Category: General

Abibinsroma Foundation, a Non- governmental Organization, has encouraged Ghanaian women to accept green technologies for a more fulfilling life.

The group said the irregular rainfall pattern, sea erosion and the excessive heat, amongst others, proved that humanity could no longer rely on fossil oils for power generation and other critical uses.

Addressing women on the International Women’s Day, Mr Robert Amiteye, Convenor, Abibinsroma Foundation, said women were the natural educators and nurturers of humanity and that they had a crucial role to play in reversing or adapting to climate change.

We at Abibinsroma Foundation are committed to developing the capacity of CSOs in Ghana to advocate for social-inclusive just transition from fossil to green and renewable energy initiatives using progressive rights-based tools, including campaigns, how-to-guides and fact sheets.

He urged women to resist false solutions, demand systems change and a progressive rights-based approach to energy transition.

Ms Indeye Sec
k, Girl Child Coordinator, Abibisroma Foundation, urged women to encourage girls to aspire to greatness and leadership roles in society.

She said when women become part of the decision-making process, they would be able to address their challenges by putting them at the heart of societal needs.

She said women’s needs were societal needs which must be addressed to make humanity strive.

Madam Celestina Obeng, Gender /Health Focal Person, urged women to regularly examine their breasts and other parts of their body and if they observed any changes, they should seek immediate medical help to avoid complications.

She said medicine had advanced lately but an ignored medical problem could be very difficult to be solved.

She asked women to drink water even when they were not thirsty to help nourish critical organs like the liver and kidneys.

Madam Agnes Amankwah, President of Adikanfo Eden Na Wo Beye Nnipa Society, Tema, commended the Abibinsroma Foundation for putting women and climate issues at the core of the
ir operations.

She said women needed more collaboration with worthy partners like Abibinsroma Foundation to address their challenges as well as put forward their thoughts for the good of society.

She lamented the low representation of women in Ghana’s Parliament and other critical areas of decision making.

She urged women to seek a generational change by nurturing girls and young women to seek more knowledge, skills and power.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, Friday visited the home of John Ampontuah Kumah, the late Member of Parliament for Ejisu, to commiserate with the immediate family and sign the book of condolences.

Dr Bawumia was accompanied by the Chief of Staff, Frema Osei Opare, Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Stephen Ayensu Ntim, and some government and party officials.

The Vice President said he had the opportunity to work with the late legislator on several projects and was inspired by his enthusiasm and dedication.

‘Indeed, Ghana and the NPP have lost a hardworking son,’ he said.

‘My deepest condolences to Lilian and the children, his mother, the entire family, and all loved ones. John, Damirifa Due!’

Dr John Kumah, who has been the Member of Parliament for Ejisu in the Ashanti Region, is a lawyer and an entrepreneur with over 15 years experience in leadership, creativity, innovation and resourcefulness in creating jobs, and supporting youth development.

He was the f
irst CEO of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) where he successfully positioned the NEIP as the enabler of the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Ghana.

Prior to working for government, Dr Kumah was the founding member and Managing Partner of Aduaprokye Chambers, a law firm.

He also worked as the founder of Majak Associates Ltd, a building and construction company.

In November 2020, John Ampontuah Kumah received a Doctorate in Business Innovation from the Swiss Business School in Switzerland.

Before then, he had acquired a Masters in Applied Business Research, at the same Business School in 2019.

He had a rich educational background, which includes a Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Business Research in 2019 at Nobel International Business School (NIBS).

In 2009, he had an Executive Masters degree in Business Administration (Finance), from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).

At the University of Ghana, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economi
cs with Philosophy, a Bachelor of Art Degree (Law) LLB in 2011 and a Professional Law Certificate from the Ghana School of Law in 2013. He was admitted to the Ghana Bar in 2013.

Dr John Kumah’s death was reported on Thursday, March 7, 2024. He was 45 years and left behind a wife and six children.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Our Lady of Mercy Community Services (OLAM), a Non-Governmental Organisation, says the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill into law will empower women towards inclusive and accelerated socioeconomic development.

