Category: General

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has advised the public to patronize the services of restaurants, food vendors, and drinking spots which have food hygiene permits.

According to the Authority, people who patronize or eat from restaurants and pubs operating without mandatory hygiene permits could expose themselves to unwholesome food and other health hazards.

Mrs Gloria Azerongma Salifu, a Senior Regulatory Officer at the Bono Regional Office of the FDA, gave the advice in an interview with the media in Sunyani.

She said it was important for consumers or the public to endeavour to check such permits, saying restaurants, drinking spots and other food joints operating without such permits were indications that the FDA had not approved them to operate.

‘The permit shows that personnel of the FDA have visited and inspected the work environment and approved their activities, ‘ she stated.

Mrs Salifu said food safety remained a collective and shared responsibility and everyone needed to remain watchful in ord
er not to buy unwholesome products and expose themselves to health hazards and complications.

There is also the need for the public to have time and check the expiry dates of canned foods in particular, before they buy and also patronize cooked or boiled food in a clean environment.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Upper West Regional Gender Support Network (GSN) has appealed to the government, development partners, and philanthropic individuals and organisations to help renovate a remand home in Wa to facilitate the prosecution of children in conflict with the law.

The remand home was constructed by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP) some years back to serve as a safe home for children in conflict with the law while being prosecuted, but it is currently in a deplorable state not fit for purpose.

Talking about the remand home in Wa during the first quarter meeting of the GSN, Madam Lillian Kpelle, the Upper West Regional Director of the Department of Social Welfare, said it was necessary to renovate the facility to house such children since they could not be kept in the cells with adults.

‘A child was kept there, and he climbed and cut open the ceiling and escaped, since then we have not been able to keep children there, but they cannot also be kept in the same cell with adults.

‘So,
when a child is arrested for suspicion of committing a crime, the only option is to release him or her on bail,’ she explained.

Madam Charity Batuure, the Upper West Regional Director of the Department of Gender, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview earlier that the facility needed serious renovation including electrical works, water supply, and decking before it could be used.

She said it was necessary to put in the necessary measures to prevent children from escaping when they were put in there.

The GNA had gathered that a former Minister of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Madam Otiko Afisa Djaba, visited the facility and gave the assurance that it would be renovated but it remained untouched.

A visit to the facility by the GNA also revealed that the building was in a dilapidated state and needed urgent attention.

It is therefore imperative for the government, development partners, and child-right-centred organisations to intervene by putting the facility in a child-friendly condit
ion suitable for housing children without hampering their rights.

The Upper West Regional Department of Gender (DoG) convened the GSN meeting with support from Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), an international economic development organization.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and acclaimed chef Fatmata Binta has launched a new project aimed at supporting 100 women fonio producers in Ghana.

The project is designed to provide specialised training to women involved in fonio cultivation by enhancing their skills and boosting their productivity and income.

The training would include hands-on sessions on fonio production, harvesting, packaging and accessing markets.

Fonio is an ancient, nutrient-packed grain known for its resilience and ability to thrive in less fertile soils, and has traditionally been cultivated by women in Ghana.

A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, said fonio had been undervalued despite its nutritional and environmental benefits, adding the project aimed to change the narrative by focusing on sustainable practices, empowerment, and economic development.

The statement quoted Mr Arslen Bounemra, FAO Representative in Ghana, as saying: ‘This project is a pilot that we hope can be scal
ed up and replicated in other fonio-producing countries. Fonio is a powerhouse ingredient that should be more well-known and consumed more widely.’

Chef Fatmata Binta is an influential figure in the culinary world having won the 2022 Basque Culinary World Prize.

Born and raised in Freetown, Sierra Leone, to first-generation Sierra Leonean Fulanis of Guinean descent, Chef Binta is now based in Ghana and travels the world advocating for fonio and putting African cuisine on the global dining table.

Chef Binta said: ‘through this project, we are not only preserving a piece of African culinary history but also empowering women to take control of their futures. This is a testament to what we can achieve when we work together for a common good.’

The statement said the project activities would commence in April 2024, coinciding with land preparations for the next growing season.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Artisans operating from a greenbelt between Tema Technical Institute and the Motorway Interchange have called on the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) to relocate them to an alternative position before turning the place into a transit vehicle park.

Mr Evans Doe Tottimeh, spokesperson for the artisans, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that they had been transacting economic activities on the land for years and had contributed to the development of the area and the local economies of Tema.

Mr Tottimeh said that the continuous threat from TMA to eject them from the place was worrying, saying that they had not vacated the place because they had nowhere to go.

He said that a task force from TMA visited the area last week and warned that failure to vacate the place in a week would leave the Assembly with no option but to forcefully eject them.

