Category: National

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says Ghana is open to working with the francophonie community within the spirit of multiculturalism to enhance development and growth.

‘Today, as we raise the flag of la francophonie, let us reaffirm our dedication to the values of multilingualism, multiculturalism, cultural exchange and mutual understanding.’

The President, in an address at the commemoration of the 54th Anniversary of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), in Accra, said embracing the diversity of languages, cultures and dialogue, was needed to promote the cause of humanity.

‘It is through dialogue and collaboration that we can address the sheer challenges facing our world today.

‘Together, we can harness the power of language and culture to build a more prosperous and harmonious future for all,’ he stated.

The Francophonie is an institution dedicated, since 1970, to promoting the French language and political, educational, economic and cultural cooperation among the 88 member coun
tries.

Its mission mandates include promoting the French language and cultural and linguistic diversity, promoting peace, democracy and human rights, supporting education, training, higher education and research.

The OIF is also committed to fostering economic cooperation to bolster sustainable development.

President Nana Akufo-Addo asked the francophonie community leaders to take advantage of the Anniversary to deepen engagement with the Ghanaian authorities.

They should explore avenues for cooperation in areas such as education, training and sustainable development.

In 2006, Ghana, an Anglophone country, was made an associate member of the OIF, emerging as one of a handful of countries that enjoy membership of both the Commonwealth and La Francophonie.

‘Ghana values this situation very much,’ the President noted, assuring that his Administration was determined to strengthen the bonds of friendship and cooperation with La Francophonie by transitioning from an associate member to a full member.

‘Ghana,
a strong functioning democracy, shares the aims and values of La Francophonie, and we look forward to playing a significant role in the realisation of these values,’ he asserted.

The Anniversary was marked by the raising of flags of the Francophonie and Ghana.

The ceremony was witnessed by the strong presence of the Diplomatic corps.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Electoral Commission of Ghana has published a programme of activities for the 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Abanga Yakubu Fuseini, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Candidate (PC) for the Aowin constituency in the Western North Region, has promised to outline policies and interventions to improve upon the well-being of the youth in the area.

He said he would prioritise initiatives for youth empowerment, infrastructural development and community support to make life easier for the constituents.

He was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after a thanksgiving service for his victory as the NPP PC for Aowin, held at the Church of Pentecost, Enchi.

‘The Aowin constituency is one of the largest constituencies in the Western North Region and my footprint is in every Electoral Area, so, I will continue to do more for the constituency if elected as the Member of Parliament (MP),’ he said.

Mr Fuseini gave an assurance to work closely with the Constituency Executives, Electoral Area Coordinators and polling station executives to ensure victory for the party in both the presidential and parliamentary in th
e December 7 elections.

He, therefore, called the constituents especially the youth to vote massively for him and Dr Mahamudu Bawumia for sustainable jobs and development in the constituency.

Mr Emmanuel Obeng, Aowin NPP Constituency Chairman, said the party had begun a reconciliation process to bring everyone on board to help guarantee victory ahead of this year’s election.

‘With unity of purpose and support to our candidate, NPP will win the Aowin parliamentary seat once again to continue the developmental projects started by Mr Adu Gyamfi, who won the seat for the NPP in 2004,’ he said.

Mr Mac Daniel Nyame, the NPP Western North Regional Organiser, also told the GNA that the Regional Secretariat was working hard to win additional parliamentary seats for the party in the region.

Mr Fuseini polled 580 votes to beat Mr Isaac Brew, who had 299 votes.

The Thanksgiving service was attended by some Regional Executives, Constituency Executives, party supporters and Mr Samuel Adu Gyamfi, Aowin Municipal Chief
Executive.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The President of the Oti Regional House of Chiefs, Nana Mprah Besemuna III, says the Regional House of Chiefs currently operates from a rented four-room apartment at Dambai.

Krachi-Wura said the structure was inadequate to meet the demands of the workload for the Regional House of Chiefs.

Speaking during the engagement with former President, John Dramani Mahama during his ‘Building the Ghana we want Tour,’ in the Oti Region, the chiefs said the conference Hall, where meetings are held, is not conducive to carry-out its mandate.

