Category: General

Ngorgbea Kofi Davor, the Chief Priest of Afetorku Shrine at Dagbamate in the Akatsi South Municipality of the Volta region, has commissioned a new canteen and teachers’ bungalow for Dagbamate Basic school.

The well-furnished building, worth thousands of Ghana cedis, was aimed at developing, improving, and promoting education in the area.

Ngorgbea Davor, during this year’s Afetorku annual festival durbar held at the Dagbamate Shrine, stated that the projects were championed by the Dagbamate community to have an excellent educational environment for all school-going children.

‘Dagbamate community is very devoted to providing quality education to its children and in this regard, much effort is needed in every sector to make this a reality,’ he stated.

He disclosed that there was a need to see both students and teachers to provide a good and conducive teaching and learning environment.

The community was poised to construct a canteen and two additional teachers’ bungalows for the school.

Ngorgbea Davor state
d that the community was currently engaged in other infrastructural projects, which included an 11-seater toilet and fence wall for the Basic school.

‘Construction of Dagbamate Community Vocational Training Centre for girls in fashion design and hairdressing were also underway to mitigate unemployment among the youth in the area and all these projects are funded by Afetorku shrine.’

Mr Davor appealed to the government, philanthropists, individuals, and other stakeholders to assist them with the necessary equipment needed to run the facility.

He charged the government to as a matter of urgency, help construct Akatsi through Dagbamate to Avenorpeme roads which began about seven years ago but stalled.

Present at this year’s Afetorku Agbodzi durbar were Mr Martin Kofitsey Nyahe, the MCE for Akatsi South, Torgbui Klu Agudzemaga ll, Chief of Dagbamate, Torgbui Samlafo IV, Fiaga of Atsiame Traditional area, Torgbui Bei IV of Exi, Mama Adzorhlor all of Dagbamate, and others.

This year’s festival was on the theme
‘Love for One Another’ one of the cardinal principles of Togbi Afetorku.’

Some travelers in an engagement, told the GNA they remained thankful to the organisers for the big opportunity.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Green Diversity Foundation (GDF Africa) has marked the International Day of Zero Waste with a call on young people to play active role in reducing the impact of waste to promote sustainable development.

Mr Hobson Agyapong, Executive Director of GDF Africa, said young people constituted the future of the planet, making it critical for them to be involved in solving the world’s environmental challenges.

‘Young people are the future. We cannot neglect them. If we decide to solve the problem without involving them, at the end we know definitely we will also leave, and we will not get people to continue the process.

‘Then it means we have created a mess and we made an attempt to solve it but then we could not sustain it. So for sustainability sake, we believe that the young ones should play a pivotal role in this process of solving our environmental challenges,’ Mr Agyapong said.

He made the call when GDF Africa celebrated the Day at the Lakeside Horticulture Village, Lakeside Estate Ltd, in the Adentan Mu
nicipality, on the theme: ‘Partnership for Sustainable Production and Consumption’.

Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 14, 2022, the International Day of Zero Waste is observed annually on March 30 by nations across the globe.

The occasion brought together stakeholders from government institutions, civil society organisations, academia and the private sector to assess human actions impacting the climate, come up with innovative solutions, and to form partnerships to tackle the impact of climate change

Mr Agyapong noted that waste had become a serious menace, with the United Nations reporting that every one minute, a truckload of plastic is dumped into the ocean.

He said young people must come up with innovative technologies and approaches for avoiding waste and reducing the impact of waste.

He said Ghanaians should adopt indigenous and nature-based solutions such as the use of leaves and paper in place of plastics.

‘Corporate institutions should incorporate waste reduction into t
heir environmental and social governance system to ensure sustainable production and consumption,’ he added.

Mr John A. Pwamang, Board Chairman of GDF Africa, noted that every year, Ghana generated 840,000 tonnes of plastic waste, with only 9.5 per cent being collected for recycling.

He said ensuring zero waste would require bold leadership, unwavering commitment, a fundamental shift in mindset, rethinking traditional business models, and adopting a holistic approach.

‘Together, we can build a world where waste is minimised, resources are preserved, and prosperity is shared by all,’ he said.

Mr Joy Hesse Ankomah, Deputy Director, Built Environment Department, Environmental Protection Agency, noted that to reduce waste, the country must have a ‘good strategic roadmap for implementation and enforceable legislations’.

He said zero waste called for waste avoidance, reuse and recycling.

He advocated reforms, including decentralised management of organic waste, dry waste and domestic hazardous waste, redesign
ing concessionaire agreement, integration of the informal sector, capacity building of waste management officials, adopting financially sustainable models, and upscaling of pilot projects.

