Category: General

Nene Lokpor Dagadu, the Chief of the Muerteh community in the Shai Osudoku Traditional Area, has appealed to the government and the Inspector General of Police to urgently tackle landguard activities in the Greater Accra Region.

Nene Dagadu, known in private life as Commander Peter Dagadu (Hon.), told the Ghana News Agency that landguard activities were scaring off investors from the area.

He explained that due to harassment from such persons, investors who expressed interest in investing in the construction industry often abandon their projects for fear of falling victim to attacks.

He further said this harms the country as the investors carry out a bad image of the state to their colleagues and affects the bilateral relationship between Ghana and other countries.

He added that it also economically affects the country, as it deprives Ghana of getting taxes from businesses, while the youth also remain unemployed as there were not enough businesses to employ them.

Nene Dagadu II stated, for instance, that
some Eritrean investors who acquired 30 acres of land in Muerteh for mechanised vegetable farming abandoned the project after landguards attacked and seized their documents and equipment at the start of the project.

‘As a result, the investors have asked that we return their monies to them for them to leave Ghana as they are no longer interested in investing here,’ he added.

On the modus operandi of land guards, he said if their boss was not the one who sold the land, they terrorised the buyers until they leave the place, while they demand digging fees from those who purchased it from them whenever they start their project, even though they have already paid for the land.

He also appealed to the leadership of the Ghana Police Service to expedite action on an alleged attack on him by some six known land guards in the area who trailed him on motorbikes and threatened his life for causing their arrest.

He said if such criminal activities were not handled to their logical end, it emboldened unscrupulous peopl
e to continue to perpetrate crimes and drive away investors.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu, has donated 400 mono desks to the Winneba Vocational Training Institute to facilitate academic work.

The gesture, a sequel to some appeals made by the school, is in furtherance of efforts by the MP and the government to create an environment conducive for skills training at the Institute.

Already, the school has received a well-furnished one-storey building fitted with an ultra-modern ICT laboratory, a fashion complex, a library, a 60-seater classroom and offices as well as two pavilions, all funded by the MP.

Mr Afenyo-Markin, who is also the Majority Leader of Parliament, handing over the desks at a brief ceremony, observed that the school had barely received any facelift more than 40 years after it was established until he intervened.

He said after his party won power in 2016, he worked closely with the government to ensure the school received a major facelift.

He noted that government was aware of the infrastructural deficit cr
eated by the free vocational training policy and was working around the clock to resolve it.

He, however, assured the Institute of his continuous commitment to help deal with the remaining challenges with the aim of making the school the best in the country.

‘I normally do not make promises but I assure you that the school will get a new operational bus and also to ensure that the Winneba Vocational Training Institute becomes a total place of choice not only in the Central Region but the country as a whole so that students will yearn to come down for their training,’ he added.

Mr Afenyo-Markin said the government deserved commendation for the free technical and vocational training policy, citing the economic relief for the vulnerable and the significant increase in enrolment.

He applauded management of the Institute for ensuring that students acquired the needed vocational knowledge and skills to succeed in life and encouraged them to continue on that path.

Mr Martin Ekow Young, Principal of the Institut
e, who received the donation on behalf the management and the board of the school, thanked the MP for his continuous support.

He assured the MP that they would put the resources to good use and ensure periodic maintenance.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The National Peace Council has engaged residents of Doninga, a farming community in the Builsa South District in the Upper East Region as part of efforts to foster peaceful coexistence, strengthen social cohesion and sustainable development.

The engagement was to ensure that the diverse people residing in the communities employed dialogue and other peaceful mechanisms to resolve their differences and prevent conflict.

The two-day training workshop, which brought together Chiefs, Queenmothers, Assembly members, youth and women groups and the Fulbe (Fulani) community, was to empower them with knowledge to prevent chieftaincy and land related conflicts and promote peaceful coexistence between the indigenous people and the Fulbe community.

It was organised with funding from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Australian government, and formed part of the community dialogue to strengthen relations with the Fulbe groups and establish community peace committees in Doninga and Kanjarga in the B
uilsa South District project.

It aimed to build cohesive and resilient communities and create a platform for effective communication between the communities and the Fulbe groups, to address issues that affect them, to prevent conflict and activities of violent extremists.

Speaking at the training, Mr Ali Anankpieng, the Executive Secretary, Upper East Regional Peace Council, noted that peace and social cohesion were key to building resilience of communities for sustainable development.

The Executive Secretary noted that apart from land and chieftaincy disputes that had over the years retarded development in many parts of the region, herder-farmer conflicts, particularly between communities and the Fulbe groups, were on the rise in the region.

He said destruction of crops by animals belonging to the Fulbe groups was one of the major causes of conflict.

However, stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination against the Fulbe groups also contribute to conflict between the two groups.

