Author: lwadmin

The Ministry of Works and Housing in partnership with the State Housing Cooperation (SHC) has built a 16-unit detached and semi-detached housing bungalow for senior public officials.

The senior public officials include court justices, ministers of State, and chief directors.

The apartment, on an acre and a half land at Ridge, Accra, is a redevelopment of a three-housing unit on the same acre of land, which will now house 16 different families.

Mr Francis Asenso-Boakye, the Minister of Works and Housing, who inspected the progress of the project, said it was one of the areas the Ministry was redeveloping to ensure optimal use of land space.

Other areas are in airport residential area, Labone, Roman Ridge, Lartehbiokorshie and Cantonments.

He expressed contentment at the 95 percent completion of work and layouts of the bungalow.

‘It is one of the residential accommodations we provide for public servants, and I am thrilled that they used plantation to demarcate the units. I wish we could all learn from it,
‘ he said.

Mr Asenso-Boakye said the proximity of the bungalow to the offices of the senior public officials would enable them to get to work on time.

The bungalow, the Minister said, would be named after Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyemang to honour him for his good works when he was a Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing.

Mr Kwabena Ampofo Appiah , the Managing Direction, SHC, said the Company had made provisions to enable everyone who occupied a unit in the bungalow to mount an air condition and satellite television if they wanted to, without having to drill more holes in the building.

That, he said, would help to keep the bungalow in a good shape for a long time.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A total of 65 people got killed in road crashes involving motorcycles in the Tema Police region in 2023.

Out of the total, 15 were lost in the first quarter, 16 in the second quarter, 26 in the third quarter, and eight in the fourth quarter of the year.

This was contained in the Ghana Police Service’s Motor Traffic and Transport Department’s (MTTD) motor accident returns for 2023, available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA).

The crashes, which involved a total of 287 total cycles comprising 253 motorcycles and 31 tricycles, led to the injuries of 282 people.

Reacting to the number of accidents occurring from cycles, some pillion riders in Ashaiman, in an interview with the GNA, expressed concerns over the reckless riding of some commercial cyclists.

They said even though it provided them with alternatives to beat traffic and reach their destinations earlier than regular vehicles, the number of deaths and injuries occurring because of motorbikes was worrying.

Mr. Yussif Ibrahim, a motor rider said the rough
riding on cycles could lead to people incurring medical costs if they get involved in crushes.

Hajia Fati Tahiru, who occasionally uses motor bikes, said there was a need for increased safety measures to protect commuters, as most motor riders carry passengers without providing them with helmets.

‘Taking Okada is dangerous, especially without a helmet; they overtake dangerously even in traffic, and sometimes when trucks are coming in the opposite direction, which can lead to a collision,’ she said.

Madam Faiza Zakari called on the Road Safety Department and the MTTD to intensify awareness creation on reckless riding and road regulations to help reduce the menace.

She said she used to patronise them because of the convenience of reaching her destination early, adding that, she stopped using motor bikes after witnessing their reckless riding and its resultant crashes as they drove through traffic and narrow spaces between vehicles with disregard for traffic regulations.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Mobile Telecommunication Network (MTN) is to collect some 750 pints of blood in three second-cycle institutions in the Western Region to mark this year’s Valentine’s Day.

The blood donation exercise, under the MTN Ghana Foundation, dubbed: ‘Save A Life’ had students from Takoradi Technical Institute, Fijai Senior High School and St. Mary’s Boys’ Senior High School helping the company to source blood to augment the stock at the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital Blood Bank, a referral centre in the region.

Mr Prince Owusu Nyarko, the Regional Senior Manager of South West District of MTN, told the media that the gift of ‘blood’ was a good gift anyone could give to humanity.

He said since the inception of the project in 2011, the MTN ‘Save a Life’ Campaign, in partnership with some institutions, had yielded very positive results.

This year, MTN has set itself a target of 7,000 units of blood hinging on the 6240 pints collected last year, Mr Nyarko said.

MTN had made remarkable achievements, with over 26,00
0 pints of blood collected from the beginning of the exercise.

‘These efforts have also earned us recognition as one of the highest corporate blood donors; a testament to the power of collective action in making a difference.’

Over the years, the MTN Ghana Foundation has been committed to supporting the development of sustainable social interventions across the country, at the core of which had been the focus on improving health standards and access to quality care.

‘The Save a Life Campaign reinforces the company’s ongoing commitment to enhancing healthcare delivery in Ghana and shows that MTN is a brand that truly cares.’

Ms Mary Avormey of the Donor Care Unit, Effia Nkwanta Hospital Blood Bank, commended MTN for the initiative.

She was hopeful that the annual campaign would address critical gaps in blood supply and promote voluntary donation, thereby saving lives and reducing maternal mortality rates across the region.

She urged other corporate entities to support by donating refrigerators and other
sponsorship packages for more outdoor activities to generate more blood for the Bank.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A non- governmental organisation, NKG Textiles Foundation, has held a life skills training programme for students of Yabram Community Day Senior High School in the Krachi East Municipality of the Oti Region.

The programme was geared towards equipping the youth with meaningful life skills that could help them generate income and be a source of employment.

