May 14, 2023

Government launches GHS100 million grant funding initiative for women, youth businesses

The government has launched a GHS100 million grant funding initiative for training and capacity upgrading of high-growth Micro, Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) owned by women and young persons.

The initiatives, which are being supported and funded by the World Bank and the government under the Ghana Economic Transformation Project (GETP), will allocate GHS40 million as grants for women MSMES and GHS60 million to young persons between the ages of 18 and 35.

Launching it, the Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Kobina Tahir Hammond said the programmes aligned with government’s goal of providing training, capacity upgrades, and funding to help businesses to scale up and transition MSMEs into the next stage of growth, thereby improving their ability to increase sales and commence exports.

He said the initiatives presented the Management and Board of the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) another opportunity to empower Ghanaian Women in the MSME Sector and Young Ghanaian Entrepreneurs as they strive to grow sustainably and formalize their businesses.

‘We expect GEA to continue its excellent performance in the use of digital platforms and provide comprehensive support through its extensive network of Business Development Service Providers. We also expect this to be done with the special duty of care to safeguard the long-term interests of the businesses,’ he said.

Mr Hammond said the government would step up efforts with multilateral, regional and bilateral partners to open access to new markets for the country’s products and services.

‘The initiatives are yet another milestone under the GET Project to make economic growth inclusive and expand the benefits of growth in terms of job creation, as well as enhanced social and gender equity,’ he said.

Fortunately, technology including digital technology, is opening up opportunities to global trade at a rate so rapid as it was unthinkable just two decades ago, he said.

‘As Minister for Trade and Industry, I am glad to associate myself with this intervention which seeks to create an opportunity for the youth and women of this nation to receive the needed support to strengthen their MSMEs at a time when economic transformation and stabilization has become a clarion call,’he said.

He said the Ministry would continue to build and strengthen the policy and institutional mechanisms that enable implementing agencies to be responsive to the needs of the private sector, especially SMEs in harnessing opportunities, including market access opportunities such as the African Continental Free Trade Area.

The GEA has successfully disbursed GHS66 million to over 800 SMEs between September 2021 to December 2022 in two phases as part of the COVID-19 Response Grant Programme and a complementary programme designed for SME High Growth.

Mrs Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, the chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Enterprises Agency, said the Youth in MSME Programme sought to provide capacity support and financial assistance in the form of grants to businesses owned by young persons to encourage more start-ups by young people.

The Women MSME Programme will inject more resources into women-owned businesses or Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) owned by women with the aim of improving their capacity for growth and job creation.

She said the nationwide Youth in MSME and the Women MSME Programmes would both consist of generic training, capacity upgrading and grant support components.

‘It is expected that these initiatives will result in the scaling-up of the beneficiary businesses and enhance their capacity to create jobs whiles promoting gender equality and social inclusion in our society,’ Mrs Yankey-Ayeh said.

She said the Grant Programme’s support from the GEA was expected to culminate into job creation and job sustainability and further transition into the next stage of growth, thereby improving their ability to increase sales and exports.

The W-MSME and Youth in MSMEs Programme will entail technical assistance for up to 2,000 MSMEs on business management capabilities, productivity-enhancing improvements, and a replication of the soft skills acquired leading to a generally improved business operating culture among Ghanaian MSMEs thereby enhancing competition and growth.

She said the W-MSME and the Youth in MSME Programmes would provide a 4-day generic training to about 2,000 MSMEs shortlisted from a pool of applicants and trained in Business and Financial Management, record keeping, preparing, reading and comprehension of basic financial statements, working capital management and cycle, receivables and payables management, inventory management, and basic business plan development and training in Taxation and Regulatory Compliance.

The goal of this knowledge area is to equip SMEs with practical knowledge of the legal environment in which they operate. It will also equip the SMEs with working knowledge of the Ghanaian system of taxation and the basic principles of taxation for individuals and SMEs.

Source: Ghana News Agency

May 14, 2023

VRA, NADMO test Emergency Preparedness Plan to effectively deal with spillage

Mr Seth Kwame Acheampong, the Eastern Regional Minister, has commended the Volta River Authority (VRA), in partnership with the National Disaster Management Authority (NADMO), for testing its Emergency Preparedness Plan (EPP) through a simulation exercise on the Akosombo Dam.

He said the simulation exercise was the first of its kind in Ghana and the sub-region to test the country’s preparedness to deal with a real situation of an emergency arising from excessive spillage from the dam.

Mr Acheampong said this during the closing ceremony of the VRA/NADMO EPP Exercise, dubbed: ‘Da Woho So’ 2023, at the Dodi World at Akosombo in the Eastern Region.

The Akosombo Dam had been the pride of the country, as it had contributed substantially to the socio-economic growth of Ghana and continued to be the springboard for industrialisation.

The irrigation schemes along the Volta River had greatly boosted farming, especially in the area of vegetables, maize and rice farming.

