Category: General

The Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Business School has launched the GIMPA Business School Alumni Network (GiBSAN) to mobilise students and graduates for professional growth, leadership and excellence.

Launched in the GIMPA GB Auditorium, GiBSAN has the slogan: ‘Connecting for Impact’.

The occasion also served as a homecoming to reunite the alumni and celebrate their fortunes and outstanding achievements.

Professor Ebenezer Adaku, Acting Dean, GIMPA Business School, said the School aimed at nurturing transformational leaders for the nation and the globe, adding that, forming partnership with the alumni was a strategic way to achieve that goal.

GiBSAN, he said, would foster lifelong learning by offering bespoke training programmes, conferences, faculty consultations, dissemination of annual research outputs, and many more.

He said doing so would enable the alumni to stay up to date on current trends in business and management to thrive in today’s disruptive environment.

He
said by leveraging the rare competences and exposure of the School’s alumni, ‘specific arrangements such as professional transition programmes, career counselling and guidance, mentoring, and GIMPA Business School Job Dashboard would be pursued to support the alumni so as to configure and supercharge their careers and businesses.’

GiBSAN would also create the avenue for networking through the School’s information hub, local and diasporan alumni communities and social media platforms, Prof Adaku noted.

He added that GiBSAN would serve as a platform for members to give back through volunteering and donations to help develop future leaders of tomorrow’s businesses and society and to perpetuate the cycle of excellence.

Professor Samuel K. Bonsu, the Rector of GIMPA, said the Institute, as part of its strategic plan, sought to rekindle old relationships and strengthen existing ones.

The establishment of GiBSAN, he said, was, therefore, in the right direction towards achieving GIMPA’s vision.

‘The alumni give
GIMPA its glory. We do not exist without you,’ he said, adding that more schools within the Institute would soon be launching their alumni networks.

Prof Bonsu urged GiBSAN members to serve as bridge across generations of students and be the spirit of GIMPA by connecting with other alumni.

He encouraged the alumni to contribute generously towards the GIMPA Endowment Fund to help alleviate the financial challenges of the Institute and its less privileged students.

Mr Albert Kwabena Dwumfuor, the President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), who is an alumnus of the GIMPA Business School, said he owed much to the Institute, adding that, ‘I am where I am today due to the excellent coaching, I received from GIMPA.

‘I refer to GIMPA as my home because I spent most of my tertiary life here, so I am emotionally attached to this higher institution of excellence,’ Mr Dwumfuor said.

He said GiBSAN had much to offer Ghanaians in terms of ideas and opportunities, adding that, ‘I am also proud to be part of t
he initiative as I see it as an opportunity to give back to my alma mater.’

Mr Dwumfuor assured that the GJA was ready to collaborate with GIMPA to ensure that the objectives for setting up GiBSAN were achieved.

As part of the launch, there was a panel discussion on the theme: ‘Building Partnerships for Business and Leadership Excellence’.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has engaged hundreds of young people on the benefits of migration at a Youth Pavilion organised in Accra.

It was in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC) and other partners on the sidelines of the 13th All-Africa Games in Accra, Ghana.

The IOM’s sessions at the Youth Pavilion underscored the importance of nurturing skills development and facilitating freer human mobility and regular migration pathways in Africa to empower young people to contribute to the socio-economic development of the continent.

It also emphasised on IOM’s supported preventive strategies such as awareness campaigns and community-based projects in fighting irregular migration and human trafficking.

Madam Cisse Mariama Mohamed, Director of IOM’s Special Liaison Office to the African Union and UNECA, stated that: ‘IOM acknowledges that the youth have the capacity to lead constructive change and actively participate in the advancement of their local communities.

‘Through
our focused programmes, IOM provides youth with the tools they need to navigate a fast-changing economic landscape by offering opportunities for skill-building, vocational training, and entrepreneurship. Our partnerships across Africa stress that borders should serve as bridges for African development, rather than barriers,’ she added.

