Day: September 16, 2022

ACCRA, Ghana’s Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour Awuah, has revealed that since 2017 government has created some 5.3 million jobs.

Ignatius Baffour Awuah made mention of this at the 2022 Ghana Job Fair in Sunyani.

Speaking at the Ghana Job fair on the theme “Connecting talents and opportunities”, he revealed that an analysis of data assembled by the ministry from the inputs of various ministries, departments and agencies, shows that 5,306,899 jobs were created between 2017 and 2021.

“An analysis of data assembled by the ministry from the inputs of various ministries, departments and agencies, as well as the government’s flagship programmes indicates that an estimated 5,306,899 (5.3 million) jobs were created by the government between 2017 and 2021”.

“These are jobs that guarantee adequate income security, social security, provide adequate social protection, protect and promote the rights of workers, encourage unionisation and promote social dialogue”.

“If for nothing at all, we should strive to secure the welfare and wellbeing of vulnerable workers in pursuit of the green agenda. Otherwise, the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development may not be attainable,” he told participants of the fair.

Awuah assured Ghanaians that government will continue to do more to sustain such employment opportunities in the country.

The 2022 2022 Ghana Job is being organised by the Ghanaian-German Centre for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration in collaboration with the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations.

Source: Nam News Network

ACCRA, The Ghana Health Service says the recent outbreak of the Marburg virus is now over after 42 days without anybody testing positive.

The virus was first confirmed in Ghana on July 4 with three cases reported and the last being on July 21.

The GHS subsequently alerted the public to the outbreak as a highly infectious disease.

In all, 198 contacts were identified in four districts (Adansi North and South, Prestea Huni Valley, and Sawla-Tuna-Kalba) of which 118 of them have completed the 21 days of mandatory follow-up and have since been discharged.

According to the Service, the remaining contacts are still being followed up and none have any symptoms.

“On this day, the 16th day of September 2022, I Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director General of the Ghana Health Service on behalf of the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu together with our partners do hereby declare the initial outbreak of Marburg virus is over,” the Ghana Health Service Director General, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye told the media in Accra on Friday September 16, 2022.

He explained that three people contracted the virus out of which two deaths were recorded.

Almost 200 contacts of the three infected people had been followed up but none had any symptoms.

Dr. Kuma-Aboagye, therefore, thanked the World Health Organization and other partners who helped the country deal with the outbreak.

Source: Nam News Network

ACCRA, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the Ghana Embassy in Tripoli, Libya, is extending consular services to at least 20 Ghanaians in prisons in Libya arrested for various crimes.

The crimes they committed include operating brothels, consumption of alcohol in public, drug peddling and use, non-possession of valid travel documents (passport), as well as attempts to illegally cross to Europe, through the Mediterranean Sea.

The Ministry’s announcement comes after the Ghanaian Chronicle Newspaper published a story with the headline “Ghanaian Prisoners in Libya Cry for Help”.

The Ministry in a statement said “Although a number of our convicted nationals would claim to have completed serving their prison sentences, our checks indicate that there were instances where some of them were caught drunk at brothels and without necessary documentation and could thus be serving multiple sentences longer than what they had anticipated.

It added, “From experience, some Ghanaians sentenced in prisons or detention centres sometimes, though much aware of their prison terms, try to court sympathy by making atrocious audio recordings with the hope of securing a possible release or deportation, and thereby avoiding the dire conditions in Libyan prisons and detention centres.”

The Ministry further stressed that, “our Mission in Tripoli continues to make strenuous efforts to ascertain official information from the relevant Libyan authorities on the condition of our compatriots under detention across Libya and the actual sentences they are serving. These engagements with Libyan prison authorities to facilitate the release of our compatriots go as far back as May 2021, relative to those in their custody who claimed to have finished serving their sentences.”

Source: Nam News Network

KAMPALA, Ugandan lawmakers led by the Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa, condemned Members of European Union Parliament, accusing them of economic sabotage, racism and interference over a motion seeking to block the Shs14 trillion oil pipeline project.