‘The aquaculture farming up and down stream have contributed immensely to the fish production industry, while the lake transport serves as an alternative to the freight and logistics industry and the supply of potable water,’ he said.

Mr Acheampong said the impact of climate change had no continental boundaries and, as such, ‘as a nation, we have had our fair share of extreme weather events resulting in loss of lives and property’.

The President Akufo-Addo-led Government attached great importance to climate change, hence it was not surprising that the country had signed onto various international conventions that provided a framework for tackling those issues, he said.

VRA’s development and implementation of its EPP, which identified potential emergency conditions and spelled out responsibilities of stakeholders towards minimising the impact of any excessive spillage and dam break scenario, was a major step in the right direction, the Regional Minister said.

Mr Acheampong encouraged all other agencies, especially in the energy sector, to emulate the good example demonstrated by VRA and NADMO to also test their preparedness plans.

‘Let us work together to develop a disaster resilient nation through our collective efforts, for prevention is always better than cure,’ he said.

Mr Seji Saji, the Deputy Director-General, NADMO, said it was good to have emergency preparedness and response plans, but it was not enough if the plans were not tested.

The exercise, therefore, formed a good basis to review plans to make them better and fit for purpose.

‘A full-scale simulation exercise such as this is very costly to plan and execute but the benefits derived far outweigh the financial inputs, which helps to prevent or mitigate disasters and minimise casualty levels,’ Mr Saji said.

‘On the part of NADMO, which has the responsibility to coordinate emergency preparedness and response among other duties, we are ready to work closely with other power producing agencies to prepare appropriate plans for implementation.’

He expressed gratitude to the United States Embassy in Ghana for its continuous support to NADMO by facilitating technical support through the North Dakota National Guard and providing financial input to ensure a successful exercise.

Mr Edward Obeng-Kenzo, the Deputy Chief Executive in charge of Engineering and Operations, VRA, said they had learnt a lot from the exercise and identified several areas where they could improve on to effectively respond to dam-related floods.

He commended the Disaster Response Team for the hard work and commitment to ensuring that the exercise was a success.

He emphasised the Authority’s commitment to ensuring a safe and resilient environment for the communities, with a pledge to working together to ensure they mitigate any future flood disasters.

Source: Ghana News Agency

May 14, 2023

Mother’s Day: Akufo-Addo celebrates women

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has extended felicitations to women on the occasion of this year’s Mother’s Day celebration.

‘Happy Mother’s Day to all Ghanaian women, and, indeed, to all women across the world,’ he wrote on his Facebook page, on Sunday, May 14.

People all over the world have been celebrating mothers on this noble occasion honouring them for their immense contributions to society’s growth and development.

In Ghana, the Day is being marked with people showing gratitude to mothers in varied forms, including prayers and gifts.

Numerous social media platforms monitored by the Ghana News Agency (GNA), including Facebook and Twitter, are awashed with well wishes to Ghanaian mothers for their dedicated services to humanity.

Some of the messages lauded mothers for defying the odds and challenges in life to stand up to their responsibilities.

The Mother’s Day concept originated in the United States in 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

This followed years of painstaking activism by Anna Jarvis through the writing of letters to newspapers and politicians, and pushing for the adoption of Mother’s Day as an official holiday.

Anna Jarvis, who had no children of her own, conceived of Mother’s Day as an occasion for honouring the sacrifices individual mothers made for their children.

Source: Ghana News Agency

May 14, 2023

KAIPTC, Danish Government to tackle IUU fishing in the Gulf of Guinea

A symposium to address the ‘Trends and Impact of Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported (IUU) Fishing in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG)’ will come off from 15th to 17th May 2023, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Oganised by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) and the Danish Government, the three-day symposium will bring together stakeholders, including government, academia, civil society, and the private sector, to discuss the nature, scope, and impact of IUU fishing in the region.

The symposium will provide a platform for stakeholders to share experiences, best practices, and strategies towards sustainable fishing in the GoG.

It will be held within the framework of the KAIPTC and the Danish Government’s five-year project (2022-2026) on Integrated Responses to Threats to Maritime Safety and Security in the GoG Maritime Domain in West and Central Africa.

The symposium seeks to provide a platform for maritime stakeholders in the GoG to better understand the maritime security landscape, deepen their collaboration and coordination, and pool individual and collective resources in an effort to strengthen maritime security.

Among others, it will increase awareness of the trends and magnitude of IUU fishing in the GoG; highlight the economic, environmental, and social impacts of IUU fishing in the GoG and discuss measures such as recommended policies and approaches in addressing IUU fishing in the GoG.

Also, the symposium will identify opportunities for sustainable fisheries management and development in GoG and improve understanding of the legal and institutional framework for addressing IUU fishing in the GoG.