Mr Anankpieng called for e
ffective dialogue to prevent and resolve conflicts and to ensure that social cohesion was strengthened for peaceful coexistence, especially between the communities and the herders.

‘Apart from resolving conflict, dialogue can create understanding and help people to device ways of respecting each other’s boundaries, build resilience of communities and the need to stay engaged rather than stay in different corners with eyes of suspicion,’ he said.

Mr Azewonbiik Agiriba, Representative of Chief of Doninga, said despite the ethnic and cultural differences, they were all one people and there was the need to engage in activities that would promote peaceful coexistence between them.

He said the training had deepened their understanding and appreciation for diverse people and would contribute to fostering social cohesion, adding ‘the hard truth is that we are in one family, common humanity despite our tribal and occupational differences.’

On his part, Mr. Ibrahim Mande, the Fulbe Leader in the community, said the
re had been several accusations leveled against them as people who commit crimes and involve in violent extremism and expressed optimism that the training would help them to live in peace with the communities.

‘You know we the Fulani, we don’t like mixing with other people, we come to town only when we want to buy something. And so, we don’t know so many things, but this training has taught us many lessons and I believe our relationship with Doninga people will greatly improve going forward,’ he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Tuesday inaugurated the Civil Society Coalition for African Continental Free Trade Area (CSCAfCFTA) in Accra.

The programme, which drew dignitaries from the AfCFTA Secretariat, ECOWAS, the African Union, intergovernmental agencies, trade and business organizations,

Ministries, Departments, Civil Society Organizations, Diplomatic Corps, private sector entrepreneurs, media, diaspora, and youth, aims to boost intra-Africa trade and unleash the potential for socioeconomic transformation.

The CSCAfCFTA said in a statement that it had been in discussions with representatives from several African countries since 2023 on ways to promote the AfCFTA concept in those nations.

It said the formal inauguration marked the conclusion of actions that began with the idea development stage and included engagements with AfCFTA officials, government leaders, and international entities, including strategic collaboration with civil society groups to ensure that Africans benefited
from the concept.

The statement urged the public to support the call for businesses to use AfCFTA to boost intra-Africa trade and secure long-term growth with less dependency on foreign handouts on the African continent.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, Minister of Finance, says the expected $1.2 billion from development partners will strengthen the local currency against major trading currencies.

He said the disbursements from development partners, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the African Development Bank (AFDB), would strengthen the local currency.

He attributed the recent depreciation to domestic and international factors, with the cedis currently trading at GHS 12.8 to a dollar.

He said this in a press briefing held at the premises of the Ministry of Finance (MOF).

Dr. Amin said international factors, particularly the strengthening of the United States dollar against major trading currencies, occasioned the depreciation of the local currency.

The Minister also attributed the depreciation to local factors, including payments made by the energy and corporate sectors, and the delayed disbursement of the cocoa loan, which compounded pressure on the local currency.

However, the Minister not
ed that interventions, including inflows from remittances, mining companies, and the local gold purchase by the Bank of Ghana (BOG), had minimised the impact of the depreciation.

Dr. Amin said additional planned disbursements for on-going infrastructure projects would strengthen the local currency.

According to the BOG, the cedi depreciated by 0.7 percent in January 2024, compared to 30 percent in January 2022.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Godson Bill Ocloo, the Executive Director of Africa Centre for Emergency Management and Human Security, has urged the National Security hierarchy to begin early preparations ahead of the 2024 general elections.

This, he said, would help to strategise all security measures to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment of potential areas of concern such as vulnerabilities and threats ahead of the election.

Mr Ocloo, who is also a security analyst, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, urged national security operatives to increase the visibility of personnel in key locations to deter any potential disruptions to reassure the public of safety.

‘We have few months to the general elections, so National Security should begin working closely with other relevant stakeholders such as election officials, political parties, and community leaders to coordinate security efforts and share information adequately,’ he stated.

Mr Ocloo further explained that training and capacity building among security personnel sh
ould be prioritised to ensure well-trained personnel in handling various scenarios, crowd control, and conflict resolution techniques.

He also advised that comprehensive emergency response plans should be put in place to address any unexpected and unforeseen situation.

‘I believe that conducting a thorough public awareness campaign to educate the public on the election security measures, and reporting procedures among others would be helpful.’

Mr Ocloo stated that political parties and their various security forces should cooperate with the National Security and the government for a smooth democratic process.

He urged the youth not to sacrifice or risk their life for any political party or politician.

He also appealed to the public to exercise their franchise in peace ‘because the election is not about violence, we can’t afford to lose any life before, during, and after the elections.’

Mr Ocloo charged all security personnel to exhibit a high level of professionalism in dealing with issues to prevent an
y havoc in the country.

Source: Ghana News Agency