Category: General

Mr. Job Udo, a consultant at HKV, a firm focused on creating a safe and sustainable environment, is advising farmers, especially those along major river bodies, to take advantage of moist and rich soils often left behind after floods to grow more crops, especially vegetables.

That, he said, would contribute to increasing the household income of farmers, ensuring food security, and improving their livelihoods amidst the shift in rainfall patterns and flooding-some manifestations of the climate crisis.

In some instances, the flood recession Agriculture sometimes uses the water from the rising floods to farm as well.

Mr Udo gave the advice at the end of a training for officials of the Ghana Meteorology Agency (GMet) and Ghana Hydrological Authority (GHA) on how to analyse satellite data to determine rainfall and flood onset, as well as planting days to inform farmers.

The five-day event, which was funded by Nuffic, also brought together other stakeholders to discuss the findings of the satellite-based inform
ation to support farmers in floodplains.

Based on the outcome of the GMet and GHA assessments using data from 2015 to 2023, agriculture extension officers would be able to advise farmers on the type of crop and seed varieties to cultivate.

He said that on a yearly basis, farmers along the Volta River lose their crops to floods, stressing that, ‘despite the challenge, not much has been done to take advantage of the opportunities, hence, our resolve to find solutions to it.’

Mr Udo said, per the analysis, ‘the growing period along White Volta floodplains differs a lot from north to south and inside floodplain areas.’

Mr Samuel Owusu Ansah, a principal meteorologist at the GMet, said flooding must not only be seen as a challenge but an opportunity to extend cropping season.

In the absence of irrigation facilities, he said flood recession agriculture could be used to enhance resilience and optimise resources.

Mr Busia Nambu Dawuni, Managing Director of Integrated Water and Agricultural Development, said the
organisation had been practicing flood-recession agriculture and had enabled them to produce seeds and vegetables along the Sisiili River at Yagaba in the North East region.

‘IWAD’s Farm grows seed crops such as maize, rice, soybeans, cowpeas, and groundnuts and tests sugarcane varieties. Since 2017, IWAD has been a consistent large local supplier of seeds to the government’s flagship programme, ‘Planting for Food and Jobs’ (PFJ).’

He urged the government to support farmers with equipment to utilise water to irrigate their crops.

Madam Charlotte Norman, the Director of Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction at the National Disaster Management Organisation, said the government was working with stakeholders to secure an insurance scheme for smallholder farmers in the northern part of the country.

Under the package, compensation would be paid to farmers whose crops would be affected by long-dry spells and floods-some of the adverse effects of climate change.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The International Association of World Peace Advocate ( IAWPA-Ghana) has launched an awards scheme to recognise the contribution of women who are promoting peace.

The award honours the outstanding efforts and achievements of women, who have dedicated their lives to advancing peace and creating positive change in their communities and beyond.

It aims to celebrate the remarkable achievements of women who have worked tirelessly to build bridges, foster dialogue, and promote understanding among diverse cultures and communities.

The maiden edition of the awards scheme would be held on 12th May, 2024, a day set aside to celebrate mothers across the world.

A statement released by IAWPA-Ghana indicated that the category of women who would receive the awards were individuals who had demonstrated exceptional leadership, courage, and commitment to resolving conflicts,

advocating social justice, empowering marginalised communities, and promoting non-violent solutions to complex problems.

Others are activists, peace
makers, humanitarians, and advocates for women’s rights, who have shown remarkable resilience and determination in the face of adversity.

The IAWPA-Ghana said recognising the women would help raise awareness about the important role that women played in conflict resolution and peacebuilding.

It would also highlight the invaluable contributions of women to creating a more just, peaceful, and equitable world for all, the statement indicated.

Additionally, it would inspire others to become agents of positive change in their own societies.

‘It would serve as a powerful symbol of recognition and appreciation for the remarkable achievements of women who have dedicated their lives to promoting peace and justice.

‘By honouring these women, the award inspires others to work towards a more peaceful and just world for present and future generations,’ the statement added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Network of Professional Women in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WiWASH) has marked International Women’s Day with a call for greater participation of women in the WASH sector.

The event which took place at the head office of the Ghana Water Limited (GWL) in Accra, with an interactive symposium, was on the theme: ‘Inspiring Inclusion Everywhere, Our Collective Responsibility’.

The symposium, attended by Board Members, male and female members of GWL top management and members of WiWASH, was, among others, to commemorate International Women’s Day and to recognise the remarkable contributions of women in the WASH sector.

Participants were taught how they can strive and grow at the workplace and in society at large.