Mr Emmanuel Atiiga, the Executive Director, OLAM, therefore, called on the government and leadership of Parliament to as matter of urgency expedite actions for the passage of the Bill, which has been in Parliament since 2011, into law.

He made the appeal when he spoke to journalists as part of the activities to mark this year’s International Women’s Day celebration in Navrongo, on the theme’, ‘Investing in women: Accelerate Progress’.

The Executive Director said that among the major tools that could be used to invest and empower women was the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill into Law and providing employable skills to women and young girls.

He was confident that the Bill when passed into law would help encourage efforts towards addressing socio-cultural, political, economic, and education
al gender imbalances in private and public sectors.

‘It is significant to note that among some of the measures that could be adopted and implemented to invest in women and ensure accelerated development, include the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill into law and empowering women, particularly young girls, with employable skills,’ he stressed.

He argued that research had shown that countries which had invested in women were developing at a faster pace and mentioned Rwanda, Iceland, Finland and Norway as some of the examples.

He said it was so sad that many civil society organisations, including OLAM and female aspirants for the local government elections over the years, had been pushing for the Affirmative Action Bill to be passed into law, yet nothing good seems to come out of their efforts, stressing ‘the gender gap has widened socioeconomic and political development.’

The Executive Director stated that providing employable skills to women, particularly the young ones was one of the surest means to
investing in women to accelerate progress.

He said over the years, OLAM and its development partners had implemented some major interventions, aimed at empowering women economically and socially.

He said OLAM’s funding support from the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), Senegal and the German Embassy in Ghana, had over the years empowered about 1000 young

girls in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality and Kassena-Nankana West District with employable skills.

These girls have established their own shops and were employing other young girls in the areas of smock weaving, beads making, batik, tie and dye making, dressmaking, hairdressing and Computing.

Some of these beneficiaries, who are widows, orphans and school drop-outs are now independent, taking good care of themselves and their families.

In addition to the skills training and entrepreneurship training, the beneficiaries received start-ups kits such as sewing machines, weaving equipment and cash of monies to facilitate the setting up of the
ir enterprises as well as certificates, he added.

He appealed to government to prioritise Technical and Vocational Education and encourage more females to join the training since it is very critical to addressing the unemployment challenges confronting the country.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has presented a cheque for GHS 43,000.00 to two sick members in the Builsa North Municipality and the Kassena-Nankana West District to support their medical bills.

The beneficiary members, one in the Sandema Hospital and the other in the Chiana Sub-district, each received GHS8,000.00 and GHS35,000.00 respectively.

Mr Desmond Yaani, the Upper East Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the GRNMA in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga, said the cheques were presented at brief separate meetings to assist the members settle their medical bills.

He explained that the support was offered to members from the Association’s Health Fund, and that the Fund was available to all members whose illnesses were not covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

At the Sandema Hospital, the cheque was presented to the member by Hajia Maria Fuseini, a Deputy Chief Nursing Officer (DCNO) of the hospital, on behalf of the Associati
on’s President, Mrs Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo in the presence of some Municipal GRNMA executives.

The PRO indicated that the member, after receiving the cheque, ‘Expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the generous donation. He said it will greatly contribute to his treatment recovery, for him to return to work.’

He said the member thanked Mrs Ofori-Ampofo and leadership of the Association for the ‘kindness and generosity’ and urged other nurses and midwives to join the GRNMA to make it more formidable to negotiate for better conditions of service for members.

The Municipal leadership of the GRNMA and the DCNO used the opportunity to visit the wards of the hospital to interact with nurses and midwives about the Association and the benefits, including free Personal Identification Number and Axillary Identification Number renewal, loans at 10 per cent among others they would gain, he said.

In the case of the Kassena-Nankana West District beneficiary, the PRO said the cheque was presented to the member by the Dis
trict Chairman of the GRNMA, Mr Simon Akenbono Ayidiya in the company of some District Executives.

Mr Yaani called on break-away nurses and midwives from the Association to return to the GRNMA.

Mr Lawal Alhassan, the Kassena-Nankana West District Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), expressed gratitude to leadership of the Association for the support to staff of the GHS who were members of the GRNMA.