He, however, said that they had tried their best to get a place to move their things to but to no avail, adding that the situation was unfair.

He said they were paying t
heir tolls and taxes as required of them as citizens and also offered employment and training for the youth. 

He said evicting the artisans from the place would not only affect their activities and livelihood but also the students of Tema Technical Institute, who undertake their practicals with them. 

Meanwhile, Mr. Yohane Armah Ashitey, the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), has visited the place and appealed to the artisans to move out of it, explaining that a resolution was passed by the assembly to use the place as a park for transit vehicles.

Mr. Ashitey explained that due to the status of Tema as a port and industrial city, most of the haulage tracks transacting business in the West Africa Sub-region use the shoulders of the roads in Tema as their parking place after being discharged from the port. 

He added that the situation had caused the loss of lives through accidents, saying that such incidents were making Tema unpopular, leading to the Assembly passing a resolution to use the space as a park
ing terminal for transit vehicles.

The MCE debunked the assertion that the property was given to a private investor, adding that the Assembly would prosecute truck drivers who fail to park at the terminal after its construction.

Mr. Abraham Lartey, a social activist based in Tema, reacting to the intentions of the TMA to turn the greenbelt into a terminal, told the GNA in an interview, that the move was contrary to the reason for reserving the land, which serves as a buffer for the residents in case of any natural disaster. 

He added that the place also served as a carbon footprint between the industries and the community; therefore, turning the place into a transit terminal would not help, as it would mean the trees would be cut down to make it easy for loaded haulage trucks to move in and out of the place.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Madam Joana Fafa Ayer, Volta Regional Director of the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), has advised road users to maintain discipline and avoid complacency on the road to avoid accidents before, during and after the Easter festivities.

She said road safety was a shared responsibility thus the need for the public to support the Authority to curb indiscipline on the road, which was a major contributor to accidents across the country.

Madam Ayer, speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, advised motorists and pedestrians to exercise caution on the road to protect themselves and other users.

The Director charged drivers to refrain from overtaking inadvertently as this might lead to an accident and fatalities.

She said it was wrong for a vehicle to overtake at places where the road markings prohibit it, such as curves, hilly and mountainous terrain, and bridges, and when approaching possible hazards like intersections and animal crossings.

‘Drivers should also avoid overtaking during inclemen
t weather because the reduced visibility might make it difficult for them to spot oncoming cars, which could lead to collisions,’ she said.

Madam Ayer said drivers who disregarded the warnings and were found to be improperly overtaking would face a fine not more than GH 120, a maximum sentence of 40 months in jail, or both.

In a related development, the Leadership of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) in the Anloga District of the Volta region has cautioned drivers to be more attentive on the roads during the Easter festivities.

Mr Samuel Dumega Ekpe, the GPRTU Chairman at Anloga, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, urged all drivers to avoid unnecessary over-speeding, overtaking and all forms of reckless driving to avoid any unforeseen disasters.

‘Drivers need to be more careful during the season because every life is precious, we cannot afford to lose anybody during this Easter season. Let us be more vigilant to avoid unnecessary loss of lives,’ he said.

Mr Ekpe advised drivers to a
lways do proper checks on their various vehicles before and after their daily activities and comply with all road regulations.

He stated that other road users, which include pedestrians, motor riders, and truck pushers among others should observe road regulations.

‘Drivers and passengers have to be patient with each other regardless of how long the journey may be because we need everybody alive.’

Some drivers and passengers, the GNA engaged at Anloga, expressed the hope that the season would be an accident-free one.

Various communities within Anloga and Keta have outlined several activities for this year’s Easter season.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Flagbearer on Good Friday presented assorted food items, and donated GHc50,000 to the Echoing Hills Children’s Home, Madina, as his widow’s mite to the inmates.

The items included bags of rice, tin tomatoes, cooking oil, packs of bottled water and soft drinkThe Vice President said Easter was about sacrificing and caring for one another as Jesus Christ sacrificed his life for humanity.

Therefore, it was imperative for society to reflect and think about the needs of orphans, the needy and people with special needs during Easter to ameliorate their plight, Dr Bawumia stated.

The Vice President commended the sacrifices and dedication of the management of Echoing Hills Children’s Home in Madina in the Greater Accra Region for their good work over the years.

He pledged the government’s resolve to pay the orphanage’s annual rent for the next 10 years since the facility is currently in a rented place.

Madam Felicia Opoku Mensah, the Board Chairpe
rson of Echoing Hills Children’s Home, highlighted the various challenges facing the Centre and appealed for more support from the government and other philanthropic organisations.

The facility currently has 35 inmates, comprising street, missing and abused children.

Source: Ghana News Agency