Day: April 12, 2024

Muslims at Kasoa Millennium City and its surrounding areas joined other Muslims worldwide to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, with a call on them to eschew hate, and live in peace with their neighbours.

Sariki Father Salisu Inusah, who is the Chief of Staff of Sariki Tahiru Zagi, Gomoa Akyempim Zongo Chief, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said as Muslims marked the end of the 30-day Ramadan, it was expected that everyone would continue to live in peace and harmony with their compatriots.

He said the tenets of Islam was against hatred among Muslims and people of other beliefs, but there should be love for all.

He expressed gratitude to Allah for the guidance and protection throughout the month to the final prayers.

Chief Imam of Gomoa Akyempim Tajudeen Gyaragari pointed that fasting, coupled with prayers, was also very important.

‘Ramadan is very important than the day of prayers and every Muslim if only you are fit per the prescription of Islam must participate.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) has trained visually impaired persons on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to complement the Digital Inclusion Project in the Techiman Municipality of the Bono East Region.

More than 450 people in 13 regions across the country, including 20 visually impaired, have benefited from the GIFEC project, which aimed to involve everyone in the digitization drive.

Mr Prince Ofosu Sefa, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GIFEC, said this at the climax of the Computer Basics training for the visually impaired through the Digital Transformation Centres at Techiman in the Bono East Region.

Among the 20 beneficiaries were teachers, students, and artisans who found it difficult in applying the ICT skills due to their physical conditions.

The participants were trained to use features for the visually impaired on the computer to send and receive emails, type, and use mobile phones to make and receive calls among other things.

Mr Sefa noted th
at ICT played a significant role in the development of society by facilitating communications, education, access to information, improved healthcare, social connectivity and community building, hence acquiring fundamental digital knowledge was a necessity.

Since the inception of GIFEC in 2014, about 1,010 sites have been built with 625 activated, he said, and that the remaining 1,006 sites would be completed this year to bring the total number of rural sites to 2,600.

Mr Kwasi Adu-Gyan, Bono East Regional Minister, said the government valued the use of ICT for community building and thus working to extend such services to the various communities to benefit all citizens.

Ms Diana Adjorlolo, tutor at the Akumfi Ameyaw Senior High School, and Mr Jeremiah Issahaku, teacher at the Techiman Senior High School, both vissualy impaired, commended GIFEC for the knowledge imparted and promised to apply it to their own benefits and that of others in their association.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Career Services Centre of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in collaboration with the German Embassy organised a seminar dubbed ”Time with the CEOs” for some selected students’ groups.

A statement issued by KNUST, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said Mrs Selina Angmor, the Director of the Centre, stated that the purpose of the seminar was to provide KNUST students with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the construction industry.

She said the Centre’s mandate was to bridge the skills gap between academia and industry and serve as a hub of career advancement opportunities for students and alumni.

She underscored the pivotal role of the Centre in nurturing professional competencies and shaping career trajectories.

She urged the students to take all the opportunities during the conversation to learn.

The Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ellis Owusu-Dabo, in his remarks, emphasised KNUST’s mandate to train and prepare students to become fit for the industry.

He
encouraged students to learn from the programme on how to transition to become graduate-ready for the world of work.

Initiating the conversation, Mr Daniel Krull, the German Ambassador to Ghana, expressed his excitement about the healthy working relationship that existed between KNUST and the Embassy.

During the discussion, Mr Noble Bediako, the Managing Director of MC-Bauchemie, who was the guest for the seminar, shared his expertise in the construction industry and the opportunities available at MC-Bauchemie for KNUST students.

He reiterated the importance of the right mindset and attitude towards work in the growth of every business and advised graduates to be efficient, meticulous, and have a wider level of emotional intelligence.

The seminar provided a Question-and-Answer session followed by a cocktail session that allowed participants to engage with the guests, network and share their concerns about the world of work.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Professor Elvis Asare-Bediako, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), has implored stakeholders to invest in geosciences research and data infrastructure to enhance efforts in combating Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Ghana.

  He emphasized the role of geosciences in shaping a healthier and more sustainable future for the country.

  Prof. Asare-Bediako, addressing the World Geoscientists and Geologists Day celebration organised by the University of Energy and Natural Resources campus at Dormaa-Ahenkro, in the Bono Region, stressed the need to influence geospatial technologies and embrace the transformative power of geosciences for sustainable development.

  The event, under the theme ‘Geosciences, a Key Entity in Addressing Preventive Health in Ghana’ was attended by students, health practitioners, geoscientists, traditional rulers and policy makers drawn from across the country

  Prof. Asare-Bediako underscored the vital role of geosciences in providing valuabl
e insights into climate change, water resource management, geological abnormalities and mineral exploration, which were essential for developing strategies for environmental conservation and resource utilization.

  He mentioned that geosciences needed to be utilised as a catalyst for transformative change in advancement by propelling geosciences forward for development and empowering future generations to create a more resilient and prosperous world.

