Author: lwadmin

The newly installed Senior Divisional Officer for the Fako Division in the South West Region, Viang Mekala has taken over from the former SDO, Mr Chaibou, the fight against the separatist-imposed Monday Lockdown.

In a communique addressing the ghost town Mondays, attributed to separatist fighters known as Ambazonians, the Senior Divisional Officer has voiced concerns over the lack of productivity on Mondays.

Quoting his statement, he stated, ‘In the southwest region of Cameroon, Mondays have been enforced as a ghost town day by separatist fighters known as Ambazonians. This has resulted in a reluctance to work on Mondays, as individuals adhere to the enforced lockdown.’

Emphasizing the importance of maintaining normalcy and productivity, he reiterated, ‘Monday is a working day, thus all Offices and Services have to be open to the Public from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm.’

Furthermore, he urged citizens to prioritize their professional responsibilities, stating, ‘Leisure and outdoor activities should be taken to the
weekends and any leisure activities on Mondays will not be tolerated.’

His predecessor, Mr. Chaibou, had also implemented measures to tackle the Monday Lockdown before being transferred to another Division in the South Region.

Mr. Chaibou often organized meetings with regional and local authorities to address the issue, resulting in the closure of shops owned by individuals who respected the Monday ghost town.

Despite efforts to enforce the working day norm, a series of attacks have been perpetrated by separatists on civilians for disrespecting the Monday ghost town. The most recent attack tragically claimed the life of a man who had already lost his wife to another separatist attack.

Since its inception on January 9, 2017, the enforcement of ghost towns has become a weekly schedule, imposed by Ambazonians every Monday in the North and South West Regions of Cameroon.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Preserving urban green spaces and adopting sustainable housing systems and practices, are crucial in addressing the current warming trends, especially in the cities and urban communities in the country.

Mr Sulemana Issifu, Director of Research at the Center for Climate Change and Food Security (CCCFS), who stated this, indicated that, recent increases in temperatures, particularly, the discomfort during nighttime, highlighted the pressing need to address climate-related challenges.

Sharing a policy brief with the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi, he advocated for the implementation of sustainable housing systems that incorporated climate-responsive designs.

This includes improved insulation, natural ventilation, and materials that regulated indoor temperatures.

Again, afforestation measures that mandated every new house construction to include the planting of shade trees.

He explained that this did not only contribute to carbon sequestration but also provides natural shading, reducing indoor, and outdoor temp
eratures.

Mr Issifu said the government must take stringent measures to halt the menace of illegal mining (galamsey), which threatened the existing forests.

The CCCFS also encourages architects and builders to avoid excessive glazing in building structures, explaining that, while natural light was important, excessive glazing contributed to heat gain, and alternative design strategies should be explored.

According to him, the CCCFS recent study highlighted the discriminative felling of the few remaining trees in urban areas, particularly in Greater Kumasi.

The study underscored the importance of preserving existing green spaces for their cooling effects and overall environmental benefits.

Some key findings identified were that a concerning trend of indiscriminate tree felling in urban areas, especially in Greater Kumasi, leading to a loss of crucial green cover.

Also, the removal of trees contributes to the urban heat island effect, exacerbating rising temperatures in affected areas and this posed a dir
ect threat to the well-being of residents.

On the policy side, Mr Issifu, stressed the need for strict enforcement of tree preservation laws, promotion of green spaces as well as educating citizens on the importance of tree preservation, and sustainable practices.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Joachim Elbazar, the Nabdam District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has called on parents to inculcate in their children the spirit of punctuality, honesty and hard work, to become more responsible citizens.

He said parents had a crucial role in shaping the lives of their children, and their ability to instil in them discipline and orderliness would enable them to become responsible citizens and guard themselves against violent extremists.

‘Your children would only be able to cater for your needs at your old age when you train them to be responsible and as parents, that task is on you now to instil in them discipline, to enable them to resist the activities of violent extremists and contribute meaningfully to national development,’ he added.

Mr Elbazer said this when he engaged parents and guardians at Gane-Asonge in the Nabdam District of the Upper East Region on violent extremism.

The engagement formed part of the Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism (PCVE) pro
ject being implemented by the NCCE across eight border regions of the country, including the Upper East, Upper West, North East, Northern, Savannah, Bono, Bono East, and the Oti Regions.

It is being funded by the European Union (EU) and is aimed at creating awareness about violent extremism and facilitating activities to engender among the citizens of Ghana, security consciousness, social inclusiveness, community cohesion, and situational awareness.

He emphasised that the youth were the targets of the violent extremists, and parents had a role to play in helping their children guard themselves against radicalization.

Madam Fatima Atamina Mohammed, the Principal Civic Education Officer of the NCCE, Nabdam District, said the peace being enjoyed could not be taken for granted and underscored the need for parents to be vigilant and help the security agencies fight crime.

According to her, ‘Security is a collective responsibility, and as citizens, it is bestowed on us to help the security agencies, since they
cannot be everywhere at the same time, by reporting to them suspicious characters and other activities that have the tendency to mar the peace we are enjoying.’.

Mr Victor Brobbey, the National Deputy Director of the NCCE, urged parents to help the NCCE advance education on violent extremism by speaking to their children and others on occasions, for the maintenance of peace for development to thrive.

Mr Norbert Naab Tulbil, a participant, expressed gratitude to the NCCE for the education on security consciousness but bemoaned that unemployment was a serious problem frustrating the youth and needed to be tackled.