Mr Abdulrahim Shaibu-Issah, Executive Director, Recycle Up Ghana, encouraged Ghanaians to take up the responsibility for ensuring zero waste by taking initiatives to avoid single-use plastics.

Lady Vera Wiredu, Executive Director, Volunteers for Victory Network, called for the passing of legislations to cut down single-use plastics and to promote reusable materials among Ghanaians.

Ms Jessica Kpendo, Miss Tourism Ghana, Second Princess, encouraged Ghanaians to make conscious effort to get their own sustainable water bottles for water and bowls to buy food in order to cut down plastics.

Present at the event were students from Mercy Senior High School, Lakeside, and Pinoko Educational Complex, Akyem Brenase in the Eastern Region.

Some of the students called for incorporation of Zero Waste as critical part of the school c
urriculum, as well as the implementation of waste segregation in homes and schools.

The event was organised in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, Environmental Protection Agency, Association of Ghana Industries, the Climate Tribe- United Arab Emirates, and Energy Free.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The SA Housing and Infrastructure Fund (SAHIF), the largest black private investor in South Africa’s optical fibre industry, has embarked on an ambitious international drive to raise capital to accelerate the expansion of high-speed internet access throughout the country.

SAHIF CEO Rali Mampeule said the company aimed to secure up to $225 million around (R4,1Billion) in investments from both domestic and international sources, including pension funds, development finance institutions (DFIs), and limited partners (LPs).SAHIF through one of its subsidiary has secured $38 Million around (R700 Million) funding to recapitalize its business by settling the fund’s existing facilities with AIIM and Old Mutual Hybrids Equity.

‘This successful capital raise has provided SAHIF with a robust investment platform to fast-track ongoing high-speed fibre internet access projects, particularly through its investments in MFN as an independent institutional shareholder not funded by its co- shareholder anymore ,’ said Mampeule
. ‘We want this initiative to pave the way for equitable access to high-speed internet, drive economic growth, and nurture innovation within previously underserved communities.’

In June 2021, SAHIF, together with Old Mutual’s African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM) and STOA, a foreign investment vehicle that is based in France, acquired the 25.8% interest in MetroFibre Networx held by Sanlam Private Equity, African Rainbow Capital and a minority shareholder, the transaction made the three(3) entities to be the 80% majority shareholders of MFN. MetroFibre was launched in 2010 and operated as a provider of fibre-to-the-business. It owns and manages its core network, a globally compliant Carrier Ethernet 2.0 open-access network and has expanded its service offering to residential and corporate customers.

SAHIF’s capital raise comes on the back of the announcement in 2022 by MetroFibre that it had successfully finalised a R5 billion debt finance package from Standard Bank to support its continued fibr
eoptic data network rollout across SA. This funding would help it to increase its reach by 500,000 households by 2025.

Mampeule emphasised the significance of this capital infusion, stating, ‘We started knocking on doors in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this year, and we are currently in talks with several local and international pension funds, DFIs, and LPs. These engagements have been very fruitful, and we believe the capital secured will create a valuable investment platform from which SAHIF will scale its current investments.’

He said that in addition to its focus on digital infrastructure, SAHIF’s capital injection would expedite the delivery of affordable housing and facilitate strategic investments within the financial services sector. These initiatives would encompass innovative home loan products and the leveraging of cutting-edge technologies aligned with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and Shelter Tech, both within South Africa and across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Furthermore, SAHIF has adopted a
n eco-friendly business approach, prioritising environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investments. Recognising the critical role of renewable energy in diversifying its asset portfolio and driving sustainable growth, the organisation has assembled a team of seasoned renewable energy investment professionals.

This dedicated team will spearhead SAHIF’s expansion into the renewable energy value chain, ensuring a comprehensive ESG investment strategy within the utilities businesses in the African continent.

About SAHIF

SAHIF is accelerating the delivery of serviced land to South Africans. SAHIF acquires vacant and unused land near the centres of towns and cities for conversion into zoned and serviced stands to enhance the speedy delivery of serviced stands to middle and low-income earning households to build their own homes close to places of work, education, healthcare, public transport and other amenities while investing in digital connectivity around the country. Since 2019 SAHIF has delivered 68 000 l
and housing opportunities to South African families and, in the process, created thousands of job and entrepreneurial opportunities. A new era of expansion of this model by SAHIF, which involves making serviced land available, has proven to be highly successful in South Africa. Now, this model has been launched to the rest of the African continent through the newly established subsidiary fund called African Housing and Infrastructure Fund (AHIF).