Mrs Sena Owusua -Gibson, Deputy Director for Human Trafficking at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), said human trafficking was a crime that knew no borders, affecting millions of people around the world especially women and children because they were the vulnerable groups.

She indicated that through collaborations, education and advocacy, ‘we can create a future where every individual is free from the shackles of exploitation and oppression…together we can build a continent where justice, equality, and human rights are upheld for all.’

According to her the fight against human trafficking was not just a moral imperative, but national and global
security.

She, therefore, encouraged all security agencies to be more vigilant to help, protect and prevent scrupulous people from taking advantage of vulnerable people for exploitation, especially children and women in the ongoing 13th All African Games.

Highlighting the importance of partnerships across the continent for safe migration pathways for aspiring young athletes eager to pursue careers in sports, Dr Decius Chipande, Coordinator of African Union Sports Council, stated that there was the need to harness sports as a tool for gender empowerment and as a shield against the dangers of trafficking and irregular migration.

He added that ‘across Africa and beyond, we have witnessed countless cases of aspiring athletes being lured into the clutches of traffickers with promises of fame, fortune, and opportunity. These young men and women, often from marginalised communities, are told false dreams and false hope, only to find themselves trapped in a cycle of exploitation and abuse.’

Dr Chipande encouraged
the youth to be actors of change and make use of the power within their individual spheres of influence.

‘We stand ready to support the youth to recognise their strengths, talents, and potential, and empower them to pursue their dreams with determination and conviction,’ he assured.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Constant Tchona, the Country Director, Plan International Ghana, has called on government, advocates, donor agencies and citizens to prioritise women’s equal access to land, affordable financial services, and ascension to leadership positions.

This will help to achieve economic justice and equality for women, while setting a direct path toward gender equality, poverty eradication and inclusive economic growth.

Mr Tchona made the call at the commemoration of the 2024 International Women’s Day by Plan International Ghana and Canada on the theme: ‘Fostering Economic Justice and Equality for Women Leaders in Business and Entrepreneurship for Accelerated Economic Growth.’

The day was also used to hold a national level advocacy campaign on their project dubbed: ‘Women’s Innovation for Sustainable Enterprises (WISE).’

The Country Director said women in agribusiness usually encountered challenges in accessing productive resources, including land and finances.

‘Women need to have access to land and control ove
r the land. We need to make loan accessing more easier for women and give them space to excel to support national growth,’ he said.

To invest in women, he said it was not just about money but the ability to address obstacles like the perception about women’s worth when it comes to business, agribusiness and leadership positions.

‘We need more women in higher leadership positions. We need to address some of the gender norms that hinder the investments we all need to do.

‘Investing in women’s economic empowerment sets a direct path toward gender equality, poverty eradication, and inclusive economic growth. When a woman thrives, all of society benefits,’ he added.

Ms Rose Aawulenaa, Project Manager, WISE Project, said the five-year project implemented in the Northern, Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo Regions, reached about 12,641 women (aged 19 – 55) with 4,046 of them receiving targeted support for agricultural and green businesses

She said 156,609 people (86 per cent females) would indirectly benefit from it.

At the end of the project in March 2025, Ms Aawulenaa said there would be increased realisation of rights to economic empowerment, well-being and inclusive economic growth for targeted women.

As part of the achievements, she said 3,450 women were trained in greens (mushroom production, bee keeping and soya bean production) and agribusiness and 1,771 were given capital to start up their businesses.

Seventy safe spaces where teaching and learning was operationalised to cater for the women’s children while they went on to their businesses.

Dr Afisah Zakaria, the Chief Director, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection in a speech read on her behalf, said investing in women was not only an economic strategy but included their human, social and health rights and needs.

‘Therefore, as a country, we must consider policies that enhance equality, equity and the full integration of women into the national development process for sustainable growth,’ She added.

She applauded all women irrespective of thei
r field of work for contributing immensely towards national development.