He said: ‘For the youth not to be lured because of their financial dependency and curiosity, the government needs to tackle the issue of unemployment, and this includes creating job opportunities and ensuring that those who are 60 years old go on retirement without a contract, to pave the way for the youth.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

Winners Cooperative Credit Union (WINCCU), a financial institution in Volta Region has held its maiden ‘media soirée’ at Akatsi.

It was aimed at appreciating the role of the media in educating and shaping society for economic growth.

Mr Sammy Oscar Tuagbor, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Union, in a welcome address during the engagement held at the Union’s headquarters at Akatsi, commended the media for their commitment and dedication.

‘On all counts, the Union recognises the roles journalism played in sensitising the public, especially our catchment areas about our policies, programmes, and the purpose for our existence.’

He said the media could not be left off for the various roles played in supporting the mission, and vision and for the successes chalked over the years.

Mr Tuagbor, stated that the remarkable progress of the Union was made on the general growth of winners, more especially in membership enrolment, shares and saving deposits, credit facilities, and assets- based on the strategi
c partnership with the media over the years.

‘Our vision is to be among the best five leading credit unions in Ghana, which cannot be compromised, and as we look to the horizon, our vision is clear to be counted among the top five credit unions in Ghana.’

He said the Union had rehabilitated some roads and donated printers, television sets, and air conditioners, among others to some public sectors in the Municipality as their corporate social responsibilities.

He urged the media to continue to support their work.

Mr Robert Darrah, the Board Chairman of the Union, in his keynote address, commended the media for their collaboration and continuous support for the success of the Union.

‘The media in Akatsi South, and Ketu North and South has served as a critical bridge between us, Winners Co-operative Credit Union, and the public by providing timely, accurate, and comprehensive coverage of market trends, economic developments, and regulatory changes.

‘As a Credit Union, our main aim is to impact lives positi
vely and alleviate poverty, and you, the media, have been our partners in achieving our goals through diligent reporting, and insightful analysis in the journalism space,’ he added.

Mr Darrah pledged to equip members of the media ‘so they can also empower members of our Credit Union and the public with the knowledge and skills they need to navigate the financial landscape.’

Mr Agbaxode Emmanuel, the Volta, and Oti Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association, commended WINCCU for bringing their innovative ideas to bear.

He appealed to media practitioners to work within the ethical requirements of the profession.

Participants, which include, members of the clergy, business partners, radio station managers, radio workers within Akatsi South and beyond, staff of WINCCU, and others took their turn to share ideas regarding the growth of the Union and the community at large.

WINCCU, the leading credit union in Volta and Oti, is the fastest Credit Union in Ghana and has over 25,000 members.

Source:
Ghana News Agency

Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia Monday launched a ‘Tap and Go’ system and ticketing solution for the Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMT) to improve operational efficiency and ease of accessing public transport services.

The initiative was designed by a young talented Ghanaian IT Solution developer, in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and the Office of the Vice President.

The ‘Tap and Go’ system seeks to build a single system for the entire transport eco-system for the inter and intra-city bus services, the commercial transport (Trotro), the loading taxi services and the taxi hailing (uber-like) services for commuting passengers in Ghana.

The new system is completely different from the Closed Loop System designed for the Aayalolo buses some time ago, but an advanced one with so many enhanced features.

It is expected to plug revenue leakage and improve transparency and accountability in revenue generation within the public transport operations and curb corruption.

There would be fixed security
cameras on the buses to monitor the time and speed of drivers, check onboard passengers and respond swiftly to any emergencies.

At the launch of the ‘Tap and Go’ System and Ticketing Solution for the Metro Mass Transit Limited in Accra, Dr Bawumia said the initiative was a major milestone in promoting a cashless society and digitally empower the public transport system to deliver quality services.

It would also formalise the public transport sector to respond to the fourth industrial revolution- ICT, and digitisation- which the world’s economy was embracing.

Dr Bawumia noted that the initiative adds to the many digital solutions the government had been implementing over the past seven years and yielding positive results, so far.

The Vice President mentioned the digitalisation of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, the Paperless Ports, the Passport Office, the Property Addressing System, the National Identification Authority (GhanaCard) and the Mobile Money Interoperability Payment System as some
of the digital solutions to formalise the Ghanaian economy.

Dr Bawumia outlined other features inherent in the new system including tracking, parcel delivery, taxi hailing and inter and intra-city services to the commuting passengers.

The initiative, the Vice President said, would help curb diversion of funds and plug the revenue leakages in the public transport operations, and cited for instance, the introduction of the innovative project recently had reduced 50 percent revenue losses incurred by the MMT.

Dr Bawumia announced that the government would secure 100 electric buses for the MMT this year, to boost its operations.

Mr Kwaku Ofori Asiama, the Minister of Transport, on his part, said the initiative was a game-changer in the public transport sector, which would ensure affordable and reliable access to public transport services by the commuting public.

‘This is a new phase of digital revolution and would redefine the future of public transport system in Ghana,’ Mr Asiama stressed.

Mr Albert Adu Bo
ahen, the Managing Director of MMT, in his welcome remarks, stated that the initiative would bring efficiency to the company’s operations and minimise revenue losses.

The Kaneshie terminal of Metro Mass Transit Ltd was first to introduce it and by 31st May, this year all the 25 branches of the company would be networked to the Tap and System to optimise operations, Mr Adu Boahen stated.

The public can download and install the Tap and Go application on AppStore or playStore.

They can also access it by using the USSD by dialing *713*091#.

Source: Ghana News Agency