Day: April 18, 2023

Pernod Ricard Ghana, a Spirits and Wine company, has in partnership with Street Sense Ghana donated 20 barricades to the Ghana Police Service to address drunk driving.

The barricades boldly branded with the inscription ‘S3 metwi aa menntwa’ meaning ‘If I will drive, then I won’t drink,’ will be deployed by the Police at major road check points and through their visibility, keep drivers informed on the dangers of drunk driving.

Madam Eunice Osei-Tutu, Head of Sustainability and Responsibility, Pernod Ricard Ghana, said the company, as part of their sustainability and responsibility roadmap was encouraging responsible consumption of alcohol.

She said the donation formed part of the company’s road safety campaign dubbed ‘S3 metwi aa menntwa’ launched in December 2021 in partnership with Street Sense Ghana targeted at road users especially commercial drivers.

However, Madam Osei-Tutu said this time around, they decided to channel some resources to the Police to drive the message home.

Thus, with the barricades mounted on the roads, the drivers and even passengers will get to see the campaign message boldly written on them as a reminder that if they are to drive, then they should not drink at all, she said.

She requested feedback from the Police on how well the customised barricades were helping to address the menace and were ready to continue partnering with the Police in other areas to reduce road crashes.

Madam Osei-Tutu said her outfit had also started putting up some permanent visibility signages at major intercity lorry stations to keep reiterating road safety messages.

She said they were working with Street Sense to come up with a campaign ahead of the December festivities to intensify road safety education, amongst road users.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Abass Al-Meyao, Director of Operations, Ghana Police Service thanked Pernod Ricard Ghana and Street Sense Ghana for the kind gesture and assured that the barricades would be maintained and put to maximum use.

He said the barricades would not only create awareness on road safety but also help to control crime, especially at barriers and used for crowd control.

ACP Al-Meyao called for more collaboration between stakeholders to sensitise road users on the dangers of drunk driving and other lawless behaviour on the roads.

He urged passengers to ensure that drivers acted professionally and report any reckless driving to the Police.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Federal Government said the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG CARES) Programme had impacted over two million poor and vulnerable beneficiaries in the 36 States and the FCT.

The Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba, made the disclosure at a news briefing in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said the impact was part of efforts to achieve the core objectives of the Economic Sustainability Plan created by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Agba also stated that the results of the first round of assessment of NG-CARES implementation showed that the states and the FCT were improving on their strides to alleviate poverty.

” This is a testament to the success of the programme so far.

”You will recall that to ensure a seamless implementation of the programme and noting the challenge of paucity of funds by the states and the FCT, the Federal Government provided an initial advance of N35.3 billion to all the 36 states and the FCT in March 2022.

“This was with a plan to recover the one-off advance during reimbursement.

“Within one year of giving out the advance, many states were able to achieve appreciable results.

“This informed the Federal Government’s approval to release earned reimbursement to the states and the FCT based on their outstanding performance,” he said.

Agba assured that Buhari’s administration would strive to deliver development to the poor, vulnerable and the underserved before handing over to the next administration.

“As you may be aware, the Federal Government sought and obtained a 750 million USD credit facility from the World Bank to support the 36 states and the FCT in the implementation of the NG-CARES Programme.

“The purpose of the support is to mitigate the economic and social shocks faced by poor and vulnerable Nigerians as a result of the lockdown during the COVID-19 crisis.

“The credit is on-lent to the 36 states and the FCT with each state allocated 20 million dollars ex-ante and the FCT 15 million dollars.

” It is a multi-sectoral programme designed to provide immediate emergency relief across various sectors to vulnerable and poor Nigerians, smallholder farmers and Small and Medium Enterprises that were adversely affected by the pandemic,” the minister said.

Agba further said that based on results earned by the 36 states and the FCT, the Federal Government on April 13, disbursed N45.3 billion to 29 states and the FCT.

He said that Zamfara emerged the best performing state after the round of assessment and therefore, received the highest amount of N5.2 billion from the total disbursed sum of N45.3 billion.

Agba, however, said that out of the 36 states and the FCT that were participating in the NG-CARES programme, seven states were unable to repay the advance, while only Imo did not earn any result in the first round.