The chiefs said the house depended on the Regional Coordinating Council (ORCC) conference Hall to undertake its constitutional statutory duties, which affected the discharge of duties, especially when ORCC also required to use same facility.

On behalf of the Oti Regional House of Chiefs, Nana Besemuna appealed to former President, should he be elected again in the December 7, 2024, to allocate Funds for the establishment of the Regional House of Chiefs administration office and som
e additional seed-capital for the running of their daily obligations.

Mr Mahama, in response, thanked the chiefs and assured them of an NDC government will accede to their demands.

He said as a Region, there must be enough infrastructure to accommodate all offices to carry-out its mandates, adding ‘There must also be Police headquarters and the present of military for proper security and safety.’

Mr Mahama said the region had a brighter future and promised the next NDC government would properly spread structures for the region to meet standards.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Henry Nana Boakye, the National Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has inaugurated the Oti Regional Campaign Team for the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.

He was hopeful that the team would grant the NPP a resounding victory in the December 7, polls.

Nana Boakye admonished the team to work with the various constituency and polling station executives to ensure high turnout for Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and all the nine-parliamentary candidates in the region for the December polls.

He tasked the team to resolve all internal challenges that resulted from the parliamentary primaries for victory for the NPP.

Mr Smith Danquah Buttey, First Vice Chairman, urged members of the campaign team to unveil themselves for the specific jobs that would be assigned to them so that the party could win its targeted seats in the parliamentary elections.

He touched on the unprecedented achievements of President Nana Akufo-Addo and urged the campaign team to build on to deliver victory for the party.

Mr Fe
lix Ade, the Oti Regional Organiser, on behalf of the team, pledged to work hard to deliver over five seats in the region to the party.

He said the huge turnout during the last limited registration exercise organised by Electoral Commission (EC) was an indication of the region’s readiness in ensuring that the party won the 2024 general election.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Some women groups in the country have called on political parties to prioritise gender issues in their manifestos.

According to these women groups, the reason Ghana is not making giant strides in gender equality is because political parties do not champion gender issues in their manifestos.

Ms Patricia Acquah, Public Relations Officer, Young Urban Women Movement (YUWM), said that a look at some policies in political party manifestoes testify that the parties were not ready to make the change they promise the citizens, especially on gender issues.

Examining a policy like increasing women’s representation in parliament, Ms Quansah said if political parties really wanted to increase women’s representation, the easiest way was to remove the financial burden that deterred women from contesting.

She said it is trite knowledge that Ghana was a patriarchal society where economic resources were concentrated in the hands of men, a situation that put women at a disadvantage in activities that involved money.

It is
therefore proper that the parties do away with those financial obligations to enable more women to contest, she said.

‘The amount of money political parties levy to allow people to contest on their ticket is very high. How would a woman who is not financially stable be able to take part in such a race? So, they should reduce it so that more women can come up and take up those positions.’ Ms Acquah said.

Her comments are part of the views sampled by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) from various women groups to mark the International Women’s Day celebration commemorated all over the world on 8th March 2024, on the theme, ‘Inspire Inclusion’.

Madam Grace-Tera Korsinah, President, Kingdom Women Diplomat (KWD), and one who is passionate about gender and women empowerment issues, who also shared her views with the GNA, noted that Ghana one of the countries that had ratified various treaties aimed at increasing the role of women in national development.

She said ratifying those treaties were laudable, but the impleme
ntation had been left in the hands of gender activists, mostly women, to champion.

She said these women had indeed made major inroads but unfortunately, deep seated inequalities remained.

Ms Korsinah said she recently read a report which indicated that women’s representation in Ghana’s parliament was only 14.5 per cent and those in management positions in the private sector was about 27 per cent.

She said the situation was discouraging, considering what Ghana stood to achieve in gender equity.

According to her, many studies have proven how advantageous it is for organizations and nations when women are empowered and amplified to occupy certain key positions and wonders why issues of gender and real women empowerment is not mainstreamed in political agenda.

She also indicated that that the United Nations, the greatest engine, championing the gender equality globally, acknowledged the fact that gender equality was not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and
sustainable world.

She therefore called on political parties to make gender equality a real agenda on their table.

Source: Ghana News Agency