Category: General

Mr Abdul Mumin-Issah, the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), has commended the outgoing Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) Members for their unwavering support in ensuring the development of the Metropolis.

He expressed appreciation and gratitude to them for their maximum support and cooperation in executing programmes and activities across the key sectors of the Assembly’s governance structure.

He gave the commendation when he delivered the sessional address at the opening of the third ordinary meeting of the fourth session of the eighth Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly in Sekondi.

Giving an overview of some of the key interventions implemented within the last four years, Mr Mumin-Issah said the STMA with the support from Assembly Members and other stakeholders had ensured that the Metropolis remained calm and peaceful devoid of violence and robbery.

He, however, said there had been some reported incidents of petty thefts within the Metropolis, and urged residents to b
e vigilant and not hesitate to report suspicious characters or acts in their communities to the security agencies for swift response, especially as the yuletide season approached.

On sanitation, he indicated that as a step towards the realization of the Assembly’s vision of becoming the cleanest Metropolis in Ghana and beyond, management introduced a new clean-up model which focused primarily on Electoral Areas as a supplement to the National Sanitation Day Policy.

‘This initiative, which has already taken off is focused on electoral areas within the Metropolis, the intention is to make cleaning of our communities an integral part of our day-to-day activities and a culture to ensure cleaner surroundings,’ the MCE said.

Mr Mumin-Issah added that the STMA and its partners had also launched the ‘Operation Clean Your Surroundings’ campaign which sought to enforce the Assembly’s environmental sanitation by-laws, raise awareness of cleanliness, hygiene, waste management, and environmental preservation through me
dia coverage and the deployment of a task force.

On health, he noted that the Assembly had always prioritized health issues as a major concern and, as such the National Diabetes Awareness month was observed

where the Metro Health Directorate organized health screening exercises and programmes aimed at creating awareness about the disease.

Touching on revenue mobilization, he said: ‘it is gratifying to note that Government had reverted property rate collection for 2023 back to the MMDAs and the Metro Coordinating Director has put together a three-member team comprising the Metropolitan Finance Officer, Internal Auditor and Budget Analyst to work at preparing and distributing bills for 2023.

‘It is our fervent hope that we rake in revenue as much as we can before the Christmas break.’

On some of the STMA’s public-private partnerships, the MCE stated that the Assembly in collaboration with the Palermo Municipality in Italy and other partners implemented a three-year pound 3 million Twin-Cities in Sustainabl
e Partnership Project (TCSPP), an initiative funded by the European Union.

He said as part of the TCSPP’s implementation, a six-member delegation from Palermo visited Sekondi-Takoradi where a series of engagements were held including, plans to formalize the local economy at European Town near Sekondi to position it as a tourist hub in the Metropolis.

Mr Mumin-Issah said: ‘It is worth mentioning that after a successful signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa (CoM SSA), the Assembly, with support from the CoM SSA Programme has initiated steps to prepare a five-year Sustainable Energy Access and Climate Action Plan (SEACAP) for the Assembly and an Urban Sustainable Energy Use Plan (USEUP)’.

To this effect, he indicated that a nine-member team had been inaugurated to steer the implementation of the plan to a successful end, saying ‘We are hopeful, that once the plan is prepared, CoM SSA will lead the Assembly to access various funding sources for impleme
ntation of the plan.’

On the upcoming District Level Elections (DLEs), he expressed worry over the low level of women’s participation in the exercise and called on stakeholders to take concrete steps to whip up women’s interest in taking up decision-making positions in their various communities for sustainable growth.

Mr John Buckman, the Presiding Member (PM) of the STMA, also expressed gratitude to the Assembly Members for their support in ensuring a smooth administration of the eighth Assembly.

He acknowledged the support from partners saying, ‘Let me tie in the positive activities of the Private Partnership Project (PPP) Team, TCSPP Team and the Public Investment Unit (PIU) for their gargantuan contributions towards ensuring that this Assembly gets financial and technical support for projects.’

He gave the assurance that leadership of the Assembly would continue to work tirelessly to secure more partnerships to undertake development projects within the Metropolis to help benefit the people.

Mr Buckma
n urged Assembly Members seeking re-election to undertake their campaigns devoid of attacks and insults on their opponents to help maintain peace and unity in their communities.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Moses Baiden, Chief Executive Officer of Margins ID Group, says regulations of the National Identification Authority (NIA) prohibit banks from taking photocopies of national identification cards for transactions.