The training brought together over 160 students in soap making business, plastic, flower decoration, tie -dye, yoghurt making and beads making business.

Mr Michael Kofi Nkpah, the founder of the Foundation said the vision of his foundation was to empower the younger generation by providing educational needs to young people, as well as providing them with training and entrepreneurial skills.

He said it was also the aim of the Foundation to facilitate the development and progressive growth of the younger generation in various communities.

Mr Taase Awuriki Abednego, the Virtual Arts and Home Economy teacher said his outfit was committed to inspiring younger
people to make the best out of themselves always and that was a good opportunity to impart on the younger generation skills

‘I have interest in helping students who are passionate about gaining life skills for themselves and this training is the perfect opportunity to help them,’ he said.

Mr Awuriki encouraged all youth to continually seek to get some life skills training to attach to their education to gain more profit as the world was changing to a more practical approach to things.

Ms Anagli Patience, Odoi Wisdom and Biborla Peter together with some other participants, said they were pleased that the Foundation organised the training for them.

‘It is important that you do not only train the mind but the hands as well, and we are glad the Foundation brought this for us and we have personally learnt a lot,’ they told the GNA.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A consortium of four is strategising in Ghana on ways to address the inequalities in the cocoa, mining and salt sectors to provide decent income for the poor in the value chain.

Oxfam, Third World Network-Africa (TWN-Africa), SOMO, and the Huairou Commission, are holding a four-day ‘fair for all’ conference to increase civil society efforts in that regard.

Among others, they would work with the private sector to find alternative business models, increase pressure on actors for a responsible financial system, improve governmental regulation, and advocate for fiscal and trade reforms.

Countries participating in the conference include Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa, Kenya, Mozambique, with support from Brazil, Italy, Palestine, and the Netherlands.

Speaking with the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday, February 13, Mr Francis Agbere, Just Economy Lead, Oxfam Ghana, said the priority of the consortium was to deconstruct existing value chain systems that did not work in favour of the poor.

‘The strategy is to
ensure that the value chains of cocoa, mining, and salt are organised in a way that people who everyday sees the reality and impact of these resources benefit and dealing with the injustices and inequalities that take from the poor and give to the rich,’ he said.

‘We will look within and outside, adopt strategies to ensure that the poor person in a community get a fair price for the commodity that they depend on for their livelihood and point to tangible benefits from the extraction made,’ he stated.

Mr Agbere explained that a multifaceted approach would be used to provide the space for host communities of resources to share their specific needs, while engaging corporate entities to have fair prices for farmers to earn decent income.

‘We’ll also work to provide the policy space that would crack the whip on multinational entities that operate within these value chains and respond to the UN guiding principles for businesses on respect for human rights,’ he noted.

Mr Sylvester Bagooro, Programme Officer, Thi
rd World Network-Africa, explained that while Africa had enormous resources, it had not seen the needed transformation over the years, and the dividend thereof for the poor.

‘This project has been conceived to empower citizens and organisations alike, so that we can see how much value our Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) can also capture from the resources that are often exported by transnational corporations,’ said, Mr Bagooro.

He stated that the project would be keen on value addition, and addressing the systemic challenges associated with rules, which were detrimental to the progress of SMEs and the poor in various resource-rich communities.

‘It is through value addition that we can have the kind of employment, skills, and technology you’re looking for, and that’s how we build a transformational economy,’ he said.

The fair for all initiative is part of the global Power of Voices?with a budget amounting to 71 million euros and to be implemented between January 2021 and December 2025.

Source:
Ghana News Agency

The Cocoa Processing Company of Ghana (CPC) has encouraged Ghanaians to make the country’s cocoa products a staple to derive their full health benefits.

Nana Agyemang Ansong, the Sales and Marketing Manager for CPC, speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview, said cocoa products must be inculcated in the daily meals of Ghanaians, especially for children, due to the numerous benefits that cocoa provides.

Mr. Ansong described cocoa as the gold of the forest, saying it contains nutritional elements that help in the cognitive development and dental health of children; therefore, there was a need to encourage them to consume more cocoa products.

He said for people battling diabetes and high blood sugar, cocoa products were the best remedy, as research had confirmed their ability to reduce blood sugar and control insulin in the body.

He said it also contains anti-cancer elements that help in preventing cancer, and that it was also perfect for asthmatic patients, while it boosts the production of br
east milk in lactating mothers.

‘I will advise the young ones to start taking in chocolate and cocoa products now, instead of waiting to be in their 50s and above, and then start fighting sicknesses and desiring to have a wrinkle-free face,’ he added.

He said that to make it easy for the public to consume cocoa products, CPC had come out with different varieties in the form of chocolate bars, spreads, pebbles, spreads, drinks, nutty, and many others.

Mr. Ansong said its all-time chocolate drink and Royale natural cocoa powder, which used to be in 400-gramme jars, have now been packaged in small sachet quantities in grammes of 10, 40, and 250 to make it easier for everyone to buy as well as consume at their own convenience.

He said CPC, in collaboration with its stakeholders, was working towards projecting Ghana as a country of the best quality chocolate to attract people all over the world, adding that, this must, however, begin with those in Ghana increasing their consumption of cocoa products.

Source:
Ghana News Agency