Lesotho Wire

Three communities in the Garu District of the Upper East Region have appealed to the District Assembly and non-governmental organisations to help expand their health centres to promote quality healthcare delivery.

They also appealed for the construction of staff accommodation for the health workers to ensure they stayed in the communities and rendered quality services to clients and residents.

Members of the Community Health Management Committees of Denugu, Pialugu and Songo communities made the appeal at Garu, at a community-duty bearer forum organised by WaterAid Ghana, a water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) focused organisation, as part of the Enhancing WASH (En-WASH) project rolled out in collaboration with Global communities.

The forum was aimed at creating a platform for the communities to engage with the duty bearers including the District Assembly, to identify challenges facing their communities, especially in accessing WASH and urged the Assemblies to prioritise them.

Mr Issifu Abdul-Aziz, Chairm
an of the Denugu Community Health Management Committee, said the Denugu community had a population of about 5,000 people and the Denugu Health Centre served as a referral facility for five Community-based Health Planning Services (CHPS).

Despite this, he noted, the facility had limited wards to contain the substantial numbers who patronized it.

‘The health centre has only 10 beds and so, the health workers are usually compelled to discharge some patients to go home due to overcrowding, and this does not promote quality healthcare.

‘Also, the facility does not have accommodation for the nurses and midwives and they have to rent outside, making it difficult for them to respond to cases, especially pregnant women and so we are appealing for help,’ he said.

On the part of the Pialugu Health Centre, Mr Simon Akparibo, the Secretary of the Pialugu Community Health Management Committee, revealed that apart from the facility needing expansion, it had no light, thus impeding health service delivery.

He said throu
gh the contribution of the community members and the support of a philanthropist, a solar panel was procured for the facility about two years ago, however, the battery to the solar panel was damaged six months ago.

‘The whole community is not benefiting from the rural electrification project, but our priority now is the health centre because they need light to work,’ he appealed.

On the Songo Health Centre, Mr Manas Awudu, the Secretary of the Songo Community Health Management Committee, noted that the health centre was usually overcrowded due to limited space.

Apart from that, he said, the borehole meant for the health facility had not been mechanised compelling clients to move out of the facility to fetch water, which was creating inconvenience in accessing health services.

Mr Alhassan Fuseini, the Assistant Director, of Garu District Assembly, commended WaterAid Ghana for facilitating the dialogue session and assured the communities that some of their concerns would be prioritised in the next planning
and budgeting phase but appealed to communities to initiate self-help projects to attract support from organisations.

Ms Molly Dasoberi Maalinuo, the Project Assistant at WaterAid Ghana, noted that the En-WASH project aimed to facilitate access to and use of sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene services and products in target districts by employing a systems-strengthening approach.

The beneficiary districts are Binduri, Bawku West, Garu, and Tempane.

‘One of the objectives is to increase the use of sustainable, equitable, quality, district-wide WASH services in communities and health care facilities and adopt sustainable district-wide WASH practices in households, communities, and Health Care Facilities,’ she said.

She explained that through the project, community advocacy teams had been formed and their capacities built to liaise with community members to identify WASH-related challenges and demand enhanced infrastructure and services from the Assemblies.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Ghanaian musician Thomas Adjei Wireko, popularly known as ‘King Paluta,’ has been making waves with back-to-back hits since last year and continues to rise up as a top Ghanaian artiste.

From being the ‘Hardest rapper,’ as he is popularly touted, King Paluta continues to showcase his versatility with some ruthless vocals, which has propelled him to stardom.

From his groundbreaking ‘Yahitte’ single to his latest ‘Aseda’ single, King Paluta is emerging as a firm favourite to bag the prestigious New Artiste of the Year.

King Paluta’s verse on Rap Fada’s ‘Odo Bi Y3 Bad’ has been dominating TikTok trends, with 20,000 video duets in the last few days.

There have been ups and downs in King Paluta’s music career, having been on the fringes of the music industry for over a decade.

From street battles to playing on big stages, King Paluta’s rise has been an inspirational journey and should serve as a lesson to upcoming artistes.

Raised in Atonsu Bokuro in Kumasi, King Paluta’s fan base has been steadily rising, wi
th many of his music fans excited about his breakthrough.

He started his journey in 2014 and was quickly noted by some top musicians in Kumasi. He later signed with NKZ Music in 2017.

Despite signing to the NKZ label, King Paluta’s progress was topsy-turvy, but the rapper didn’t give up his dream of being a top star.

He certainly shot up to the spotlights with singles including ‘Marriage Counselling,’ ‘Boobie,’ and ‘Prayer,’ before the hard-hitting ‘Yahitte.’

King Paluta has started the year in a blistering fashion, and his presence would be felt across the Ghanaian music landscape and beyond.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Stephen Ayisi-Addo, Programmes Manager, National AIDS Control Programme (NACP), has asked the clergy not to refuse to bless marriages of persons living with HIV (PLHIV).

He said getting  married to an HIV-positive person was not dangerous as perceived by many because antiretroviral treatment suppressed the virus and stopped it from spreading.

Dr Ayisi-Addo spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of the 20th anniversary celebration media launch of antiretroviral treatment in Ghana. 

An estimated 354,927 people are currently living with HIV in Ghana.

Out of this, seven per cent are children aged zero to four (0-4) years, six per cent represent adolescents aged 10-19, whilst the remaining 87 per cent are adults.

As of December 2023, Ghana’s HIV current prevalence rate stood at 1.7 per cent of  the general population.

The prevalence, however, is much higher amongst key populations, particularly female sex workers, 4.6 per cent and men who have sex with men, 26 per cent.

In December 2003, G
hana began the treatment of HIV through Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), which keeps affected persons stronger and increases their life expectancy.

The Programmes Manager of the NACP,  said ideally, any HIV-positive patient on ART treatment with strict adherence should have viral suppression within six months, adding that contacts of such persons would not be affected by the virus.

‘Religiously, we are talking to pastors not to deny anybody who is HIV a marriage blessing, they should rather be encouraged to marry because love is bigger than HIV.’

‘People are surviving with HIV today more than other disease conditions,  we need  to encourage pastors to bless such marriages and encourage people with HIV  to marry as well, once there is no exclusion criteria for people who have any other diseases not to marry.

‘I have a lot of clients who are serodiscordant couples, one is positive, one is negative and they have given birth to three, four children who are all negative. So why do you deny anybody?

 ‘As long as
they’re taking their medications, they’re not going to pass the virus to their spouses and children,’ he stated.

He said HIV-positive patients must be encouraged and supported to ensure adherence to ensure viral suppression to prevent further spread.

‘A lot of work in terms of reinforcing adherence needs to be done because sometimes it becomes a chronic disease like hypertension, diabetes and people get tired, some also go to herbalists, and prayer camps just because of stigmatisation, social reasons and long distance to the treatment sites among others.’

Dr Ayisi Addo added that plans were in place to ensure the number of ART sites was increased to enable clients to get the medicines closer to their doorstep, saying at the moment there were about 800 ART sites even though the country had close to 6,000 health facilities.

‘Ideally, all the health facilities should have the drug so that people can access it. So, part of this celebration is to reinforce adherence and all the things it takes to showcase the
success stories.’

He said some HIV-positive persons had not attained viral suppression due to a lack of adherence to medications.

The Programme Manager called on the public to be supportive and stop stigmatisation against HIV persons and encourage them to avail themselves of treatment. 

He said the NACP was in the process of formulating strategies in addressing issues of stigmatisation and that with support from partners, it was orienting HIV patients to stop stigmatising themselves.

He also called on the public to support the AIDS fund and sustain the fight against stigmatisation to achieve epidemic control in a few years. 

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Taste of Afrika (TTOA) in collaboration with the Harlem Tourism Board, African Tourism Board and the Ghana Tourism Authority has launched the second edition of the Cultural Oneness Festival in Accra.

The four-day festival is on the theme, ‘Leveraging on our strength for shared growth and prosperity as one people,’ and is scheduled for November 13 to 16, 2024, in Tamale, in the Northern Region.

Launching the festival, Nana Otuo Owoahene Acheampong, Executive Director of the National Commission on Culture (NCC), said the launch of the festival could not have happened at a better time as it was one of the several events that fell within the mandate of the Commission.

He said festivals were occasions that brought peace and social cohesion among diverse ethnic groups and as the country geared up for the general election, the NCC had the responsibility to promote cultural oneness and national harmony.

He said the NCC was mandated to manage from a holistic perspective the cultural lives of Ghanaians; be it s
ocial, political, economic, spiritual, religious or whatever, however, the public perception of culture was reduced to only music and dancing.

‘Our culture goes beyond dancing, drumming, and music. It is an embodiment of who we are. That gives us an identity and can separate us from one community to the other, or one religion or country to the other.’

Nana Owoahene noted that ‘for the country to make any meaningful progress as a nation, there was the need to embrace our culture and all its manifestations while at the same time welcoming contemporary initiatives but with caution.’

‘We are aware that today, globalization has rendered a lot of cultures around the world susceptible to pressure from foreign cultures, forcing many cultures to be on the brink of extinction, but we need to embrace our own, love to speak our local dialect, elevate and lift whatever has become of our culture to another level so that we can continue to push our agenda of ‘Beyond the Return’.

He urged Ghanaians to believe in themselv
es and be unique in their respective cultures, in other to build the nation together from all angles.

Jira Buipewura Abdulai Jinapor II said the launch of the festival showed the level of commitment to promoting, projecting, and redefining the cultural landscape of the desired creative pursuits.

He said ‘As a people, we must remain resolute in our commitment to celebrating cultural diversity, promoting dialogue, and harnessing the profound potential of culture to effect positive change. Together, the Cultural Oneness Festival will become the sage of Africa in future.’

The Paramount Chief commended the organisers and partners for the festival, saying ‘Let us carry forth the spirit and vision of the festival into the days and weeks ahead. Indeed, I see the festival growing to higher heights.’

Mr Tengol K Kplemani, Co-Founder, TTOA said the festival which was also in collaboration with the Northern Development Authority, Ethiopian Airlines and the Diaspora Affairs Unit, Office of the President, aimed at cele
brating and showcasing the rich cultures of diverse communities, promoting cultural awareness and unity, unique traditions, arts and music.

He said it was expected to contribute to fostering mutual understanding and consolidating Ghanaian unity while developing and growing the tourism industry and attracting investments.

Mr Kplemani noted that activities lined up for this year’s celebration included a business forum, root tours, concerts, a fashion show, a fusion durbar, and a street carnival.

Dr Cuthbert Simphiwe Ncube, Executive Chairman of the Africa Tourism Board, said the festival marked a pivotal moment in the continent’s narrative, where the African diversity, unity and the profound richness of African culture were celebrated.

‘The festival holds a deeper and wider significance as a catalyst for social cohesion fostering understanding and dialogue among our diverse communities in a world often marked by divisions, so let us in the spirit of unity celebrate the rich diversity of our African culture
and embrace the beauty of our shared vision.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

Access Bank Ghana (Plc) has entered a strategic partnership with Mac Autos and Spare Parts Ghana Limited, and MG Auto Trading Ghana Ltd to make car loans affordable for workers.

The collaboration agreement was signed between Mr Kafui Bimpe, the Group Head for Business Banking, Access Bank Ghana, and Mr Raman Malhotra, Country Head of Mac Autos, on behalf of their respective organisations.

Under the agreement, Mac Autos and Spare Parts Ghana Limited and MG Auto Trading Ghana Ltd will give a discount of 10 per cent for the purchase of brand-new cars by interested customers, while Access Bank Ghana will make the loan available at a considerable rate.

Mr Bimpe in his remarks noted that the event marks a celebration of partnerships that transcend mere business transactions, resonating deeply within the tapestry of their daily lives.

He said transportation, an indispensable facet of human existence, often presents challenges for individuals and families alike.

‘In our unwavering commitment to addressing the mo
bility needs of our customers, we stand here today to forge alliances with Mac Autos and Spare Parts Ghana Ltd, and MG Auto Trading Ghana Ltd, ushering in a new epoch of accessible and affordable vehicle ownership in Ghana,’ he stated.

‘Our esteemed partners, Mac Autos and Spare Parts Ghana Ltd and MG Auto Trading Ghana Ltd bring to the table a legacy of excellence as the exclusive distributors of Isuzu and Chevrolet products in Ghana.’

He said with a storied heritage dating back to 1924, their steadfast dedication to quality had cemented their reputation as a household name in the automotive industry.

Mr Bimpe said it was with immense pride that they embarked on this collaborative venture with them.

He noted that the automotive landscape in Ghana was undergoing rapid evolution, and Mac Autos and Spare Parts Ghana Ltd and MG Auto Trading Ghana Ltd had been instrumental in not only supplying top-notch spare parts but also in introducing iconic brands such as Isuzu and Chevrolet to the Ghanaian market.

He
said they were confident that the same success witnessed in the United States and Asian markets with brands like Cruze would be mirrored right here in Ghana.

He said their collective objective was to offer Ghanaians a safer, swifter, and more economical mode of transportation.

‘Today signifies an opportunity to facilitate vehicle ownership, enabling individuals to traverse from point A to point B with utmost ease.’

He said at the Access Bank, their commitment transcends conventional banking; declaring that ‘we aspire to enrich the lives of our customers by proffering solutions to their real-world challenges.’

Mr Bimpe said this collaboration transcends the realm of automobiles; stating that it was about empowering individuals, fortifying families, and catalyzing the growth of the Ghanaian economy.

He said they envision a future wherein the convenience of owning a vehicle was within grasp for a broader spectrum of Ghanaians, propelling progress, and prosperity.

He reaffirmed Access Bank’s unwavering dedi
cation to delivering more than just banking services; saying ‘We are here to effectuate a tangible difference in the lives of our customers and the wider community’.

On his part, Mr Raman Malhotra, Country Head, Mac Autos, said the partnership would afford Ghanaians who want to buy new cars but had financial challenges, the opportunity to do so.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Two Nigerians and a Ghanaian have been put before an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly defrauding a United Arab Emirates national of $60,000 in a gold case.

The accused persons are Jacob Sunday Olatunji, a 39-year-old driver and Engineer, Israel Olawale Omoley, an Achitecture and Baffour Abraham, currently at large.

They have been jointly charged with conspiracy to commit crime, to wit, defrauding and defrauding by false pretences.

Olatunji and Omoley have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The court presided over by Mr Isaac Addo has admitted them to bail in the sum of GHC1 million each with sureties each.

The court further ordered the accused persons to deposit their passports in the court’s registry until directed otherwise.

The court granted them bail after defence counsel filed a motion for bail, saying the accused persons were married with children.

According to defence counsel, the accused persons would not ‘jump’ bail and the charges preferred against them were available.

The prosecution led b
y Chief Inspector Jonas Lawer left the grant of bail to the court’s ‘wisdom’.

The matter has been adjourned to February 20, 2024.

Prosecution earlier told the court that the complainant Farhad Omedi, is a national of the United Arab Emirates, Dubai.

Olatunji and Omoley are Nigerians residing at Dawhenya and Lakeside in Accra, respectively.

The prosecution said in January 2024, one Abass, currently in Dubai introduced the complainant to Baffour now at large as a gold dealer living in Ghana.

Prosecution said after the introduction, complainant and Baffour started having various conversations and Baffour sent the complainant an invitation visa in the name of Mpohor Mines Company in the Western Region to enable the complainant to travel to Ghana for them to start business.

On January 22, this year, the complainant arrived in Ghana, and he was received by Olatunji, a driver to Baffour at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).

The Prosecution said when the complainant arrived, Olatunji and Baffour took him
to ‘Time Security Company’ at Achimota, Accra where 30 kilogrammes of gold bars were shown to the complainant to convince him that Baffour was a real dealer of gold.

According to the prosecutor, five kg of gold bars were randomly picked in the presence of the complainant for refinery testing.

The prosecution said Sewia Mining Limited at Achimota did the testing and all tested positive.

The court heard that the complainant became convinced and after calculation, he could afford One kg of gold priced at $60,000.

The prosecution said the necessary arrangements started for the gold to be transported to Dubai.

On January 30, 2024, the complainant and Baffour on board a Chang CS55 vehicle with registration number GW 1271-20 driven by Olatunji, proceeded to the KIA with one kg of gold bar brought by the complainant.

Prosecution said on arriving at KIA, Baffour called three Customs Officers to facilitate the documentation process to enable the complainant travel with the gold to Dubai.

The Prosecutor said the
three Custom Officers came for the gold and promised to deliver same to the complainant at the final stage.

The complainant, the prosecutor said, was convinced seeing the Custom Officers in their uniforms.

Again, the complainant was not scared because he had his money ($60,000) in a box on board the vehicle and Olatunji was the driver at that time.

The prosecution said the complainant waited for some time but the three customs officers and Baffour were not forthcoming with the gold.

The complainant became worried and alighted from the vehicle to look around and make a call.

Immediately, the complainant alighted, and Olatunji sped off with the vehicle together with the $60,000.

The prosecution said efforts to trace Olatunji proved futile.

On February 2, 2024, a report was made to the Police and Intelligence led to the arrest of Olatunji and Omoley at their hideout at Dawhenya.

During a search, the Police retrieved five metal bars in yellowish colour, a small safe containing an amount of $3,500 in Omole
y’s possession. The prosecution said Omoley told the Police that the metals and the $3,500 were given to him by Baffour.

It said efforts were underway to apprehend Baffour.

Source: Ghana News Agency