‘With the NIA system, if you go to the bank you have to present yourself to the bank and put forth your fingerprint for the bank to get an audit code connected to your transaction,’ he said, stressing photocopying of clients’ ID cards was illegal.

Mr Baiden said this during a panel discussion on the sidelines of the Data Protection Africa Summit on the topic: ‘Data protection implementation in the delivery of ID systems in Africa’.

The Summit is a flagship programme of the Africa Digital Rights Hub (ADRH) held annually across Africa.

It focuses on key areas such as

Generative Al, Data Transfers across Africa, Data Protection and ID Systems in Africa as Digital Trade, Data Protection and the African Continental Free Trade Agreements (AfCFTA).

The Margins Group has been a partner of the NIA i
n the development and issuance of the National Identification Cards (Ghana Cards).

Mr Baiden’s remarks were in response to issues of governance, compliance and enforcement of data protection among institutions.

He said the challenge the country faced in its data protection and identification bid was not a data collection or technological problem, but attitudinal and enforcement problems.

‘If we want a clean data collection society where laws are fully enforced, it is beyond data protection and technology, but rather attitudinal,’ he noted.

Mr Baiden urged institutions to be fully abreast of the NIA system to make well-informed decisions and practices.

Ms Teki Akuetteh, Founder and Executive Director of ADRH, observed that the populace lacked awareness of the data collection and protection process.

She said most people were not aware of what their data collected was being used for and they were vulnerable to threats of data manipulation.

She urged stakeholder institutions to increase sensitisation and a
wareness drive on data collection and protection rights of the citizenry to enable them to make informed choices and decisions.

Ms Akuetteh called for the creation of a synchronised and centralised national database system where institutions could collect data for identification purposes.

That, she said, would help the institutions to save money and time in their data collection processes and minimise risks and threats to unauthorised access.

More than 200 delegates across Africa and other parts of the world participated in the Accra Summit.

The three-day international conference was on the broader theme: ‘Building Bridges for Oversight and Accountability’, and brought together policymakers, regulators, researchers, lawmakers as well as key industry players in the digital space, particularly data protection practitioners and privacy experts.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Ecobank Ghana Limited and partners of the Zero Malaria Business Leadership Initiative (ZMBLI) have held a meeting with the some private sector organisations to seek support for the initiative to help eliminate malaria from Ghana.

The meeting, which was held in Accra, attracted businesses in the pharmaceutical industry and others to discuss support for the initiative.

Ecobank in June 2023 announced the establishment of the Zero Malaria Fund, with an initial seed money of USD120,000.

ZMBLI has three key objectives aimed at mobilising resources, advocating for change, and forging strategic partnerships that will drive meaningful impact.

Acting Managing Director of the bank , Ms Joana Mensah said the fight against malaria demanded a collective action as the disease remained a threat to the well-being of millions of people across the African continent.

‘We at Ecobank are of the firm belief that the private sector has a crucial role to play in driving positive change and fostering sustainable development. It
is in this spirit that we agreed to play a leading role for ZMBLI in Ghana. This has been a beautiful collaboration with the RBM partnership to end Malaria, and Speak Up Africa, to galvanise support aimed at eliminating malaria in Ghana,’ she stated.

She said the bank was convinced that Ghana could unlock tremendous opportunities for growth, and improve the quality of life of its citizens, if malaria was eliminated.

Ecobank, Ms Mensah said was poised to increase funding for the national malaria elimination effort , in a sustainable manner, as well as grow the network of private sector malaria champions, and contributors to the zero malaria fund.

The purpose was to support the NMEP and the efforts of government to ensure a malaria-free Ghana.

She disclosed that the money had been earmarked to procure digital microscopes, electronic tablets, and one 4×4 pickup for the project.

‘These three-line items alone have almost completely exhausted the fund,’ she said and called for urgent support to grow the fund.

S
he expressed the hope that the eventual outcome of the project would be positive and each stakeholders will look back one day and say with much pride that ‘we were part of the Ghanaian individuals and institutions that responded to the call to support the malaria fight.’

‘Together, we can build a future where no child, no family, and no community is burdened by the devastating impact of malaria,’ she said.

Private Sector Coordinator-National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), Phyllis Owusu-Achau said malaria accounted for about 30 percent of all outpatient department (OPD) visits, and 25 percent of all hospital admissions in Ghana.