Across the globe, women have been at the forefront of addressing the pressing challenges surrounding access to clean water, proper sanitation facilities, and hygiene education.

Dr. Clifford Braimah, Managing Director, GWL, in an address on his behalf, said GWL had actively worked to break the
gender barriers and opened doors for talented women to rise and thrive at the workplace.

‘From a mere two women in decision-making roles some seven years ago, we now proudly boast of six women holding various chief managerial positions, with many more flourishing in middle management roles,’ the MD said.

Dr. Braimah commended women in GWL and the WASH sector for their achievements, resilience, and commitment to excellence in the face of challenges.

He urged the women in the sector to recognise that their voices, perspectives, and contributions were invaluable, as they shaped the future of the organization and the communities the company served.

Mrs. Vida Duti, County Director, IRC-WASH, in her keynote address, encouraged women not to be influenced by popular sayings like ‘behind every successful man is a woman’ and ‘what a man can do women can do better.’

Such comments, she said, conditioned women’s minds and constrained them from unleashing their potential.

Mrs. Duti, also a Board Member of GWL, said s
ome of those statements led to unnecessary tension and competition between men and women and thus advised against it.

Mrs. Faustina Boachie, President, WiWASH, who shared her story of rising from a humble beginning to a top management position, urged the women in the sector not to look on helplessly when they faced barriers and obstacles in their forward march but find innovative ways to go around them to realize their objectives.

The event also had engaging panel discussions on how women could strive and grow at the workplace and in society at large.

Other dignitaries, including Professor Benedicta Fosu-Mensah and Dr Rita Boateng of the University of Ghana, Mr James Abbey, the General Manager for Finance and Administration, GWL, and other Chief Managers of the Company took turns to address the women at the function.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Madam Mercy Borkaifio Bortey, a 71-year-old practicing Principal Midwifery Officer at the Bengali Hospital in Tema, has advised midwives to see midwifery as a calling.

Madam Bortey, who also doubles as a scrub or theatre nurse, said that when seen as a calling, midwives would dedicate their lives to helping pregnant women to safely deliver their babies, to reduce maternal mortality.

She said although some patients in labour could sometimes be difficult to handle, it was important for midwives to build endurance, and compassion for the job and ask God for strength and guidance.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA, Madam Bortey advised expectant mothers to strictly follow the instructions of their midwives during pregnancy, labour, and post-partum, as they have been trained to help them through the stages of childbirth.

She advised pregnant women to take their antenatal classes seriously, saying, though it was good to pray, it must be done alongside orthodox treatment and care for the safety of
both the mother and baby.

She urged men to also take interest in the antenatal care of their expectant women to serve as a support base for them.

Madam Bortey said before enrolling as a midwife, she had worked as a general nurse at the Tema General Hospital for about 20 years before proceeding to the Koforidua Midwifery Training School, where she passed out as a midwife in 1992.

She said during her practicals at the Hospital as a nurse, she had the opportunity to work in all the departments, disclosing that it was on one of those shifts that she ended up at the theatre and developed a love for adding scrubbing to her work.

She stated that ‘even when I was moved to other departments, I went to the theatre daily after my schedule as a volunteer to learn the work, and until now I still work as a midwife and scrub nurse through my efforts.’

She said she had helped deliver more than 350 babies and was still dedicated to delivering more until her last breath on earth, adding that she returned to the TGH after
the midwifery training and worked there until her retirement in 2013.

‘I am an all-round woman; I like the work, and I enjoy seeing people deliver safely. I will do it till my last breath,’ she emphasised, wearing a smile on her face.

Touching on some challenges midwives face, she said it was distressing to prepare a patient for a caesarean section, and the doctor might not be immediately ready to attend to the situation.

She added that the issue of expectant women refusing to consent to a caesarean section was because their pastors had prophesied that they would have a spontaneous vaginal delivery.

Madam Bortey stressed that pastors should use their pulpit to educate the women and encourage them to go for surgery, especially when there are complications, and their anatomy cannot support self-delivery.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Professor Godfred Alufar Bokpin, an Economist, says Ghana could offer financial assistance to the world in the next five years.

This was possible if governments commit to tackling corruption ruthlessly.

Ghana is presently implementing a US$3 billion loan-support programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is likely to attract an additional US$3.8 billion in financing assistance from the World Bank.

Meanwhile, a Joint Technical Committee established by the Ministry of Finance in support of the country’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) has determined that Ghana may save some GHS83 billion through fiscal reforms.