  Prof. Asare-Bediako bemoaned the increasing prevalence of diseases such as cardiovascular illness, cancer, diabetes, hypertension and chronic respiratory disorders in the nation, posing a significant threat to public health and well-being of the citizenry.

  He indicated that through meticulous geospatial analyses, areas with heightened risk exposure could be identified, allowing for targeted interventions to mitigate these hazards and to understand the impact of chronic changes on the spread of non-communicable diseases.

  As global temperatures rise, Prof
. Asare-Bediako said disease patterns were shifting and disease vectors were expanding into new territories and therefore by harnessing geospatial data and utilizing predictive modeling that could implement preventive measures to protect the population.

  Mr. Crysler Akwei Ankrah, President of the Ghana Institute of Geoscientists, emphasized the importance of alliance between the fields of medical science and geology in conducting research to better understand various diseases and illnesses which were previously unknown and could not be identified.

  As a geologist, Mr. Ankrah pointed out the significance of studying the composition of minerals in the soil to recognize those minerals that may have a detrimental impact on human health by combining geosciences expertise with medical knowledge, effective strategies to address health concerns.

  He stressed the need for preventive measures to be implemented in areas where trace elements pose risk to human health, saying such collaborative approach would help m
itigate the impact of these diseases and illnesses.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Women In Need (WIN), a local non-governmental organisation with focus on supporting females with disability, has trained some vulnerable women and girls in livelihood skills to assist their growth.

They were empowered to break the myriad of barriers that hinder their growth and serve as a lifelong saving opportunity.

The training will also help the women and girls fend for themselves and improve on their standards of living, rather than becoming a burden on society.

This forms part of a three-year project by WIN, dubbed: ‘Promotion of Equal Rights for Women and Girls with Disabilities,’ with the aim of increasing women’s capacity through entrepreneurship, financial literacy and life skills training to ensure their independence.

Beneficiaries were trained on snail, palm weevil and mushroom farming techniques for economic empowerment.

WIN has already trained the first batch in beads, fascinator and soap making among other things. All participants would be given financial literacy training to enhance profi
t.

Ms Susie Ama Korakoma Arkuh, the Executive Director, WIN, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview after the training that women and girls were the most vulnerable, hence the project was to empower them to become self-reliant and help in their development process.

She said though the government was doing its best to provide security for the vulnerable, WIN found some loopholes, hence the idea of supporting them to bridge the inequality gap.

Ms Abena Opare, the Mfantseman Municipal Director, Social Welfare Department, applauded WIN for its continuous support to persons with disability within the area.

She called on all stakeholders to join hands in pushing forward the welfare of women and children and bridging the stereotypes against persons with disability.

The Department would monitor and support the beneficiaries to ensure the intended outcomes were achieved, she said.

Madam Grace Amoah, a beneficiary, expressed gratitude to the organisers for the opportunity to make money.

She said her family l
ost a snail farming business due to less knowledge about it and that with the training she would revive the business.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Key stakeholders in the port sector of Ghana have participated in a business forum organised by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) to discuss the cost of doing business at Ghana’s ports.

The stakeholders, made up of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), shipping lines, the Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA), and some logistics firms, also discussed the cost implications for the country’s import and export trade.

Mr. Khalid Nuhu, the General Manager for Corporate Planning at the GPHA, said the Port Authority regulated the charging system at the port in a balanced manner by ensuring that private entities did not overcharge and importers also did not underpay for services rendered to them.

‘Everyone that has been licenced or has a concession with GPHA operates under the tariffs set by GPHA. So, if you aggregate the total tariffs of GPHA in relation to what has been identified as a component of the cost of doing business, on a scale of 1 to 100, GPHA is less than 10%,’ he revealed.

He said GPHA had invested a lot in infrastructure at the port to serve the port community efficiently, indicating that the elimination of inefficiencies, delays, and bureaucracies would go a long way toward reducing the cost of doing business at the ports.

Mr. Adam Ayarna Imoro, an Executive Member of the Ship Owners and Agents Association of Ghana (SOAAG), stated that shipping line charges enable them to sustain their businesses.

He debunked the assertions in the sector that shipping lines were a rip-off and making the cost of doing business in Ghana’s ports very expensive and high; therefore, they were losing cargo to Lomé, as not true, stressing that, ‘I checked with all the shipping lines here to know if they were losing containers, and they told me it was not true. Cargo meant for Ghana comes to Ghana.’

Ms. Monica Josiah, the Head of Shipper Services and Trade Facilitation at the Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA), revealed that a look at some ports in West Africa showed that government taxes take a great
er chunk of the cost.

She added that ‘for instance, in Tema, on some selected commodities, we had 91.7% as government taxes, then in Abidjan, 92.1%, and in Lomé, 89.2%; for handling charges, that is, receipts and delivery charges by GPHA, it was just 2.5% in Tema, then 2.6% in Abidjan, and Lomé is about 2.4%.’

Source: Ghana News Agency