Hajia Lamnatu Adam, Executive Director of Songtaba, a women empowerment and advocacy nongovernmental organisation (NGO), said there were huge illiteracy gaps that limited women’s participation in the digital market.

She said there was also lack of cooperation on the part of men to see the work of women as productive.

She called for the employment of a ‘Gender Model Farming’ to shape the decision of boys and girls who grew up with parents involved in agribusiness to make responsible decisions for their future.

‘It is important that women are added to the decision making space. There’s the need for women at the community level to be at the discourse of what is happening at their communities and their participation should not be relegated,’ he advised.

Plan is an international NGO that works in partnership with children, families and communities, to develop sustainable ways to end the cycle of poverty.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has unveiled its new name UN Tourism as it aims to reaffirm its status as the global leader of tourism for development, driving social and economic change.

The renaming, which was done in collaboration with Interbrand, the leading global branding agency, was meticulously crafted, one that seamlessly aligns with UN Tourism’s central mission and priorities.

This narrative pivots around three main messages: the UN as a global altruistic organization, the notion of connecting humans around the world, and the concept of proactivity and movement.

Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of UN

Tourism, said: ‘As society progresses into the future, the tourism sector, much like many other sectors, needs to transform to serve as a catalyst for prosperity at a universal scale.

‘Enhancing the well-being of individuals, safeguarding the natural environment, stimulating economic advancement, and fostering international harmony are key goals that are the fundamental essence of UN
Tourism. The organization takes on the role of driving a sustainable force that is now central to many economies.’

Borja Borrero, Executive Director at Interbrand, said: ‘Transitioning from UNWTO to UN Tourism marks a significant new phase for the organization. The revised nomenclature offers several advantages, including simplicity, enhanced comprehension, improved legibility and memorability.

‘It also serves to clarify the agency’s sphere of influence within the global tourism industry. The new elements of the brand are the foundations of a distinct and proprietary image – one that is direct, affordable, democratic, and relevant for diverse audiences regardless of provenance.’

Motives of UN Tourism

By moving away from acronyms, UN Tourism adopts a more approachable stance and capitalizes on its most appealing attributes: the ‘UN’, signifying authority, and ‘tourism’, a simple and relatable concept for all.

This change highlights the profound transformation and reinvention of UN Tourism in recent years,
as it has become more agile and accountable. In this new era of global tourism, the UN agency, tasked with advancing tourism for sustainable development, will focus on encompassing education, consultancy and networking for its 160 Member States and hundreds of private sector affiliates.

The new brand expression is not only limited to words and messages but also expands into a reinvented visual discourse. UN Tourism has a new design language starting from its symbol. ‘Bringing the world closer’ is the new tagline that inspires the concept of a Pangea shaping a human figure in action.

This drastic evolution from the former aseptic globe symbol signals the profound humanistic change within the organization.

Beyond the symbol, the rebrand also includes a revamp of the entire visual system, which is now based on a grid of geographical coordinates meant to help people navigate the brand’s touchpoints, both offline and online, such as events, website, reports, social media channels and campaigns.

This system unl
ocks a rich universe of elements including imagery, fonts, colors, and pictograms all designed to personalize social media campaigns, events, posts, and videos.

The new brand will be gradually implemented across all UN Tourism touchpoints over the next few months, beginning with digital channels such as the website, social media accounts and newsletters, followed by physical spaces such as offices and events, and elements such as reports and stationary.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Bolgatanga Technical University (BTU) in the Upper East Region has won a grant of GH?499,000.00 from the Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC) under the Science Granting Council Initiative to implement a new climate change project in the region.

The project, dubbed: ‘Enhancing Traditional Building Materials for Sustainable Climate-Smart Green Development’, is an 18-month project, which is to be supervised by the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) Ghana.

It would lead to the implementation of activities including analysing conventional construction materials thoroughly, measuring their environmental effect through life cycle assessments and carbon footprint calculations.

The project will also investigate and find sustainable alternatives to typical construction materials, taking into account issues like recyclability, energy efficiency in manufacturing, and eco-friendliness.