The symposium’s outcomes will provide valuable insights for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and other actors involved in the fisheries sector in GoG.

Additionally, it will provide a valuable opportunity for participants to engage in dialogue, share experiences, and explore innovative solutions to the challenges posed by IUU fishing in the Gulf of Guinea.

The effort to curb illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing activities has been a significant concern for the global fishing industry in the GoG.

The IUU fishing refers to fishing activities that are conducted in violation of national laws and international agreements or regulations and the GoG’s coastal waters have been subject to IUU fishing practices for many years, resulting in significant economic, environmental, and social impacts.

It is also one of the most important fishing grounds in the world, which supports the livelihoods of millions of people in the region.

In the coastal communities of the GoG, fish is vital to food security. However, pollution, climate change, human population growth, and illegal and excessive fishing existentially threaten this resource.

The illegal nature of IUU fishing and the lack of reliable data makes it difficult to accurately scope the extent of the problem, but a range of estimates suggest that between 40 and 65 percent of fish caught in the region are caught illegally.

Therefore, ‘the symposium will contribute to ongoing efforts to promote sustainable fishing practices and ensure the long-term viability of the vital resource,’ a statement by the KAIPTC said, ahead of the three-day symposium in Abidjan.

Source: Ghana News Agency

May 14, 2023

Dismissed SDF politicians are fighting back

Hon. Jean Michel Nincheu, one of the dismissed militants of the Social Democratic Front, SDF, the party of Ni John Fru Ndi, chaired a meeting in Douala on Saturday, May 13, 2023, dubbed “SDF ORIGINEL”, understood in English as ORIGINAL SDF.

This is a group that illegally met and discuss ways to eject the national chairman from power. Now referred to as G27. They were axed from the party through Article 8.2.

“This meeting grouped SDF executives who are working for the return to the fundamentals of the original SDF and change in Cameroon. This meeting was therefore held on Saturday, May 13 in Douala at the initiative of the Honorable Nintcheu Jean Michel.” A member of the G27 disclosed.

This meeting of the dismissed executives under the umbrella of “Original SDF” ended with some declarations

“Several objectives were targeted by the holding of this almost extraordinary meeting. The need to maintain cohesion and the militant base. But above all consider other avenues in addition to legal action before the courts. It was decided to organize very soon a congress of foundation to change the name of the SDF.” They stated in a final declaration.

This acronym today according to them is tainted by the acts of compromise and betrayal of the National Chairman, Ni John Fru Ndi and his stance is no longer able to carry the fight for change.

” This is a strong symbol that aims to give credibility to the struggle that the Cameroonian people are waiting for. With the persistence of the Anglophone crisis in the country, all the militants of the original SDF are called upon not to take part in the May 20 parade. It is for the protagonists of all stripes to be put before their historical responsibilities in the face of the killings which continue to be perpetrated on the ground.” The declaration reads.

The need to structure the G27 was also discussed in the meeting of the so-called “Original SDF”.

“It was decided to maintain the current structures in place, until the announced foundation congress which will see the adoption of new texts to lead to the destinies of the party, which will be born from the ashes of the current SDF” the statement read.

Faced with the ethno-tribal drift which is gaining more momentum in the public space and given the complicit silence of the government, the dismissed executives, asked the media to no longer give voice to individuals carrying this hateful message.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

May 14, 2023

Cameroonian children face resurgence of Incurable diseases

Statistics published by the Ministry of Public Health indicate that the epidemiological situation of measles in Cameroon is beginning to call for concern.

“Of the 200 Health Districts in Cameroon, 100 are in measles epidemic, with 4,677 cases and 18 deaths. A situation which can be explained by insufficient vaccination coverage for several years, the growing number of unvaccinated children resulting, in part, from the vaccine hesitation amplified by Covid-19.” Revealed MINSANTE.

In a come together in the Ebolowa-South region recently, health stakeholders advanced the risks involved in nursing measles and the rubella epidemics at this point in time.

“Note that measles remains a very contagious serious viral disease which manifests itself by rashes, watery eyes, and fever. Although rubella and measles have similar symptoms, no treatment is currently available. The only means of prevention is vaccination.” Stressed a health expert.

To avoid crossing the red line, the health warriors are preparing for a national vaccination campaign in Cameroon against the measles and rubella epidemics starting from June 28 to July 2, 2023.

“During this operation, children from 09 months to 5 years will be injected in the shoulder, in hospitals and all places of regrouping (including localities with difficult access, refugee camps, nomadic camps).” The health team disclosed.

The national vaccination campaign has been organized by the Expanded Vaccination Program (EPI) and the Cameroon Red Cross. According to them, groundwork plans are being intensified for smooth and effective vaccination across Cameroon, in a bit to curb the spread of measles and rubella.

Nevertheless, the population (especially parents) is implored to collaborate with the health teams for the sake of their children.

Source: Cameroon News Agency