Source: Cameroon News Agency

 Scientists at the Food Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (FRI-CSIR) and collaborators have outdoored a fish smoking oven technology with high combustion that pollutes less.

The improvement will provide some comfort for fish processors by reducing the high levels of smoke exposure often exceeding World Health Organisation safety guidelines, resulting in burning, dizziness and irritation of the eye during operation.

Already, studies have linked high levels of smoke exposure by fish smokers to poor eyesight, cataracts, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, wheezing, cough with phlegm and other symptoms indicative of severe respiratory conditions.

 Dr Amy Atter, a Senior Research Scientist at FRI-CSIR, told the Ghana News Agency at a dissemination workshop that the modified oven technology addressed the flaws of ‘Ahoto’, ‘Chorkor’ and other types of ovens.

The new technology promotes rapid cooking and efficiency. The redesigned and improved technology, which was do
ne under the EU-funded Healthy FoodAfrica (HFA) project , offers fishmongers the option of three sources of energy charcoal, firewood and liquified petroleum gas.

She noted that the modification was necessitated by a finding from baseline research conducted at fishing communities, including Keta, Aflao, Dzemeni, Tema New Town and Apam, which indicated that time efficiency and capacity of production were two major concerns.

Dr Atter, who is also a Co-Project lead, said women spent a minimum of six hours every day engulfed by the smoke emanating from their basic wood-fired mud ovens.

‘The dimension of the combustion chamber and the combustion tube have been increased to accommodate more fuelwood and increase transmission of heat for rapid cooking,’ She said.

Mr Emmanuel Kwarteng, a Post Graduate Student under the HFA Project, said recent innovations in fish smoking technologies were mainly inspired by quality and safety requirements for fish.

 Those technologies, he noted, attempted to reduce all forms of
microbiological and chemical contamination of fish. 

 ‘To ensure that smoked fish products are free of microbiological contamination, ovens are constructed using materials that can withstand repeated washing, such as stainless steel, galvanized plates, and, in certain circumstances, tiles,’ he said. 

 ‘In the design, spaces with the potential to harbour microorganisms are also avoided. Adoption and use of these technologies are very crucial to the safety of fish production in the country.’

 Mr Kwarteng said the redesigned technologies incorporated a blend of user expectations and safety concerns in fish processing.

Dr. Seth Agyakwah, the Project lead, said the improved oven technologies activity of the project would contribute to a range of sustainability issues, including social, economic as well as environmental sustainability.

‘We are reducing pollution to the environment, reducing the suffering of women engaged in fish smoking and saving the forest,’ he said.

It will also contribute towards a number
of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the EU-Africa Partnership on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture and the EU FOOD 2030 strategy and national and local development goals.

Source: Ghana News Agency

An armed group fighting for the independence of the Anglophone regions, known as the Ribbons of Ambazonia, a separatist faction based in Meme and Ndian Divisions of the South West Region, has said they have banned Monday(s) farming activities across the two divisions.

The group said that self-style general Millepede and Johnny Mad Dog recently placed the ban as a sign of respect for Monday’s ghost town, which was instituted on January 9, 2017, by the outlawed Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium.

Locals have been quick to criticize the ban, insinuating, that most separatist fighters are armed bandits.

Others were quick to point out that, separatist have placed the ban, to enable them to carry out their criminal activities.

To them, separatists intend to steal cocoa from locals, as prizes for the cash crop keeps skyrocketing. They also questioned why the ban is only coming when cocoa prices have gone up.

Some farmers in Nake Bongwana were sent back home last Monday when they tried going to their f
arms.

A kilogram of Cocoa now sells for a minimum of 4,000 FCFA in the South West Region.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, on Saturday led the people of Kumasi to undertake massive clean-up exercise in the metropolis.

Similar exercises were conducted in all the traditional areas of the Ashanti region.

The exercise is to help clean up all communities to usher in the 25th anniversary celebration of the ascension of Otumfuo Osei Tutu as the 16th occupant of the golden stool.

Mr Simon Osei Mensah, Ashanti regional Minister, Mr Sam Pyne, Mayor of Kumasi, Members of Parliament, traditional rulers, municipal chief executives, and other government officials joined the Asantehene to inspect the exercise.

Among the communities visited were Tafo, Bantama, Adum, Alabar and others.

There was massive participation by the people in the exercise, which was supported by the Zoomlion, which provided logistics for the exercise.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu, who was elated by the active participation of the people, commended the residents for showing up.

Business activities and commercial transportation services wer
e suspended till 12 noon to allow for traders, drivers, businessmen and women and all residents, to participate in the exercise.

Source: Ghana News Agency