It further said that privatizing some state-owned enterprises might save GHS20 billion while still generating GHS13.9 billion in revenue, which is lost through financial irregularities by Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

‘If we can deal with corruption alone, in five years, this country [Ghana] will have enough money to give aid to the rest of the wo
rld, and we’ll preserve our environment,’ Prof Bokpin said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency.

This follows the Finance Ministry’s announcement that the country risks losing US$3.8 billion in World Bank financing if the President signs the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill.

The Ministry warned that such developments could have a negative impact on the country’s foreign exchange reserves, exchange rate stability, and external support for the 2024 budget.

However, Prof Bokpin, a finance lecturer at the University of Ghana, said the Finance Ministry’s statement was meant to create fear and panic.

He noted that the country faced similar threats of financial losses and loss of reputation prior to independence, but the leaders chose self-governance rather than focused on the negative consequences.

Prof Bokpin said it was important for the country to look internally for more revenue, plug loopholes in the public financial system, saying, ‘Nobody will come and develop this countr
y for us; if so, they would have done it long ago.’

‘Whether we sign the anti-LGBTQ law or not, aid is not sustainable for any country in Africa. How much Ghana loses through corruption and illicit financial flows is far more than this aid that we’re talking about from the West,’ he said.

He added that the World Bank and the IMF would not use anti-LBGTQI legislation as a ‘weapon of first resort’ against Ghana because the two development finance institutions continued to fund countries such as Egypt, Uganda, Tunisia, The Gambia, Zambia, and Chad, who have harsher LBGTQI punishments.

Last week, the IMF reached a staff-level agreement with Egyptian authorities under an Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and considered the country’s request for an increase in IMF support from US$3bn to $8 billion.

The Executive Board of the Fund also concluded the fifth review of Uganda’s Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement last week, leading to the immediate disbursement of US$120 million to Uganda.

Source: Ghana News Age
ncy

Professor Nana?Ama Browne?Klutse, Vice-Chair of?the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group I for the seventh assessment cycle, says the involvement of young people in the fundamentals of climate science education will spur them to contribute to smart solutions.

‘The Most important solutions are coming from the youth. The IPCC believes in their magical innovations, so we need to educate and encourage them to give off their best,’ she said.

Professor Klutse, who was speaking at the launch of the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Ghana Project and Greening Schools Initiative in Accra, said everyone had contributed to the changing weather patterns and must be part of the solution.

The GLOBE Programme is an international science and education programme that focuses on promoting scientific literacy and building connections between people passionate about the environment.

As part of the GLOBE Ghana project, the University of Ghana Basic School and the Mad
ina Seventh Day Adventist Church Basic School would be supported with weather stations to monitor the daily forecast and share the report with their community members to enable them to plan.

There will also be tree planting and naturing activities at the schools involved in the project, sponsored by the Historically Black Colleges and Universities?(HBCUs) Green Fund.

Professor Klutse said: ‘If you live in a house, some trees might have been fell and processed into wood for the roof. That means we have contributed to the crisis. We all need to be part of the solutions because it is a developmental, political and socio-economic problem.’

She pledged to support the initiative at the schools to deepen the understanding of young people and encourage them to study science, environment, mathematics, and engineering programmes.

Dr.?Kwabena?B.?Tandoh, the Deputy Director-General for Quality and Access of the Ghana Education Service, said the GLOBE activities would afford the students the opportunity to collect rea
l time data on wind speed, humidity, and temperature, as well as conduct analysis.

He stated that the initiative would enhance the educational experience and foster their understanding of meteorology and climate science.

The GLOBE activities, Dr Tandoh said, would not only benefit students but teachers and provide resources and tools for practical work at schools.

Mrs Olivia Serwaa Opare, Government Contact Point, GLOBE Ghana, Ghana Education Service, stated that it had become imperative to take steps to live with the impacts of climate crisis, and one of the important means was to plant and nurture trees to absorb greenhouse gases.

‘We have only one earth, and if care is not taken to live in a sustainable manner, humanity will perish,’ she said.

Madam Illai Kenney, the Managing Director of the HBCU Green Fund, said the support for the GLOBE activities was in line with their goals to provide young people on the continent with the skills, experience, and opportunities to realise their dreams.?

‘There is
a lot of energy from the youth on the continent, so we are sponsoring and connecting them with resources, experience, and experts in the United States of America,’ she said.?

It has three primary goals – increasing environmental awareness, contributing to increased scientific understanding of the Earth, and supporting improved student achievement in science and mathematics.?

By participating in GLOBE, students, teachers, researchers, and lifelong learners can connect with the programme’s global community.

GLOBE learners?also investigate and study Earth System Science?through their own research projects and those led by NASA.

Source: Ghana News Agency