Category: General

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

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has officially launched its Gender Policy.

The document, unveiled under the theme: ‘Advancing Ghana Armed Forces Commitment to inclusiveness’, outlined the guidelines to enhance effective gender mainstreaming within the GAF.

Brigadier-General Anita Asmah, the Director General of the Department of Civilian Establishment, who gave an overview of the Policy at the launch, explained how the document provided a framework to effectively deal with gender discrimination and institutionalised gender equality.

‘The policy provides the opportunity to set guidelines for operations and environment within a gender-sensitive framework that allows for the elimination of any blockages to gender equality. Its goal is to eliminate gender discriminatory practices and ensure a gender-responsive GAF,’ she said.

Brig. Gen Asmah also explained how the five-chapter document would help guide the institution and formalisation of gender mainstreaming in all GAF activities, including training programmes,
planning, budgeting, policy and administration.

She said the policy would ensure equal representation and voice to males and females in decision-making at all levels as well as reduce the gender gap in recruitment, promotion and retention.

That, she said, was in accordance with the country’s adoption of several national and international legal instruments such as the Domestic Violence Act of 2007 (Act 732), the National Gender Policy of 2015 and the two National Action Plans (NAPs) on United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 for the implementation of the Women Peace and Security Agenda.

In his address, Lieutenant General Thomas Oppong-Pepprah, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), mentioned how the input and commitment made by personnel such as the late Major-General Constance Ejeane-Afenu helped to kick start the process.

‘I must mention the late Maj Gen Constance Edjeani-Afenu for her initiative, commitment and resilience in tirelessly contributing her bit towards gender mainstreaming in the
Ghana Armed Forces. It is her initiative along with the support and commitment of her other senior female colleagues and other individuals that have culminated into the realisation of this policy…,’ he said.

The Ghana Armed Forces Gender Policy was promulgated by the Ministry of Defence on 29th December 2023. This was after two years of work by the Gender Policy Committee and other stakeholders and individuals.

The Ghana Armed Forces have made huge strides in empowering both women and men to ensure a well-balanced armed force. As of September 2023, the Ghana Armed Forces could boast of 35.3% females as military observers, 17.1%. Staff Officers and 15.7% of Formed Troops are females.

According to Group Captain Theodora Agornyo, the Gender Policy Advisor to the CDS, the policy would address issues pertaining to the role, contribution and inclusion of males.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The government and private sector players have been urged to enhance support systems for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana’s green ecosystem to engender scaling up of their operations.

That, stakeholders said would be critical in enhancing the capacities of SMEs in creating more sustainable and high-income jobs to help solve the growing unemployment situation in the country, and address climate change issues.

The observation was made at a ceremony to mark the end of a four-year pound 20 million European Union (EU) and the Kingdom of Netherlands grant project – the GrEEn incubation project, in Accra.

The project was implemented by SNV [a poverty reduction oriented non-for-profit organisation], and under the auspices of the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development.

It focused on SMEs in the agric, renewable energy, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sectors, and enhanced employability capacities of Ghanaian youth to contribute to a climate-resilient local econ
omy.

Activities included a six-month business development training, access to improved funding and industry experts, and peer-to-peer networking – all in support of accelerating government initiatives in the green and circular economy.

Hands-on-training during the project included solar panel installation and repairs, general agriculture, including rice processing and animal husbandry, soap and bead making, and biodigester construction.

At the end of the four-year project implementation, about 1,000 direct jobs were created by the SMEs, 4,031 people created or developed self-employment opportunities, while 6,214 people were trained in green entrepreneurship.

Speaking to the media, Mr Irchad Razaaly, European Union (EU) Ambassador to Ghana, said it was important for Ghanaian authorities to incorporate the learnings from the project in other sectors nationwide.

He explained that green businesses were enablers of sustainable job creation as proven by the outcomes of the four-year project, thus when scaled u
p, would reduce unemployment and support the country’s climate change efforts.

‘Now, SMEs are turning plastic waste into assets and sending it to the international market for recycling and turning electronic waste into battery components to address the lack of access to electricity in rural areas,’ he said.

‘This is a demonstration that green business is not only profitable to address climate change, but you can also create jobs through innovation,’ the EU Ambassador to Ghana said.

Ms Megan Ritchie, SNV Managing Director for Countries, said, ‘the project has been successful, and we’ll do follow-ups to ensure that the employment created is sustainable.’

‘Going forward, people have to build green and climate-oriented activities into their businesses; we have to look at business beyond making profit, but also something with environmental benefits,’ Ms Ritchie encouraged.

Describing the project as ‘effective’, Mr Roland Jesse Prah, a beneficiary, said training and financial assistance had improved productivi
ty and waste management in their operations.

‘The project pushed me to a lot of bodies that helped me in getting access to finance; with a grant of GHS175,000, we set up a factory, bought machinery, which helped process and improve our product quality,’ he said.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Roland Rice, stated that with the modern machines they procured, consumers would no longer have stones and other foreign particles in the rice produced from them.

‘We’ve been able to increase our capacity, so in a day, we’re able to do 10 tonnes of rice production compared to the about two tonnes in a day that we were doing previously.

‘Now, we can boast that we can sell our products in Ghana and on the international market, because the quality has improved and demand has also increased,’ Mr Prah said.

Source: Ghana News Agency