“This motion seeks to curtail the progress of Uganda’s Oil and Gas developments and by extension, the country’s socio-econmic growth and development….the resolution represents the highest level of neo-colonialism and imperialism against the sovereignty of Uganda and Tanzania,” Tayebwa’ s statement reads.

The EU Parliament voted on a motion for a resolution to stop the construction of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), citing human rights violations and the negative environmental effects of the project both in Uganda and Tanzania.

Tayebwa said the motion is based on misinformation and deliberate misrepresentation of facts on environment and human rights protection aimed at sabotaging Uganda’s economic development.

The EU Parliamentarians advised member countries not to render any diplomatic and financial support to Uganda-Tanzania oil pipeline project.

In a statement backed by lawmakers, the Deputy Speaker talked of “economic racism” targeting developing countries and described the EU motion as a direct attack on not only the sovereignty of Parliament, but the whole country.

“Uganda is a developing country, and a sovereign state that has its unique development needs and priorities. I, therefore, call upon the European Union Parliament to withdraw the motion for a resolution that is against the UN Charter that provides for Uganda’s right to self-determination and sovereignty over its natural resources,” Tayebwa said.

He added: “These are individual MPs abusing their authority. You want to say we did not do a good job here? That they have more information about our resources than we do? This is just a scare of seeing an African country going to progress, and you would no longer be begging every day. You can question anything but issues of economic sabotage and blackmail.”

The EACOP is a 1,445 kilometer pipeline that will transport crude oil from the Albertine Graben to the coast and the international market.

Government is relying on the more than six billion barrels of the resource to move the country to middle income status, provide jobs, among other benefits. More than Shs14 trillion is expected to be invested in the pipeline works alone.

Tayebwa said the premise on climate change as advanced by the European legislators is disproportionately applied to Africa, yet member states of the EU continue to explore and use fossil fuels, including plans for future drilling.

“It is imprudent to say that Uganda’s oil projects will exacerbate climate change, yet it is a fact that the EU block with only 10 percent of the world’s population is responsible for 25 percent of global emissions, and Africa with 20 percent of the world’s population is responsible for 3 percent of emissions. The EU and other western countries are historically responsible for climate change. Who then should stop or slow down the development of natural resources? Certainly not Africa or Uganda,” Tayebwa said.

He added: “Fifty-three licences have recently been issued in the North Sea and Germany has revived its coal plants. In addition, western countries are seeking to import gas from African countries. All this is in a bid to ensure energy security in their respective states. Is energy security a preserve for only the European Union? Does Uganda not have the same right?”

In the statement, he also dismisses claims of non-compensation of Project Affected Persons, saying more than 70 percent have been cleared.

The Tororo Woman MP, Sarah Opendi, said considering the position of the EU as a prominent development partner, the Executive needs to engage the body for continued smooth diplomatic engagements.

Asuman Basalirwa, the Bugiri MP, added: “Do they perhaps have information we do not have? Do they know something that we do not?”

Felix Okot Ogong, Uganda’s representative to the Pan African Parliament, said: “Billions of dollars are siphoned from Africa in form of raw materials and as you try to add value, they interfere. The Pan African Parliament has resolved no one should dictate what we do with our resources. Our government should stand firm as a sovereign state,”

Muwanga Kivumbi, the Butambala County MP, said this is an agenda by western countries to keep Africa impoverished. He called for prudent management of the resources if the country is to gain economic independence.

The state minister for regional affairs, John Mulimba, said the Executive will study the resolution and report back to the House.

Source: Nam News Network

LUSAKA, Zambian Vice President Mutale Nalumango said that the country will not face any food crisis because it has sufficient maize stock.

In remarks delivered during a parliament session, the vice president said that public warning about a hidden food crisis should stop, as the maize reserves were sufficient for consumption until the next farming season.

Nalumango said that the Zambian government purchased 220,000 tons of maize, up from the targeted 170,000 tons, and that there was more in market supply and farmers were free to sell it to any buyers.

