,’ he added.

Mr Antwi assured that the revision of the completion timeline would not affect the structural integrity of the project.

He appealed to the Minister to help address teething challenges which included the relocation of a water pipeline and compensation payment to project-affected persons to allow for smooth execution of the project.

We will be excavating in front of people’s stores and things, we have taken inventory of all those things and we need to pay some compensation. Compensation has not been paid yet. We got approva
l for some of them, some, we have not got approval yet, so we need to speed up the approvals,’ Mr Antwi emphasised.

Mr Asenso-Boakye charged the Contractor to keep to the completion timeline to bring relief to Ghanaians.

He explained that the project was a government priority project because it was seated in the heart of the city, connecting Ghanaians to key service institutions such as the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

‘This is a very important project as you can see it is right at the heart of the city centre, this is Kaneshie, this is Circle and takes us to Korle-bu-a very important medical facility in the country.

‘So, you know how important this road is that is why we are working hard so that the contractor will finish it and the people around, Ghanaians will enjoy the full benefits of the project,’ Mr Asenso-Boakye said.

He also assured that the new completion timeline would not bring additional cost to the State, stressing that the ‘project is a fixed construct and so, there wouldn’t be additional c
ost component to it.’

The Roads Minister also assured the contractor of the government’s commitment to providing all necessary assistance towards the project’s completion.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra: Mr Cletus Avoka, a National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Zebilla, has appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to use his ingenuity to bring the Bawku crisis to a stop.

He said the President used his ingenuity during the prolonged Dagbon conflict to end it about three years ago and that the same must apply to the Bawku crisis to ensure peace.

Mr Avoka made the appeal in Parliament on Monday in his contribution to the debate on the State of the Nation Address (SONA).

‘I plead with the President to use his good offices, and resources at his disposal as the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces and President of the people of Ghana to resolve this battle in Bawku before he hands over on January 7, 2025,’ Mr Avoka said.

He said security in Bawku was critical for national cohesion, particularly when the town shared a boundary with Togo and Burkina Faso.

‘So any security challenges make the town vulnerable. If we don’t address the issue in Bawku, if we don’t con
trol the conflict by bringing it to an end, then Bawku can become dangerous for the security of the country,’ he said.

‘Ensuring peace in Bawku is very critical for the survival of the country.’

Mr Avoka noted that although measures like the imposition of curfews, banning of motor riding and smock-wearing in the town were used, they had not been workable and there was a need for more to be done to ensure peace not only in Bawku but for the country at large.

According to him, the Bawku chieftaincy issue had allegedly been resolved long ago in favour of the ‘Kusasis’ and there was no justification for the ‘Mamprusis’ to continue to fight for the chieftaincy.

‘…In 2003, the Supreme Court ruled that the Mamprusis application to discontinue was granted but without the liberty to apply under PNDC Law 75 or under the Constitution of 1992 of Ghana,’ Mr Avoka, a former Majority Leader said.

He, therefore, urged the two ethnic groups; Kusasis and Mamprusis, to learn to co-exist among themselves and not fight over
‘illegalities.’

The Bawku conflict in Ghana is a long-winded strife related to alleged land ownership rights and chieftaincy between the Kusasis and Mamprusis, two major ethnic groups in the Northeast of the country.

President Akufo-Addo in his presentation of the 2024 SONA to Parliament on Tuesday, February 27, underscored the Government’s intentional efforts in strategic planning that would ensure the safety and security of the country.

He noted that Ghana had remained unaffected by the extremism witnessed in neighbouring countries due to meticulous planning.

The President told Parliament about the Government’s commitment to the well-being of the armed forces and all security agencies, where he mentioned the allocation of resources to ensure the government’s readiness.

‘Our nation is safe and secure,’ he said.

Furthermore, the President noted significant enhancements in the equipment and capabilities of the police force, that were now better equipped than ever before.

Recognising the challenges posed
by extremism in other parts of West Africa, President Akufo-Addo cautioned against taking the territorial integrity of the country for granted and called for the need for continued vigilance.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra: Professor Kwaku Danso-Boafo, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Manifesto Committee Chairman for the 2024 election, has received the Ghana Youth Manifesto project report for the 2024 general election and beyond.

The Ghana Youth Manifesto represents the aspirations, needs, and concerns of young Ghanaians and outlines a roadmap for achieving a more inclusive, equitable, and prosperous nation.

It is a youth-led initiative with the support of youth focused civil society organisations.

The Manifesto is a highlight of a collaborative effort by diverse youth organisations, groups, networks and associations of the country to articulate a youth-focused development vision.

Mr Anthony Caid Gbemapu, a Core Team Member of the Ghana Youth Manifesto, presented a copy of the report to Prof Danso-Boafo at a meeting in Accra.

It assessed the views of over 3,500 young people who participated in a survey in the 16 regions of Ghana to share their views on key national and youth development issues.

Mr Christopher
Wisdom Penu, the National Coordinator of the Youth Manifesto, said the report was being made available to all political parties to take into consideration the concerns of young people in the drafting of their respective manifestos for the upcoming election and beyond.

Copies had already been given to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the Progressive People’s Party (PPP).

Mr Penu said one of the key issues identified was unemployment, which needed serious attention.

Touching on taxation of sanitary pads, he said they should be tax-free as ”taxing sanitary pads is like taxing women for having their menses.’

He also reiterated the need for Governments to deal with the issue of corruption, which was hampering the national development agenda.

The report indicated that the nation’s youth wanted the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) to be abolished because it was adding to the cost of conducting financial transactions electronically.

Prof Danso-Boafo, who received the report on behalf of President John Dra
mani Mahama, the NDC Flagbearer, commended the Ghana Youth Manifesto for the initiative, saying: ‘I admire you for embarking on this path, keep it up’.

He said a future NDC Government would propose decoupling the Youth from the Ministry of Youth and Sports so that there would be a standalone Ministry for Youth Development.

One of the most important subcommittees under NDC’s 2024 Election Manifesto Committee was the Youth Committee, and that the group would be invited again to brief the NDC Manifesto Committee on their report.

Prof Danso-Boafo said hopefully, the Party’s 2024 Elections Manifesto would be launched in May, after it had been approved by its flagbearer, the Council of Elders and the National Executive Committee (NEC).

Organisations supporting the Ghana Youth Manifesto include the Foundation for Security and Development in Africa, DANIDA, NORSAAC, Africa Education Watch, Youth Advocate Ghana, the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding, ActionAID and the Global Platform, and The Gracedlife Leader
ship Centre.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Accra: The General Agriculture Workers Union (GAWU) says it has identified an increase in illegal rice imports into the country’s markets, which is harming the local rice industry.

The Union said that, while official figures suggested that rice imports had declined in the last three years, the recorded drop ‘is not reflective on the ground’ as a considerable amount of foreign rice was smuggled into the country through unapproved routes.

Mr Edward Kareweh, the General Secretary, GAWU, said the organisation’s market assessment and investigations in border communities showed that some rice brands on the markets were sourced from Togo, Cote D’Ivoire and Burkina Faso.

He said the illegally imported rice was between 20 to 30 per cent cheaper compared to the locally produced ones.

The situation, he cautioned, would collapse the local rice industry as local rice producers were unable to compete successfully.

‘For those in the northern part of the country, much of their rice imports are now coming from Burkina Fa
so and Togo, and that is how it has flooded the system.

‘When we say that our import values are declining, we are not able to capture the illegal entry of the rice and that is the one that is choking the system because they are cheaper,’ Mr Kareweh said.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo told Parliament last Tuesday that the between 2021 and 2023, rice imports fell by some 45 per cent.

In 2021, rice imports amounted to 805,000 metric tonnes; in 2022 650,000MT; and, in 2023, 440,000MT, the President said in the State of the Nation Address.

The GAWU said the decline in imports following an increase in rice consumption should have boosted the local industry, but that was not the case.

‘Farmers in the Northern Part of the country have harvested their rice, but they cannot get market. A rice mill at Savelugu has been complaining that they will shut down because when they process the rice there is no market for it.

‘This is because the rice market is flooded with imported rice,’ Mr Kareweh said.

Mr Karew
eh said illegal rice importation was a result of government systems failing to address the challenges affecting local rice producers.

He called for coordinated approach and collaboration among the various actors along the value chain to combat the canker.

Mr Kareweh urged the government to conduct an extensive evaluation of the various rice brands on the market to determine which ones were imported through authorised channels to understand the scope of the problem and take appropriate action.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Tamale: Management of the Tamale Central Prison, has paid a courtesy call on Sagnar-Naa Yakubu Abdulai, Paramount Chief of Sagnarigu Traditional Area, at his palace at Sagnarigu in the Northern Region. 

The visit, led by Deputy Director of Prisons (DDP) Mr Thompson Otsyokpo, Northern Regional Commander of Prisons, and other senior members of the Service, was to acknowledge the tremendous contribution of Sagnar-Naa to the development and maintenance of the Tamale Central Prison.

DDP Mr Otsyokpo, speaking during the visit, said it was to help deepen and enforce cordial relations between the Command and the traditional area.

He praised Sagnar-Naa for his active involvement and show of interest in the management of the prison, citing his support for helping cement the entire prison yard making it conducive for both staff and inmates as well as the reconstruction of the septic tank.

Management of the Prison presented a citation and plaque to Sagnar-Naa in honour of his selfless leadership and contribution to t
he overall well-being of inmates at the prison.

Sagnar-Naa Abdulai commended the Management of the Tamale Central Prison for the visit and urged them to continue to work as a team to achieve their mandate.

The Regional Commander was accompanied by the Female Officer in charge of the prison, the Chief Superintendent of Prisons, Madam Doris Everlove Ameku, the Female Second in Command, the Superintendent of Prisons, Madam Rose Awude, the Staff Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Prisons, Mr Francis Weingam among other officials.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Ejisu: Mr Samuel Oduro Frimpong, Municipal Chief Executive for Ejisu says the assembly is working with stakeholders to quickly restore academic work at the Ejisu Senior High Technical School (ESHTS), affected by a recent severe rainstorm.

The school was hit by a rainstorm on the evening of Saturday, March 2, and displaced more than 150 students.

The roof of the old boys’ dormitory was totally ripped off, leaving the students who were at the dining hall at that time stranded.

The rains also affected the schools’ storerooms destroying teaching and learning materials including textbooks running into thousands of Ghana cedis.

The affected students sought shelter in some of the school’s classrooms while the management looked for alternative sources of accommodation for them.

Some of the classroom blocks were also hit by the storm.

Mr Frimpong, who visited the school together with officials from the Municipal National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Ghana Education Service and others, to assess the
damage caused, said the assembly would mobilize all the needed resources to fix the situation.

He said though the damage was extensive, it was important to thank God that no student lost his or her life during the disaster.

Mr Frimpong called on the school authorities and the students to remain calm while the assembly worked to fix the problem immediately.

The Ghana News Agency also gathered that the Ejisu Experimental and Krapa Basic Schools were also affected by the storm.

Source: Ghana News Agency