” For the purpose of clarification, let it be noted that if a state does not receive a reimbursement during the current round, it is still eligible for reimbursement during subsequent rounds.

” In order to qualify, states must adhere to set guidelines outlined in the programmes’ Financing Agreement, Funds Release Policy and Independent Verification Agent Protocol,” Agba said.

The minister added that going forward, there would be more assessments and any eligible state or the FCT that met the criteria would be reimbursed accordingly

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Abuja Branch, on Tuesday donated food items and toiletries to female inmates in Suleja Correctional Services Centre.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the items includes provisions, sanitary pads, bags of rice, toilet rolls, detergents, izals and toothpastes, among others.

The visit was with a release order of a female inmate, whose fine was paid by the Abuja FIDA branch, with support from Mrs Sarah Dejo, as part of activities to celebrate her 50th birthday.

The Chairperson, FIDA Correctional Service Centre Committee, Dr Rosemary Chikwendu, said the visit was made out of love and to celebrate Dejo’s 50th birthday.

Chikwendu said one of such mandate was to protect, promote and preserve the rights of vulnerable women and children in the society.

“We have a list of those expected to pay for compensation and fine, we are going to reach out to those who can support in the payment of the fines.

“Reaching the Court, part of the compensation will be paid, but as inmates, you must be of good behaviour so that we can recommend you like the person that was recommended today,” she said.

Chikwendu advised the inmates to ensure they learn the various skills being taught in the Correctional Centre as it could be useful to them in life.

The Chairperson of FIDA, Abuja Branch, Chibuzo Nwosu, said their members who came to support them were from three branches which includes FIDA Gwagwalada, Niger and Abuja chapters.

She however advised governments and NGOs to continue to support by ensuring that the Correctional Service Centres were in proper conditions.

The Chairperson of FIDA Gwagwalada, Prof. Josephine Agbonika SAN, said good behaviour count as it helps in the release of the inmates from the Centre.

She however advised the inmates to abide by the rules of the centre, saying it is not the end of world.

Responding on behalf other female inmates, Nene Odinze, appreciated the women lawyers for the donation and appealed for their support by providing educational materials like textbooks and notebooks as some of them are enrolling in WAEC and JAMB.

NAN also reports that two female inmates regained their freedom during the visit.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Khartoum, Sudan, Somalis living in Sudan are facing a difficult life situation as a result of the ongoing conflict in the country. The conflict, which has been going on for three days, has involved the use of various types of laser weapons and has affected people who are not born in Sudan, mostly students. Thousands of Somali students are studying in Sudan, and some of them are facing difficult life situations. Some of the people who spoke to SONNA, the Somali national news agency, said that they have not had any water or electricity for three days and that they have not been able to leave their homes. ‘Until this morning, we have been working to evacuate mostly female students who are trapped in areas of Khartoum where there has been intense fighting,’ said one of the students who volunteered to help their brothers. ‘There are still some students who are still trapped in some neighborhoods and we have not been able to go to them.’ Omdurman, which is part of the Trilateral Capital of Khartoum, is reported to have girls who have been trapped there and have not had a chance to come out. There are two girls who have been isolated for 3 days. Rescuers say, ‘so far, they have not received any help. They are hiding in the basement under the stairs. Their condition is dangerous. Today, a military plane crashed near them. ‘One of the two girls whose voice we heard said, ‘the situation is dire, the bullets are firing very heavily, they will not stop. We will be contacted soon and told when we are wanted.”Unfortunately, there is no open bridge. The war that started until now, we have tried to bring people from Bahri and Omdurman, but it has not been continued,’ said one of the rescuers. ‘The best solution is to get boys in Omdurman to pick up the girls and take the two girls to other girls in Omdurman.’The situation of the conflict is getting worse, and President Hassan Sheik Mohamud has suggested to both sides to negotiate and compromise. ‘Our painful experience in Somalia is that conflicts are easy to start but prove very difficult to end,’ President Mohamud said, urging his Sudanese counterparts to think twice before allowing the situation to deteriorate further. He called on the heads of state to intervene urgently with all means and possibilities under their power.The Embassy of Somalia in Sudan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are working together to rescue people stranded in the country. Sudan is one of the countries that has given scholarships to Somali students. Thousands of Somalis live and study there. Some got government scholarships while others are studying on their own

Source: Somali National News Agency

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Country Representative Mamadou Balde said Ethiopia is a generous country that has received close to one million refugees.