However, she admitted that there would be food shortage in some areas of poor harvests, noting that the government would step in to help.

“The situation is not as bad as it is being portrayed. We have done our vulnerability assessment and we know areas that did not produce enough maize. The Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit are ready to move in,” she said.

Early this week, the Zambia Public Procurement Authority canceled the fertilizer tender, raising concerns that the delay in fertilizer supply to farmers would affect the farming season and production of the coming season. 

Source: Nam News Network

DODOMA (Tanzania), Tanzania’s Ministry of Health has announced an outbreak of measles in seven municipalities after 38 people were confirmed to have the disease across the country.

Speaking to journalists in Dodoma, the Minister of Health, Ummy Mwalimu said the affected districts include Bukoba with three samples, Handeni District with four samples, Kilindi with three victims, Mkuranga four samples, Kigamboni eight samples, Temeke with 12 samples, and Ilala four samples.

She further explained that in controlling spread of the disease, the health ministry will continue monitoring victims by sending teams of experts to areas with more patients but also educate the society on how to prevent it.

Mwalimu said that the symptoms of measles are fever and rashes that can be accompanied by cough, red eyes and sores in the mouth, so people should go to health centers immediately when they see these symptoms. 

Source: Nam News Network

ASMARA,  Eritrea is mobilising military reservists to bolster the army, which has been aiding neighbouring Ethiopia in its fight against rebel forces.

Many in the capital, Asmara, were given notice on Thursday and moved to the border with Ethiopia’s Tigray region, within hours, sources said.

Reservists up to the age of 55 have been called up, they said.

Eritrea has compulsory, decades-long military service but the latest mobilisation efforts are linked to the civil war in northern Ethiopia – a conflict that recently flared up again after five months of relative peace.

Mobilisation notices were distributed on Thursday in the capital, the second-largest city, Keren, the western town of Tessenai and other areas calling on reservists to report to their respective head offices, while also advising that they should carry their own supplies, including blankets and water containers.

Eritrea has been fighting alongside Ethiopia’s central government troops since the civil war broke out in Tigray in late 2020.

Several human rights organisations have accused Eritrean soldiers of committing atrocities in Ethiopia, but these claims have been denied by Eritrean officials.

The US has imposed sanctions on the Eritrean Defence Forces and the ruling PFDJ party in response to their involvement in the conflict.

The Ethiopian government accuses TPLF leaders, who control the northern Tigray region, of plotting to destabilise the country, while Eritrea President Isaias Afwerki sees them as a sworn enemy.

Eritrea is isolated diplomatically and is a highly militarised state.

Source: Nam News Network

ADDIS ABABA, The Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) Moussa Faki Mahamat has appointed Mohammed El-Amine Souef, of the Union of Comoros, as his Special Representative to Somalia and Head of the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).

This new appointment is effective from Sept 1.

Until his appointment as Special Representative of the Chairperson of the Commission (SRCC), Souef served as the Head of the Regional Office in Gao of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

A former Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Union of Comoros, Souef also worked as the Head of Regional Office with the Head African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID).

In pursuit of his mandate as SRCC to Somalia and Head of ATMIS, Souef will maintain close and constant interaction with the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and other Somali stakeholders in supporting the implementation of the Somali Transition Plan and broader state-building processes in Somalia.

He will also work closely with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and its Member States, as well as with relevant bilateral and multilateral partners, including the United Nations (UN) and the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) and the European Union (EU).

In a similar vein, the Chairperson extended his deep appreciation to Francisco Caetano Jose Madeira from Mozambique, the immediate past SRCC to Somalia and Head of AMISOM/ATMIS, for his meritorious service to the AU during his over 6-year tenure.

While wishing the new SRCC and Head of ATMIS, a successful tenure, the Chairperson calls on all relevant national, continental and international actors, to closely collaborate with Souef in promoting peace and stability in Somalia.

Source: Nam News Network