Lesotho Wire

Local rice farmers in the Adansi South District are appealing to the government to encourage the use of local rice for the school feeding programmes at the basic and senior high school levels.

This, according to the farmers, will help reduce the marketing challenges and post-harvest losses currently facing them.

Currently, there are over 22,500 metric tonnes of paddy rice stacked at the various rice mill factories in the district waiting for buyers.

Mr Francis Bartsa Tetteh, 2016 national best rice farmer, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that, the situation if not tackled immediately, could create serious problems for the farmers.

‘Lack of marketing for our produce is disheartening to us as farmers. The rice is here in abundance but where are the buyers? This is discouraging the youth from taking up farming,’ he told the Ghana News Agency at New Edubiase.

Adansi South is one of the leading rice producing districts in the Ashanti, but lack of adequate infrastructure to process, store, and marke
t the produce has been a serious challenge for the farmers.

Mr Tetteh, who is also the owner of Victory Foods Rice Mill at Adansi Atobiase, said even though the price of the local rice was cheaper, people were still not coming to buy them.

He stressed the need for the government to discourage the importation of rice into the country to help the local producers.

Mr Tetteh pointed out that the school feeding secretariat and the Free Senior High School secretariat could be of immense help if they instructed food suppliers to buy only local rice.

This would help encourage the farmers to continue to increase production and improve their incomes.

Mr Alfred David Mensah, Adansi South District Director of Food and Agriculture, said marketing of the produced local rice had over the years been the headache for farmers in the area.

He said the hotels and restaurants had a duty to support the local rice producers by buying the local rice.

Mr Mensah pointed out that the production processes, packaging, and storage
of local rice had improved significantly over the years, and it was important for Ghanaians to patronize them to encourage the farmers to continue to produce more.

He said the ministry was working to position the local rice well on the Ghanaian market and reduce the import of the product into the country.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minister of Communications and Digitalisation has called on stakeholders in the digital industry to mobilise their efforts to shape the future of the digital landscape of Ghana and Africa as a whole.

She said: ‘We are at a crucial point where our collective efforts will shape the future of our nation’s digital landscape and that of Africa as well.’

‘In this vein, it is critical that we develop a framework to govern the different types of data we have, that is Data in Transit, Data at Rest and Data in Use, to ensure security and proper storage.’

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful made the call when she opened a two-day National Data Centre and Cloud Computing Regulatory Framework Validation workshop on Wednesday in Accra, which was organised by the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) in collaboration with Smart Africa.

She said; ‘Ghana over the past few years has accelerated her efforts to digitise its economy,’ adding; ‘We know Ghana we are not bragging … that Ghana is considered one of t
he countries at the forefront of pushing the digital agenda on the continent.’

She said data is gradually becoming the oxygen that government, businesses, and people in the fourth Industrial Revolution would depend on for survival.

‘So, it is crucial that we don’t allow the industry to develop organically, but we need to develop a framework to govern the different types of data that we have,’ she said.

The Minister said: ‘We are at critical times and our collective efforts are needed to shape the future of our nation’s digital landscape and the continent as well; because the learnings from this stakeholders’ engagement will not only go to enrich our regulatory framework but will provide useful pointers to other members of the Smart Africa alliance and the continent as a whole.’

She said the legal regulatory framework has most of the elements needed to support vibrant and competitive digital growth and that attest to the resilience of the Electronic Transactions Act, which underpins many of the initiatives
that were taken as Ghana developed its digital agenda.

‘The Government of Ghana has also invested in infrastructural development, connectivity, data centres, digital payment infrastructure, company identity systems, electronic IDs, and security infrastructure, among others, to support the country’s digital economy,’ she said.

Ms Thelma Efua Quaye, Director – Digital Infrastructure, Skills and Empowerment of Smart Africa said one of the primary obstacles that Africa faced is the lack of harmonized regulations across the continent.

‘Data knows no borders, and users expect seamless access to their content regardless of geographical location, he said, stating that; ‘This poses a significant challenge for investors and service providers in the data centre and cloud space, as they seek clarity and consistency in regulatory frameworks.

Ms Quaye said to address the challenge, Smart Africa adopted a phased approach, starting at the national level, to support our member states for the development of national regula
tory frameworks for data centres and cloud computing services.

‘In collaboration with our member states and stakeholders, we aim to expand these regulations into a harmonized framework that spans the entire continent, facilitating investment and innovation while safeguarding data protection and security,’ she stated.

Mr Richard Okyere-Fosu, the Director General of NITA in a welcoming speech read for him said, that the Agency this year would roll out several specific regulations to address specific areas in the ICT space.

He mentioned primary objectives to improve the quality of service provided by service providers, align Ghana’s ecosystem to international standards to make it more competitive at the global level and protect consumers.

Mr Okyere-Fosu said the programmes would be undertaken in partnership with Smart Africa and was also on a quest to harmonize the digital ecosystem across Africa under the auspices of the African Union to put together this regulatory framework for the commercial Data Centres
and Cloud Infrastructure in Ghana.

