Category: General

The Upper East Regional chapter of the Ghana National Association of Teachers – Ladies (GNAT-LAS), has called on the factions in the Bawku conflict to embrace peace for regional development.

The ladies urged the factions to lay down their weapons and redirect their focus towards women empowerment to propel development in the Bawku Municipality, its environs and the Upper East Region as a whole.

Madam Ivy Betur Naaso, the Regional Chairperson of GNAT, who made the call in Bolgatanga, said the situation in the area had impeded growth and development in all sectors of the economy in Bawku and, especially the education sector.

The prevailing tension, according to the Chairperson, created an atmosphere of fear and instability which hindered smooth education delivery in the area.

Madam Naaso was addressing members of the Association as part of the Association’s activities to mark this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration.

The IWD is observed annually on March 8 to celebrate the social, economic,
cultural, and political achievements of women, and raise awareness about women’s equality and accelerate gender parity.

The celebration was on the theme: ‘Invest in women in rural communities for accelerated development.’

The GNAT-Las as part of the celebration, went on float on some principal streets of the Bolgatanga Municipality holding placards with inscriptions; ‘Investment in rural women, a sustainable tomorrow,’ ‘Educating rural women is educating communities,’ ‘Empower women to participate fully in development,’ among other messages.

Madam Naaso said ‘We use this opportunity to call for peace in the region most especially in Bawku and ask feuding parties to lay down their weapons and rather invest in women to accelerate development in the area.’

She emphasized that if resources were redirected towards women empowerment, it would serve as catalyst for positive change.

She stressed the importance to invest in women to fast-track development, noting that a well-empowered female workforce could play
a pivotal role to accelerate the overall progress of society.

The Chairperson used the occasion to admonish GNAT members to dedicate themselves to the core values of the teaching profession.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Rev. Jean-Paul Agidi, the Minister in charge of the Akim Tafo District of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana, said leadership is not about personal achievements, but people centered achievements.

He urged leaders at all levels to keep the people they lead in mind.

Rev. Agidi stated this in an online sermon he delivered on the theme: ‘The City and its People’.

‘Leadership is beyond infrastructure development, it is about the people and until they are safe and secure our leadership is incomplete,’ he noted.

Rev. Agidi said it was unfortunate that some leaders, when talking about achievements, made reference to their personal efforts and records without reflecting on the impact they had made on the people they lead.

Rev. Agidi said the greatest achievement of a good leader was when the people he or she led were satisfied, secured and had hope of a better future.

‘The people must experience love, security, success and long-lasting impacts in their lives as a result of our leadership,’ he said.

He r
eferred to the impactful leadership of Nehemiah on his people and the servant leadership style of Jesus Christ, which were perfect examples.

He called on leaders to always receive guidance from God.

The leader and the people were interdependent and played complementary roles to achieve a common goal.

Rev. Agidi, therefore, called on the people to support those who dedicate their time, efforts and lives to lead them in achieving a common goal.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) has begun processes to develop a maritime single-window system to manage vessel traffic.

Mr Michael Achagwe Luguje, the Director General of GPHA disclosing this, said the maritime single window would also help in managing the working relationship with other key stakeholders in the clearance chain.

Mr Luguje, who revealed this during GPHA’s media forum, said it would add up to the existing Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) and the paperless port clearance system, which have altogether given a major facelift to port transactions.

Touching on port clearance in 2023, he said even though cargo handled by the ports of Ghana last year was a million tonnes short of the 2022 figures, the GPHA did not relent on its mission to retool the ports.

He said this was evident in the gains made in that year when it came to the acquisition of modern state-of-the-art machinery and equipment, which included new marine crafts, cranes, reach stackers, and forklifts, among
others.

He said a lot of progress was made in the various infrastructural projects, indicating that MPS Terminal 3 saw a fleet of 15 state-of-the-art gantry cranes delivered at the terminal in addition to the commencement of civil works for a 270,000-square-metre area, which would expand the terminal’s footprint from 100 hectares to an impressive 127 hectares.

According to the GPHA boss, this investment had already translated into the direct call of the world’s biggest vessels at the Tema port.

Mr Luguje said that the much-awaited multi-purpose and container terminal had been completed in Takoradi and operated by indigenous firm, Atlantic Terminal Services Limited and Turkish firm Yilport Holdings.

The director general revealed that the oil and gas terminal was expected to be completed before the end of 2024.

He revealed that the ultra-modern Dry Bulk Terminal at the Port of Takoradi had also been fitted with modern conveyor systems and eco-hoppers to augment the port’s capacity to handle increased volum
es of bauxite, manganese, clinker, gypsum, limestone, and other varieties of bulk cargoes significant to everyday domestic and industrial use.?