The country representative told ENA that this generosity is very important one that is recognized by the international community; and UNHCR is very grateful for the generosity.

As of February, the government of Ethiopia has received close to 100,000 refugees from the Somaliland area of Somalia. That is really a testimony to the generosity and very strong commitment, Balde elaborated.

We are grateful to these host communities and the Somali regional government who have received their brothers and sisters, he said, adding that several partners are working together to support the refugees who have arrived.

Since the arrival of the refugees, we have been able to partner with the Refugees and Returnees Service and there are quite a large number of people, including children who have seen their families separated and who have lost their parents, the country representative stated.

“Our appeal is that there is as quickly as possible resolution to the problem so that the refugees can return home and do not remain a long period of time in protracted situation.”

Balde further commended the strong commitment of Ethiopia, which is manifested through the very progressive refugee proclamation that would allow refugees to live more dignified life until such a time that they are able to return home.

Ethiopia, which is working to transform the livelihood of refugees based on the most progressive proclamation in effect, has a reputation for accepting refugees, participating in joint projects, providing vital services and banking services.

On the other hand, the country representative expressed his gratitude to the contributions made by donors to UNHCR.

“I believe that the international community is showing solidarity toward Ethiopia, recognizing Ethiopia’s generosity. We have several very solid donors to Ethiopia. I will not cite all of them here, but we have very strong governments that are providing support through UNHCR and NGOs to help alleviate and to help the refugees live more dignified life.”

Yet, this is not enough. We need more, but are grateful for the support that donors are providing, he stated.

“We live in a world where we have a lot of competition in provision. That is why we also need to compete to make sure that solidarity and generosity continue in order to support the refugees and the refugee hosting areas.”

According to him, education, health and water systems and all the social services are extremely critical for the refugees who have arrived but also for the communities that have accepted to host them.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

National Rehabilitation Chief Commissioner Teshome Toga told the Ethiopian News Agency that registration of former combatants will begin in June 2023.

The National Demobilization and Reintegration Programme (NDRP) programme activities will support demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants, making important contribution to national efforts to consolidate peace and promote stability.

National Rehabilitation Chief Commissioner, Teshome Toga said extensive efforts are being exerted to enable ex-combatants to return to peaceful lives and participate in the country’s peace, democracy, and development processes.

The former fighters are sections of the society who participated in various conflicts in the country, and in the two-year long war in northern part of Ethiopia, he stated.

According to him, the commission has succeeded in organizing the commission, explaining its purpose, and conducting discussions with donors and partners to collect financial support since it started operation three months ago.

In addition, Teshome pointed out that a consensus has been reached on the preliminary arrangements necessitated to rehabilitate ex-combatants in Tigray, Amhara, Afar, Oromia, Benishangul-Gumuz regions.

The National Rehabilitation Commission was established in November 2022 for a period of two years to assist with demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants across the country.

“Disarmed former combatants want to reintegrate into society, that is what we at least hear all over the country. Therefore, it is necessary to gather support from donors and partners to implement this program of demobilization and reintegration which is vital in bringing them to a center and rehabilitating them.”

The chief commissioner stated that the commission has prepared a two-year program in cooperation with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), investors and civil society organizations.

Ambassadors of various countries and donor institutions have confirmed their support to the efforts initiated to achieve lasting peace and stability in Ethiopia, he revealed.

Once the National Defense Force and other security institutions complete disarmament of the combatants, rehabilitation activities will begin quickly, Teshome stated.

Noting that the National Demobilization and Reintegration Programme will support demobilization and reintegration of 250,000 to 300,000 ex-combatants, the chief commissioner disclosed that the effort requires 550 million USD.

As soon the disarmament of fighters from all parts of the country has been completed, registration work will begin in June 2023, it was learned.

“When we confirm that disarmament work is over, we will demobilize those who have been released. We are working on this registration software. …….And if we finish by the end of May, we will enter the registration process from June first 2023. This is our temporary plan. We’ll run it together.”

Besides the registration, Teshome said that a team has already been formed to evaluate the centers in each region to accommodate ex-combatants.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency