May 27, 2023

Kwadaso MP cuts sod for construction of reproductive and child health block

Nwamase (Ash), May 27, GNA – Professor Kingsley Nyarko, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kwadaso, has cut the sod for work to commence on a reproductive and child health block for the Nwamase Health Centre. The project, comprising of a ward, two-unit office with washroom, is being executed by Nana Banahene Company Limited, a local contractor in the Kwadaso Municipality. It is expected to be completed within six months, with funding from the central government. Prof. Nyarko, addressing residents of Nwamase during the sod-cutting ceremony, said he remained committed to making health care accessible to the people of Kwadaso. He noted that the project when completed, would help enhance healthcare delivery in the area and beyond. Currently, the health centre has inadequate space for reproductive and child health, making it difficult for effective and efficient health delivery. The MP asked the people to remain patient and support him to bring more development projects to the Municipality. Mrs Grace Billi Kampitib, the Kwadaso Municipal Director of Health Services, said the project was timely and commended the MP for the intervention. According to her, the project would have a great impact on healthcare delivery in the area and urged the contractor to work within the stipulated time for the contract. Mr. Richmond Agyenim Boateng, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), said the Assembly would supervise and support the contractor to ensure speedy completion.

Source: Ghana News Agency

May 27, 2023

Speaker Bagbin appointed President of Conference of Speakers, Heads of African Parliaments

By Elsie Appiah-Osei, GNA Special Correspondent, Abuja Abuja, May 27, GNA – Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Speaker of Parliament, has been appointed the president of the Conference of Speakers and Heads of African Parliaments (CoSAP). He takes over from Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, the Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives. The CoSAP was officially launched on October 12, 2020, after three key meetings between founding Speakers took place on August 17, 2020, September 17, 2020, and October 12, 2020. In his acceptance speech at the conference held in Abuja, Nigeria, Mr Bagbin underpinned the importance of the representative role undertaken by parliamentarians across Africa. The role, according to him, strengthened the future and longevity of Africa’s democratic dispensation, hence, the need to strengthen collaborative action against emerging political and socio-economic challenges. Mr Bagbin described the new appointment as an opportunity to work with neighbouring Parliaments to pursue and advance the agenda of collaborative representation at every level of governance. Addressing the respective speakers’ Mr Bagbin outlined some measures which he considered would set the path for a progressive and representative democratic government within the member organizations. These included the need for African Parliaments taking decisive action to end the unconstitutional overthrow of governments in Africa to further ensure more effective parliamentary oversight to curb Africa’s rising debt, and mitigation of their vulnerability to external shocks. He, however, called for the need to safeguard and strengthen the role and powers of legislatures across the continent and for Africa to build capacity to feed itself by tackling food insecurity as a priority. Mr Bagbin called on respective Parliaments across the sub-region to focus on inclusive budgeting and policy planning that addressed the needs of women, youth, and people living with disabilities and ensured that they were provided with the same opportunities as all other citizens. He stressed the urgent need for creating and sustaining enabling legislative environment for public-private partnerships and enhancing the capacity and effectiveness of African inter-parliamentary institutions. Mr Bagbin assured member countries of his intention to ensure that the CoSAP continued to provide a platform for discussion, dialogue and action by Speakers and Heads of African Parliaments. ‘The platform will be used to advocate for more effective approaches in Africa’s public financial and economic management, developing collaborative strategies for tackling issues of common concern, and devise legislative interventions and solutions to address issues on a wider continental scale during his tenure of office,’ he added. The CoSAP is a platform initiated to facilitate increased deliberation, collaboration and cooperation between Speakers, Heads of Parliaments, and National Assemblies across Africa to address common challenges, devise joint solutions and mobilise collective action to advance African development.

Source: Ghana News Agency

May 27, 2023

Kumawu By-election: National Peace Council commends stakeholders for peaceful polls

Kumasi, May 27, GNA – The Ashanti Regional Secretariat of the National Peace Council has commended all stakeholders for the diverse roles they played to ensure a successful by-election at Kumawu in the Ashanti Region. A statement issued by the Secretariat and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi, applauded the people of Kumawu and the Ashanti Region in general for the peaceful conduct of the 31st by-election of the Fourth Republic. ‘All stakeholders, including the Electoral Commission, political parties, independent candidates, civil society groups, security agencies, the media, electorate and other observers must be congratulated for the efficient and professional manner in which they carried out their duties,’ part of the statement read. It said the absence of violent activities in Kumawu before, during, and after the by-election was highly commendable. ‘We believe that this by-election has cured some hanging mistrust and perception affecting the Fourth Republic by-elections,’ the statement said. ‘It has also legitimise our electoral process and promoted public confidence in our democratic institutions.’ It called for same commitment and sacrifices to guide the impending District Assembly and Unit Committee elections later this year.

Source: Ghana News Agency

May 27, 2023

Ghana advised against appetite for loans for sustainable development

Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt), May 27, GNA – The African Development Bank (AfDB) has advised Ghana not to be heavily dependent on loans for its long-term national development. Professor Kevin Chika Urama, Chief Economist of AfDB, said that relying on loans, especially from the capital market, risked not yielding the needed revenue in a short-to-medium term, making repayment difficult. The AfDB Vice President for Economic Governance and Knowledge Management said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at the just ended annual meetings of the Bank in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. He noted that borrowings to fund long-tern development-oriented programmes and projects often resulted in the accumulation of debt, which put economies into crisis. ‘When you depend on borrowing for investing in long-term infrastructure, you have a mismatch because development projects normally take about 30 years or more to offer revenues or dividends or to be able to break even,’ he said. Prof Urama said when borrowings were done, particularly at high coupon rates, it sets a country up off for failure, ‘because the projects you’re putting the resources will not mature when the duration of paying back the loans fall due. ‘You’re then forced to look for money elsewhere, which is challenging for most African countries because of the fiscal constraints,’ the AfDB Chief Economist added.? On Ghana’s debt treatment and the recently approved International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan-support programme, he said AfDB was working with Ghana to provide technical and policy support to the country to address the debt challenges. ‘We’ve had meetings with the Finance Minister, both during the IMF/Bank World spring meetings and had a special high-level delegation that went to Ghana to work with the technical teams,’ he said. ‘Discussions are ongoing and we’ll be providing technical assistance and policy-based operations, and we’re doing this together with our partners to coordinate support for the country,’ Prof Urama told the GNA. Ghana has been locked out of the capital market for more than a year, with an accumulated public debt of GHS434.6 billion (72.2 per cent of Gross Domestic Product – GDP) as of December 2022. Meanwhile the Government is optimistic that with the $3bn IMF loan programme, Ghana would be able to return to the market. ‘We have positioned ourselves to be able to go back into the International market which had been a source of funding for us during the first three or four years of our government,’ President Akufo-Addo said recently. The president who was speaking at the Qatar-Africa Economic Forum in Doha, added that: ‘There is no rush but obviously why not take advantage of global savings, it makes a lot of sense to me.? Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, Finance Minister at a press briefing after securing the IMF programme also said that ‘Working towards the capital market is important because we then get our ratings up and make the country more attractive for foreign investors, especially [getting] FDI.’? ‘Going forward, we’ll find ways of ensuring that we’re efficient in our deployment [of the $3bn funds] …and ensure efficiency in providing services to the people,’ he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

May 27, 2023

Gov’t must commit to resource AAMUSTED in achieving mandate – Asantehene

Kumasi, May 27, GNA – The Asantehene, Otufuo Osei Tutu II, has called on the Government to resource the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED), to deliver on its mandate. He said resourcing the University was the way to go to encourage creativity and innovation as a means of job creation which is vital to solving the worsening unemployment situation in the country and around the globe. Speaking at the investiture of Prof. Frederick Kwaku Sarfo as Foundation Vice-Chancellor of AAMUSTED in Kumasi, reiterated the important role Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) plays in the development of Ghana. Established on August 27, 2020, by an Act of Parliament, Act 1026 (2020), the Kumasi campus of AAMUSTED which was part of the University of Education, Winneba was formally known as the College of Technology Education Kumasi (COLTEK). The Mampong campus which dedicated to Agricultural education was also known as the College of Agriculture Education (CAGRIC). Otumfuo commended the Government for upgrading the Kumasi and the Asante Mampong campuses into a full-fledged university after years of advocacy. The King said the last time he visited the University was in 2005 when he attended the congregation of the then Kumasi campus of University of Education, Winneba. ‘On that fateful day, I proposed to the government to consider upgrading this campus to a full-fledged university to train technology, technical, and vocational education teachers to teach in schools and colleges. I am convinced today, as I was 18 years ago, that TVET is very important for the development of this nation,’ he emphasised. He commended the University’s Council, management, staff, and students as well as President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his government for taking the bold step in establishing AAMUSTED. He said Prof. Sarfo’s appointment was a vote of confidence in efforts and work in the past and urged him to continue to work even harder. The Asantehene advised the VC to build the capacity of faculty members, review programmes regularly and engage in joint research as well as working to make programmes, products, and faculty relevant in addressing national and global needs and challenges. Prof. Sarfo said there was no clear difference between Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and TVET and as a nation, we should work seriously against the tendency to underestimate TVET and STEM. He said the University was committed to equipping people with the science, art, and craft of teaching TVET because they were confident that the country could achieve quality TVET only when there are quality TVET teachers. He used the occasion to propose that TVET and STEM should be taught in local languages at the basic levels for better comprehension of pupils at those stages.

Source: Ghana News Agency

May 27, 2023

RECFAM partners GHS to eradicate yaws, lymphatic filariasis in Aowin

Enchi (W/R), May 27, GNA – Research and Counselling Foundation for African Migrants (RECFAM), an international organisation, in collaboration with the Aowin Municipal Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has launched a project to eradicate yaws and elephantiasis from the Aowin Municipality. The two-year project, with support from the Anesvad Foundation, would be implemented across thirty selected communities. In the Municipality. ‘Combating Yaws and Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) through sustainable awareness raising, economic empowerment, provision of clean drinking water and improved sanitation,’ is the theme for the project. Key activities RECFAM and its stakeholders would undertake included; provision of bore holes and toilet facilities for schools/communities, registration of LF/Yaws patients onto the National Health Insurance Scheme to access quality health care as well as the provision of climate smart technology to produce drinking water from the atmosphere. Others are piloting the distribution of Green Stove for clean cooking that uses special reusable rocks and charcoal briquettes – smoke-free to LF patients which they can use for two years. This would ease the stress they go through fetching firewood to prepare their meals. Also, financial support would be offered to beneficiaries to set up their own businesses since they cannot work. RECFAM has identified some institutions and would probe further to find out if they would accept LF patients because of their deformity An Fm radio station would be installed for the sustainability of public awareness education on Yaws, LF and other Skin-NTDs. That would also be broadcast through the CCC in the 30 selected communities and online to ensure the information was well disseminated.? Speaking at the launching, Alfred Mbinglo, Director, RECFAM, said last year, 1,567 suspected cases of Yaws were identified in Aowin Municipality. Out of 276 tested, 150 were diagnosed positive. The Director said LF was also endemic in two of the nine districts of the Western North Region, and these were the Aowin and Suaman districts.? According to him, the NTDs Programme started implementing annual Mass Drug Administration (MDAs) from 2004 and achieved interruption of transmission of the disease in 2014 and since then they stopped in these districts. However, Dr Mbinglo said the provision of morbidity management and disability prevention services has not been successful, adding that, stigmatization and social rejection excluded patients from engaging in commercial activities, since people refused to engage with them. HMr Samuel Adu Gyamfi, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), who launched the project pledged to offer the needed assistance to RACFAM to ensure the project achieved its objectives. The Municipal Health Directorate of GHS, Mr Abass Asigri, for his part said, the commonest symptoms for yaws is rashes. He indicated that, ‘Most of the time people resort to herbal preparations but my advice is that go to the hospital and then we will diagnose whether it is yaws or not, rather give you the appropriate treatment.’ Madam Shirley Blankson, Municipal Director, Ghana Education Service, in a solidarity message promised to help in educating the public to create the sustainable awareness of the disease in their respective communities. ‘We from the GES hold this programme in high esteem because it will go a long way to support our leaders and teachers in communities which do not have clean drinking water as RECFAM is ready to support such communities with clean drinking water and improve upon sanitation’ she added. Nana Adu-Kwame III, Chief of Nyankaman, expressed his profound gratitude to RECFAM, GHS and Anesvad Foundation, and called on the beneficiary communities to help make it successful. The programme was attended by heads of departments, traditional authorities, clergy, Muslims, second cycle institution and Junior High Schools. Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a diverse group of 20 conditions that are prevalent in tropical areas, where they mostly affect impoverished communities and disproportionately affect women and children.

Source: Ghana News Agency