He reaffirmed his trust in the Association’s generous acts, aimed at easing the financial burdens associated with healthcare expenses, and encouraged leadership to continue to support members in difficult times.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Some residents in the Makepe Missoke neighborhood in the Douala 5 subdivision have sent a distress call to municipal authorities alerting them of a mess from the septic tank of an individual that puts their health at risk.

Excrement from poorly connected septic tank pipes flows into their homes. A family said they have been living in the mess for over a year now.

‘The stinking waste from the septic tank drains into my house unceasingly. All the rooms including that of the children stink. The situation has been like this for over a year. We are forced to sleep in the parlor. We are still here because there is no money to go and rent a house elsewhere.’ Akana Cynthia, a housewife said.

They have spent enormously on hospital bills given their children fall sick often.

‘Every month I spend about 50,000frs for my health including that of my wife and children. ‘ David Tiomagnou, the family head revealed.

Efforts to implore the owner to address the problem went in vain.

‘He paid deaf ears and showed no zeal to
repair the septic tank.’ Added David.

The victims of this environmental pollution who have also tabled the problem to the quarterhead with fruitless results now look up to the Douala 5 authorities for intervention and immediate action taken against the owner of the septic tank who is adamant about not repairing it despite a series of complaints.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Professor Godfred Bokpin, an Economist, has rejected the Ministry of Finance’s analysis on the financial implications of the passage of the anti-LGBTQI+ Bill by Parliament.

He said the Ministry’s advice to the President on the financial implications of the recently passed anti-LGBTQI+ Bill by Parliament lacked global evidence and only sought to ‘put fear in the President’.

The Finance Ministry, in a statement to the President following the passage of the anti-LGBTQI+ Bill by Parliament, warned that the country stood to lose some $3.8billion in World Bank support should he (President Akufo-Addo) assent to the bill.

Speaking on Accra-based television station, TV3’s Saturday’s programme, ‘The Key Points’ monitored by the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Prof Bokpin rejected the Ministry’s assertion, describing it as ‘narrow’.

He noted that, just like with the enactment of every law, the passage of the anti-LGBTQI+ Bill would have monetary implications on the country.

However, he explained that the Ministry’s explan
ation that the country would lose $3.8billion budgetary support from the World Bank was not supported by any global evidence.

‘If you examine the statement from the Ministry of Finance, you could see that it wasn’t professional, and it was too narrow-minded,’ he said, adding that ‘I believe that if they had done their research and analysis very well, they would have advised the President based on available evidence at the global and then continental level in terms of the dynamics, rather than perhaps, taking this narrow view.’

Prof Bokpin also indicated that the statement exposed the Ministry of not doing extensive research and analysis on the matter before issuing the advice to the President, saying such act was ‘not professional’.

Globally, he noted that there were no evidence to show that the more than 60 countries, which were members of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or the World Bank, and had criminalised homosexuality had lost support from the institutions.

‘I mean, the issue of homosexuality
has been there long ago and even where they have lifted the ramifications, the evidence on the ground does not support the position of the Ministry of Finance, and that is why one would be wondering why the Ministry of Finance would seek to put that fear in the President and Ghanaians,’ he said.

Prof Bokpin added that: ‘There are over 60 countries of the IMF and the World Bank that have criminalised homosexuality. For decades, the evidence on the ground is that the IMF and the World Bank have not stopped doing business with them.’

Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongu, on the same programme, questioned the rationale behind the Finance Ministry’s linkage of the Bill to financial gains at the detriment of ‘Ghanaian values’.

He also indicated that some comments by the international community particularly diplomats, on the recently passed Bill amounted to interference in the affairs of their host country, and breach of international diplomatic laws.

He, therefore, asked them to resp
ect the laws and values of Ghana and refrain from such commentaries to ensure peaceful coexistence between them and their host country.

Parliament on February 28, 2024, passed the Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill (anti-LGBTQ bill) after the third reading.

The Bill, among other things, sought to prohibit lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) and related activities in the country.

It also places a jail term of up to five years on convicts.

Source: Ghana News Agency