He indicated that the initiatives in Takoradi were part of the GPHA’s master plan to diversify the service offerings of the various ports to cater for the growing demand.?

He said the Keta Port project remained a priority of the GPHA and government and was currently in its environmental, social, and impact assessment stage.

He said his outfit was doing its best to make the ports the preferred choice in West and Central Africa, hence the need for importers and exporters to continue to keep faith with them.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr John Allotey, the Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, has called for collaborative effort to protect the Kalakpa Forest Reserve in the Adaklu District of the Volta Region.

He said illicit activities such as logging, charcoal production, and wildfires were currently widespread in the reserve, and were steadily destroying the forest.

Mr Allotey, who was speaking at a programme to commemorate this year’s World Wildlife Day at Adaklu in the Volta Region, said a concentrated effort was required to solve the situation and maintain the forest.

This year’s celebration is on the theme: ‘Connecting People and Plant: Exploring Digital Innovation in Wildlife Conservation.’

The Chief Executive said the unlawful activities were causing the reserve to progressively lose its stunning natural beauty, which made it a great tourist destination, indicating that drastic and practical steps were needed to stop them.

Steps were being taken to relocate people living in the reserves unlawfully, and that had already be
en done in Mole National Park in the Savannah Region, and Gbele National Park in the Upper West Region, he said.

The Commission was seeking funding to conduct a similar operation in the Kalakpa Forest to relocate illegal residents there, urging all to support the nation’s initiative to conserve biodiversity.

He emphasised the significance of digitalisation in marketing those reserves to draw tourists and create cash for the government and assemblies to fund development initiatives.

Mr Alotey disclosed that the Commission had created an IT Directorate to oversee innovation and digitalisation for the Wildlife Division specifically, and was charged of collecting data, conducting research, tracking animals, and using satellite imaging to identify degradation within the reserve.

Dr Joseph Boakye, the Executive Director, Wildlife Division, stated that wildlife was essential to human survival, hence deliberate measures must be taken to stop activities that could lead to their extinction.

Dr Archibald Yao Letsa,
the Volta Regional Minister, in a speech delivered on his behalf, emphasised the need for preserving the nation’s forest reserves.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), has been elected as a member of the Steering Committee of the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ).?

The election was held virtually on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, during the 5th Delegates Congress of FAJ, the Pan-African regional organisation of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

This was contained in a press release from the GJA signed by Kofi Yeboah, its General Secretary, and copied to the Ghana News Agency.?

According to the statement, the nine-member new leadership of FAJ would serve for a three-year tenure.

?The leadership has Omar Faruk Osman of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSJ) as President; Zied Dabbar of Tunisia as Vice President, and Maria Luisa Rogiero of Angola as Honorary Treasurer.?

The rest of the Steering Committee members are Erick Oduor of Kenya, Jean-Claude Coulibaly of Cote d’Ivoire, Sadig Ibrahim Ahmed Ibrahim of Sudan, Mohammed Et-Talbi of Morocco and Obam Mejo Marion o
f Cameroon.?

The GJA President expressed gratitude to all those in Ghana and abroad who supported his election.?

At the FAJ Congress, he extended invitation to the delegates to attend the 3rd Africa Media Convention scheduled to take place in Accra in May 2024 and assured them of a memorable event.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in the Ashaiman District has discovered a total of 130 illegal infractions of power supply within its operational area.

The illegal connections were discovered during a three-day revenue mobilisation exercise embarked upon by the district office of the company.

Mr Kissi Ohenebeng, the Ashaiman District Manager of ECG, briefing the media, said that summonses had been issued to the customers who had already started reporting to their office to rectify the illegalities identified.

Mr Ohenebeng said with the support of staff from eight other districts as well as the Tema Regional Office of the company, they had visited over 5000 customers.

He said the company would explore legal means should customers default in payments of surcharges, adding that ‘illegal connection is stealing, which makes it a criminal offence.’

He cautioned customers to desist from such acts, as the consequences could be unpleasant when they were caught.

Mr Daniel Asare-Mensah, the Acting General M
anager of the ECG Tema Region, encouraged customers to be ready to pay for their power consumption and on time to avoid debt build-up.?

Mr Asare-Mensah indicated that similar exercises with support from the region’s workforce would be replicated in the other districts, stating that the Afienya and Prampram districts were next to run such special revenue mobilisation exercises.

The ECG Tema Region has eight districts, namely, Ashaiman, Tema North, Tema South, Afienya, Prampram, Ada, Nungua, and Juapong-Krobo districts.

Source: Ghana News Agency