Under the renewable energy integration component, the intervention would exa
mine the viability and efficacy of incorporating renewable energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines into traditional building constructions.

Professor Callistus Tengan, the Dean of Build and Environment, BTU, explained that to reduce transportation-related emissions and the total carbon footprint of building projects, the project would also encourage the use of locally produced materials in traditional construction.

‘Under the Smart Technology Implementation component, the project will integrate smart technology with traditional building practices, using sensors and automation to optimise building efficiency, monitor resource utilisation, and improve energy management,’ he added.

As part of the implementation strategies, the project team would undertake community engagement initiatives to create awareness about sustainable construction practices and to engage local people in the adoption of green building approaches.

Prof Tengan said to ensure accountability and transparency, the project impl
ementation stages, results and outputs would be disseminated in accordance with the MESTI and IDRC’s Open Access Policy available at the (Grants Management System (mesti.gov.gh) / https://idrc-crdi.ca/en/open-access-policy-idrcfunded-project-outputs) for public consumption.

He indicated that Open access publication of books and journal articles on the project interventions and its impact were also welcome.

The anticipated outcomes would include a catalog of sustainable material alternatives, guidelines for renewable energy integration, toolkits for local sourcing and carbon reduction, manuals for smart technology integration, and documents detailing effective community engagement strategies.

‘This initiative aims to provide practical tools, guidelines, and frameworks applicable in traditional construction practices, fostering sustainable, climate-conscious development,’ he said.

‘These will contribute to creating climate change resilience, aligning with the broader goal of promoting sustainable practices
and minimising the environmental impact of construction activities.’

Prof Tengan said traditional building materials could have a large environmental impact and that among the overall goals of the project was to undertake a complete study of the environmental effects of conventional building materials such as concrete, bricks, and wood.

‘Understanding their life cycle emissions, resource depletion, and waste creation will offer a benchmark against which other materials may be compared.’

The intervention had a bearing on the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal Three, which advocates good health and well-being for all by 2030.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr. Francis Asenso-Boakye, the Minister for Roads and Highways says fixing the road network in Kumasi is a top priority of the government.

He said a robust Kumasi Road network was critical to national development considering the strategic location of the city which served as a linked to several other cities and a hub of business activities.

The Minister said this when he paid a courtesy call on the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr. Simon-Osei Mensah ahead of the inspection of road projects in the region on Monday.

His visit to the Ashanti Region formed part of a nationwide tour to inspect ongoing road projects after assuming office as the sector minister following a recent ministerial reshuffle by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The Ashanti Region is the second to be visited by the new Minister after inspecting key road projects in the Greater Accra Region just after assuming office.

Mr. Asenso-Boakye said Ashanti Region was the biggest beneficiary of road projects under this government, adding that,
more roads were earmarked for construction to ease the plight of the people.

‘The Suame Interchange is a major project we are executing in Kumasi, and I believe it will significantly improve traffic and transportation in the city when completed,’ he said.

According to the Minister, he had assigned his deputies to keep an eye on the project to ensure that nothing impeded the progress of work and assured the Regional Minister of his Ministry’s commitment to see the successful completion of the project.

He also spoke about efforts to improve the inner ring road of Kumasi to facilitate effective transportation system in the city and enhance productivity.

Plans are also underway to create an outer ring road so that commuters from other regions whose destinations are not Kumasi do not have to pass through the city to save them time and reduce traffic, he hinted.

Mr Osei-Mensah drew the attention of the Minister to the Tafo road which he said was a major route that needed to be fixed to address the perennial tr
affic on that stretch.

He corroborated the Minister’s assertion that Ashanti Region was a huge beneficiary of road projects since 2017 and urged him to prioritise some important roads in the region including roads in the Manso enclave.

He applauded the government for the release of funds to contractors, saying that most of them were back on the roads after months of abandoning site.

Source: Ghana News Agency