He assured all stakeholders, especially the service providers that the Agency is mindful of their concerns not to overburden their businesses, saying; ‘Our approach to regulating the ICT sector is not a profit-oriented one, but one that will enable and stimulate the market ensuring that the business base and opportunities will be expanded.

‘This will then provide the nation with the needed infrastructure required to sustain our digital revolution.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

According to the National Institute of Statistics, of the 250 local languages spoken by the approximately 30 million inhabitants of Cameroon, 4% of the languages in the country have become extinct since 1950.

7% of the languages are under threat while others, 10%, are neglected.

It is on this basis that the Ministry of Secondary Education in 2007 introduced the teaching of national languages and culture in schools.

As Cameroon joined the international community to observe the 25th International Day of the mother tongue on Wednesday February 21, 2024 under the theme ‘Multilingual Education, a pillar of intergenerational learning’, students of GBHS Babadjou showcased their anxiety to raise awareness on the rich cultural heritage a country like Cameroon enjoys. The students showcased their talents through sketches, poems, riddles, fashion parades, traditional dances all in the mother tongue and to the satisfaction of many.

‘I am satisfied with the celebration of the mother tongue here at GBHS Babadjou where
students from different backgrounds had to express themselves in their mother tongue. I really cherish the courage in them and their anxiety to preserve this cultural identity,’ Che Martin, Discipline Master of GBHS Babadjou told CNA. He adds that the mother tongue is not only a means of communication but an identity.

‘The mother tongue is not only a communication tool but a cultural identity. It brings out the cultural values of the people and sells them out to neighboring communities. So I really encourage my students to be speakers of their mother languages.’

Mother Language Day is part of a broader initiative to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by peoples of the world as adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2007.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Madam Maribel Okine, the Western Regional Director for the Department of Gender has called on players in the Transport industry to work at addressing issues of gender disparity in the sector to ensure sustainable transport system. ?

She said, transportation infrastructure services were often designed without considering the specific needs and preferences of women and the marginalized coupled with the lack of well-lit and secured waiting areas.

Also, gender-segregated facilities further exacerbated safety concerns and restricted women’s freedom of movement.

Madam Okine told the Ghana News Agency, during an engagement with leadership of the GPRTU and other recognized transport unions in the Western Region on solutions to the pertinent gender related issues within the transport system for distance journey.

Madam Okine added that transportation played a crucial role in shaping urban and rural landscapes, influencing access to education, healthcare, employment, and social activities in Ghana adding, ‘however,
gender and transport encompassed a broad range of issues including travel behaviour, accessibility and safety concerns.’ ?

She noted that gender dynamics significantly shaped individual’s mobility patterns with women often facing greater constraints and risks, while navigating transportation systems. ?

‘In many contexts, men and women rely on public transport, exposing them to safety hazards, harassment and discrimination’ she said.

According to her, gender dynamics significantly shaped mobility patterns, safety concerns, access to transportation modes and participation in decision-making processes related to transport infrastructure and policies. ?

She noted that recognising and addressing these gender disparities was relevant for achieving inclusive, equitable and sustainable transport systems.

Addressing gender disparities she said, was not only a matter of equity and social justice but also essential for achieving sustainable development goals and integrating gender perspectives into transport planni
ng, policymaking and implementation processes, create safer, more accessible and user-friendly environments for all users.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Armed Forces is working with the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training College on a student engagement programme to enhance female participation in the nation’s military enterprise.

Engaging with senior high and tertiary institutions, the campaign, powered by international organisation, the Elsie Initiative Fund, is seeking to break male dominance of the ranks, and promote inclusivity in the armed forces.

Group Captain Theodora Agornyo, the Gender Advisor to the Chief of Defence Staff, addressing students during the event at Mawuli School in Ho, spoke of the need to increase women participation in combat roles, and said it would enable the perspective of the gender to feature more in decision making.

She said survey confirmed the low participation of women in UN missions among others, and the minimal representation at policy levels, and was therefore crucial to break gender misconceptions.

‘Most positions in the army are held by men, and we want to increase women participation,’ the Gen
der Advisor told the students.

The Elsie Initiative Fund targets young girls and was established when a group of countries came together to support women in peace keeping missions.

The campaign met with schools across the Region, and students were taken through the arms and branches of the army and introduced to the various functions and career opportunities available.

Students got to fill out questionnaires that test their interest and knowledge of the Ghana Armed Forces.

There were also radio engagements in the various districts the team sent the campaign to.

Mrs. Agnes Agbevadi, Senior Programmes Officer at the Women, Youth, Peace, and Security Institute of KAIPTC, asked women not to be limited by gender, saying it remained only a perspective and thus they deserved to be given every opportunity.

Mr. Francis Yao Agbemadi, the Volta Regional Director of Education, urged women to take advantage of the military and its career prospects in elevating the gender.

Source: Ghana News Agency