She said it was feasible to eliminate malaria in the country by 2028, adding that it would save the country about US$32billion annually.

Head-Marketing and Corporate Communication, Ecobank Ghana, Dr. Daniel Kasser Tee, said based on an analysis of the malaria burden and funding gap, a steering committee to mobilise private sector funds in support of the project had been esta
blished.

The campaign intends to leverage Ecobank’s network in the sub-region to mobilise private resources and increase funding for national malaria elimination in a sustainable way.

Ghana is the fifth country to join the ZMBLI project after it was first launched in Senegal, Benin, Burkina Faso and Uganda.
Source: Ghana News Agency

As part of efforts to promote and amplify the rich sounds of Ghanaian music, the Creative Arts Agency has encouraged music producers and Disc Jockeys (DJs) to prioritise and play local music during the festive season.

To that end, the Creative Arts Agency led by its Director, Ms Gyankromah Akufo-Addo on Thursday unveiled a campaign, dubbed #PlayGhana, to garner support for playing local music in Ghanaian homes and public events.

Speaking at a news briefing in Accra to launch the #Playghana Campaign, Ms Akufo-Addo said, the Agency would push Ghanaian music to the forefront of Ghanaian audiences across the country.

The Creative Arts Agency would collaborate with stakeholders and players in the music, film and broadcasting industries to review the Local Content Legislation intended to promote Ghanaian arts works, she added.

The briefing focused on the topic: ‘Promoting the Initiative #Playghana to Push Local Music Content for the Christmas Period and Lead to Legislation for Broadcasting Local Content Act”.

Smallgod-Nana Appiasei, a renowned Music Producer/Cultural Activist and some prominent Ghanaian artistes, including Black Sheriff, Samini, Reggie Rockstone, and D-Black, were also at the news briefing to lend their support to the cause of prioritising local music on the airwaves.

Ms. Akufo-Addo said: ‘Today marks the day that we are pledging to push Ghanaian music to the forefront of our audiences, starting at home.

‘The Creative Arts Agency will collaborate with stakeholders and players in the music, film, and broadcasting industries to review our local content regulations.’

She called for amendments to the Cultural Policy and the Broadcasting Bill, taking inspiration from Nigeria’s 70 percent local content law across music, film, and broadcasting industries.

Mr Mark Okraku-Mantey, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, stressed the importance of collaboration among artistes and music producers and cautioned that without unity, Ghana risked surrendering to the influx of foreign music.

Smallg
od-Nana Appiasei expressed concern about the constant declining of Ghanaian music and called for deliberate efforts to elevating local content across the country.

He was of the conviction that if the #Playghana campaign is taken seriously, it would not only bolster the festive atmosphere with local sounds but also pave the way for a more robust and sustainable future for the Ghanaian music on the global stage.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Oxfam, a global organisation working to ensure a sustainable, equitable, and just world, has launched a Report on how mining companies seek consent of community members.

The global report is titled: ‘Recharging Community Consent: Mining Companies, Battery Minerals, and the Battle to Break from the Past’.

According to the Report, many companies exploring and producing key battery minerals had public policies that fell short of what was required under international law to respect community consent.

The researchers indicated that the battery mineral sector’s approach to Free, Prior, Informed Consent (FPIC) was not sufficiently ready to support a just energy transition under current company policies.

Speaking at the launch in Accra, Mr Mohammed-Anwar Sadat Adam, Acting Country Director of Oxfam in Ghana, said the study was necessitated by the current climate crises in the world and the need for a just transition.

He said as the world’s attention turned to transition minerals, it was important to ensure that
in the energy transition discourse, issues of community rights were not forgotten or compromised.

Ms Emily Greenspan, Associate Director, Oxfam America, presenting the findings of the Report, said the study examined the publicly available policies of 43 companies across the world engaged in the exploration and production of five minerals used in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.

These minerals comprised cobalt, nickel, lithium, graphite and copper.

Underpinning the research, she said, was the principle FPIC.

She explained that, for indigenous peoples, FPIC constituted a right guaranteed under international law to safeguard the protection and realisation of the peoples’ collective autonomy, resilience, and right to self-determination.

Under FPIC, mining companies’ engagement with community members was, therefore, expected to be free from coercion, manipulation, or duress, she said.

The engagement must be prior to each phase of project development, extending across the full life cycle of a project.

Com
munity members must also be well-informed by ensuring full and timely access to all relevant project information in formats that enabled them to understand project risks and impacts.

Community members must also have the power to give or withhold their consent to a project.

Ms Greenspan indicated that the study analysed the selected mining companies to ascertain how their individual policies were consistent with the normative basis of FPIC.

The Report shows that some of the companies have no policy commitment at all to FPIC or any other type of community engagement.

Only two companies have clear public commitments to FPIC.

Majority of the companies did not disclose their operational guidance, including their implementation processes and evidence of agreements, as well as disclosure of independent audits.

The study also shows that mining companies are increasingly recognising in their public policies, their responsibilities to conduct human rights due diligence.

However, far fewer companies have public p
olicy commitments to conduct mine site-level human rights impact assessment.

The study reveals that most company policies still overlook the gendered impacts of their operations on communities, with most companies not taking meaningful action to address gender-based violence and discrimination in their operations.

Few companies also have respect for the rights of human rights and environmental defenders included in their policies.

The research recommends structural reforms in the mining sector, where indigenous peoples would have the power to control whether and how mining is done on their lands.

All companies must also adopt strong FPIC policies that meet international human rights standards and unequivocally commit them not to proceed with a project if they did not receive community consent.

Companies must have appropriate operational guidance, internal systems, and resources in place.

This will ensure human rights due diligence, accessible and effective grievance mechanisms, gender-responsive FPIC, a
nd protection for human rights defenders.

The Report added that policy priority must be given to finding and funding solutions to minimise the need for mining raw materials.

This will ensure sustainable, just, equitable, and rights-respecting mining, the Report said.
Source: Ghana News Agency

The Government will soon clamp down on foreigners engaging in illegal gold buying in the country, the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr George Mireku Duker, announced.

These foreign nationals smuggle the gold to their respective countries without paying legitimate taxes to the government.

Mr Duker, who doubles as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tarkwa-Nsuaem Constituency, disclosed this in an engagement with the Tarkwa gold buyers’ association.

‘I am advising Ghanaians involved in the gold buying trade to refrain from purchasing the gold for foreigners because the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) states that all small-scale mining activities must be done by the indigenes.

‘The activities of small-scale miners, which include gold buyers have not had much influence on them, their communities and where they operate because after these miners extract the gold they sell same to the foreigners, ‘he stated.

The MP emphasized that the government would build the capacity of gold buyers
to acquire the needed license to buy the gold independently adding, ‘It’s not always that the government will be harassing people, his intension is to create an enabling environment for you to go about your business smoothly.’

Mr Duker explained that the establishment of the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC) in Tarkwa would aid in building the capabilities of the gold buyers to be safe in the business, added that, ‘You need to put an end to this unlawful practice because the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is ever ready to support you to do the right thing.’

He expressed worry on the excessive use of mercury by small scale miners in Tarkwa to take out gold, the report on my table is frightening.

‘Heating of mercury releases mercury vapour into the atmosphere and has numerous implications on human health. It can cause birth defects. If we do not end these negative practices, it will affect the forthcoming generation’ he said.

In addition, the Deputy Minister assured Ghanaians that the gove
rnment was developing several technologies that would help small -scale miners to extract gold without the use of mercury.

Mr Duker said similar engagements would be held across all the mining communities in the country to encourage the gold buyers to locally trade among themselves.

Alhaji Dauda Sulemanu, Chairman of the Tarkwa Gold Dealers Association, expressed gratitude to the MP for the information, and pledged to ensure that their members would adhered to the directive by the government.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Ghana’s implementation of the digital utility regulatory management platform has aroused the interest of some five African countries to adopt the Database Management System (DBMS).

In June 2021, the African Development Bank (AfDB) with funding support from the Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC) Trust Fund, piloted the first phase of the DBMS initiative for the Commission.

The DBMS enables PURC to gather, analyse and use financial, accounting, technical, operational and commercial data using smart technology to improve its regulatory functions and service delivery.

‘The Bank has received several requests from other countries, and we are currently implementing similar digitalisation initiatives in Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, Liberia, and Guinea.’

Ms Fasika Eyerusalem, Ghana Country Manager, African Development Bank (AfDB), who disclosed this said the PURC’s pioneering digitalisation drive had ‘become a blueprint for replication across many African Countries’

She said the deployment of the Database
Management System (DBMS) under phase one had been a major contributory factor in moving Ghana from seventh position in 2021 to fourth in 2022 on the Electricity Regulatory Index.

She said this when she delivered a speech at the launch of the second phase of the PURC Database Management System in Accra on Tuesday, December 12.

The AfDB Ghana Country Manager disclosed that the Bank was also deploying similar digital platforms for regional regulatory entities, following Ghana’s accomplishment in the implementation of the DBMS.

They are the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Southern African Development Community, and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).

‘This is part of a regional electricity regulatory harmonisation initiative across these regions, which is aimed at facilitating regional electricity trade and exchanges as envisaged by the African Single Electricity Market (AfSEM) initiative of the African U
nion,’ she explained.

Ms Eyerusalem noted that the second phase of the DBMS would enable PURC and the Energy Commission to monitor, collect, analyse, and disseminate power sector regulatory data and information effectively and proactively.

Dr Ishmael Ackah, Executive Secretary, PURC, said the deployment of a centralised database management system marked an important step towards enhancing transparency and inclusiveness in regulatory systems and solutions to a significant number of regulatory bottlenecks.

He stated that as of December 04, 2023, some 8,950 customers had been served since the DBMS helpdesk became operational, while 18,026 complaints out of the 20,810 received through the system had been resolved.

He noted that the system hosted an E-library that held 4GB of data, with a 34GB of PURC data document management system used by staff which also was available on the digital platform.

Dr Ackah expressed confidence that the implementation of the second phase of the DBMS would help overcome the chall
enges of manual data gathering, and verification, which raised issues of data consistency, misinformation, and transparency.

That, he said would be done through the automated and consistent gathering of data through an integration of the DBMS with systems of utility providers under its regulation.

‘This will further improve the Commission’s ability to meet its regulatory objectives while protecting the interest of consumers and utility service providers,’ the PURC Executive Secretary said.
Source: Ghana News Agency

The implementation of MIHOSO International Foundation/Basic Need Neglected Tropical Skin Diseases (NTDs) project has recorded 22 new cases of the disease in the Dormaa Central Municipality of the Bono Region.

The cases recorded in the 11 project implementation communities comprise 16 Buruli Ulcer, one leprosy, one elephantiasis and two cases of yaws.

Mr Thomas Benarkuu, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer in-charge of Operations, MIHOSO International, a health centered, human rights and social development Non-governmental Organisation disclosed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani.

The suspected cases of the NTDs, according to Mr Benarkuu common at Aboabo Number four, Aboabo Number Two, Aboabo Number Three, Ahyiraso, Masu, Toforo, Babianeha, Kofiasu and Aseskasu farming communities.

The Foundation, he explained, was partnering with the Basic Need Ghana, another NGO, implementing the two-year project aimed at enhancing the quality of life of vulnerable and affected people in the
area and being funded by the Anesvad Foundation.

Titled ‘Building Civil Society Coalition to Advocate an Integrated Approach to Control Skin-NTDs and Enhance the Quality of Life of Vulnerable and Affected People in Ghana,’ the project sought to contribute towards prevention, control, and elimination of the NTD’s infection, ameliorating the mental health and psychosocial impact of debilitating the disease and social stigma.

Mr Benarkuu explained the implementation of the project, being funded by the Anesvad Foundation, had trained 10 community volunteers and 26 health workers who reached out and sensitized the communities on the NTDs. Through their efforts, the project has recorded the new cases, he stated, and commended the volunteers, various community leaders, and the health workers.

The project implementation would contribute to progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and skin health for all. It would enhance health and well-being, eliminate discrimination and exclusion, deepen human rights, an
d improve participation and productivity.

In another interview, Mr Daniel Kwame Owusu-Mensah, the Dormaa Municipal Disease Control Officer told the GNA the suspected cases had been sent to Accra for confirmation. Nonetheless, he said the affected people, with the buruli ulcer patients, had been put on medication, indicating that when the diseases were detected earlier patients could be treated.

Mr Owusu-Mensah observed though the project implementation had in one way or the other helped reduce societal stigma and myth surrounding the NTDs in the area, the project intended to organize video shows in the communities.

That would enable the communities to understand and appreciate the need for people with suspected cases to report to health facilities and Community-based Health Planning Services (CHPS) compounds for medical attention.

Mr Owusu-Mensah reminded that it was untrue the NTDs were linked to witchcraft and family curse, and therefore appealed to the people to desist from the stigmatization, and supp
ort persons with suspected cases to report to health facilities.
Source: Ghana News Agency