Author: Web Desk

Mr Bright Kwame Lenwah, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Nkwanta South, has led a communal labour to fix part of the collapsed Gekyebum bridge that links the community to the Municipal capital, Nkwanta.
The highly patronised programme, only temporarily, managed to partially resolve the challenge, though it was better than in its previous state.
The MCE, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), on why a communal labour instead of reconstructing a new bridge, said though a lot had already been spent on repairs in the past, but it had become necessary to involve technocrats for a lasting project, to avoid the annual problem on the Gekyebum bridge.
Further, the purpose of the communal labour was to create a path where the water could pass through the remaining unbroken converts to keep part of the road safe for commuters, he said.
He finally called on the people to have patience and believe in the government that sooner or later the problem would be solved, because he was working hard to bring development to the people of the Nkwanta South, especially on the issue of roads.
Some of the people who took part in the communal labour expressed their displeasure about the fact that in the 21st century, people had to leave their daily activities to work on a road that the government had failed to construct with their own taxes.
Mr Ayim also said the government must consider the plight of the citizens of Nkwanta as far as development was concerned, saying ‘although it is necessary for the communal labour but it will not help the drivers on the road.’
Some residents were discouraged about paying taxes that were not being used as required, stressing that ever since the bridge collapsed, life had been difficult, especially for drivers since they could no longer go on with our daily activities.
They claimed their passengers turned to using motorbikes as the only way to cross the river.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Nkwanta North District Assembly in the Oti Region has organized its 2024 fee fixing resolution meeting to engage all stakeholders on the taxes and levies to be paid in the 2024 fiscal year.
The meeting was held in accordance with the Local Government Act of 2016, (Act 936) and the 1992 Constitution of Ghana that mandates District Assemblies to collect taxes for development.
Mr Sevlo Adjei, the District Coordinating Director, stated that it was prudent to ensure that levies/taxes due the Assembly are collected in order to maintain the Assembly’s stability in the area of development.
He urged stakeholders to support the Assembly by contributing their quota when it comes to paying taxes.
Mr Geoffrey Ahodor, District Budget Analyst for Nkwanta North, highlighted various rates that ought to be paid by the various organizations in the district for developmental projects.
He disclosed that the 2022/2023 fiscal year of the Assembly maintained its tax rates and sought to increase the taxes for the ensuing year.
He encouraged the stakeholders to make their own input to compile the fee fixing and abide by it accordingly.
Mr Adjei, the District Coordinating Director, seized the opportunity to educate stakeholders on environmental issues, proper acquisition and registration of lands and the developmental agenda of the Assembly.
In attendance were Heads of Department, artisans, community-based organizations, opinion leaders, traders’ association, GNAPS, Heardresers etc.
Some of the traders lament bitterly about the deplorable state of the district market which they appeal to the Assembly to develop the market for them in due time.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia, HE Hamza Abdi Barre met with Somali National Army officers who are undergoing military training in Doha, Qatar.

He expressed the Somali people’s hope that the officers would lead the liberation efforts against the Al-Shabaab militants who made their purpose in destroying the lives and property of the Somali people.

He also thanked the Government of Qatar for its support to the Government and people of Somalia, especially in producing high-quality SNA officers.

Source: Somali National News Agency

The Complementary Education Agency (CEA), in partnership with UNESCO and Engage Now Africa, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), have jointly observed the 56th International Literacy Day at Kadjebi in the Oti Region.
The event, which was held under the theme: ‘Promoting Literacy for Sustainable and Peaceful Societies in a Changing World,’ saw CEA Regional Directors and some District Directors from the 16 Regions of Ghana and a host of adult learners attending.
Mr Emmanuel Ntim, an Acting Executive Director, CEA, speaking at the programme, says bringing the Ghanaian non literate communities and by extension our country out of illiteracy is the prime occupation of the CEA.
He said there was the need for collaboration with CEA to transform the face of literacy and change the story of illiterate in Ghana.
Mr Ntim said it was prudent to say, ‘literacy is right to non literate and compass to life, literacy is a mental factor, hence, for the individual to become critical thinkers and contribute to the quality of public discourse, the realisation of literacy is paramount.’
The Acting Executive Director said literacy remained a social insurance against poverty and for an assured future; the promotion of literacy could not be underestimated.
He said illiteracy was not a natural catastrophe such as flood or earthquake that could be measured because it is a secret phenomenon that has damaged societies.
Mr Ntim said illiteracy was a silent destroyer of societies, individuals and races and should attract the desired attention as a natural disaster and that silence on illiteracy is treasonable.
He said they are currently implementing 5,000 CEA classes in Savanna, Bono East and Upper East Regions and hoped to increase to 20, 000 in 2024.The Acting Executive Director called on everyone to help change the face of illiteracy in Ghana.
Mrs Mamle Andrews, the Chief Director, Ministry of Education (MoE) said education was a key to unlocking the human potential and empowering individuals to actively participate in society.
She said literacy empowered individuals to expressed themselves very well, enable them to engage in critical thinking and enable one to navigate the complicities of the world that we live in and to understands different perspectives and contribute meaningfully to society.
Mrs Andrews, who represented the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Adu Twum, said the theme recognises the challenges and opportunities we face in Ghana and across the globe and that Ghana recognised the importance of literacy and has made significant efforts to promote literacy for all its citizens.
The Chief Director said the MoE was committed to quality education that ensured that every child regardless of background had access to solid foundation, quality, and affordable education.
She said though achieving universal literacy remained a challenge globally, especially in remote and marginalised communities, they are investing in infrastructure, improving Teacher training, expanding the availability of educational resources, among others to overcome the challenges.
Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO said, ‘Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.’
She said literacy was much more than merely learning letters and words as it transformed the drop of ink on paper into windows on the world and that it is the key that opens the door to knowledge, emancipation, and imagination.
Ms Azoulay said in the space of 40 years, significant progress has been made as 3.6 billion people have learned to read and write, raising the global literacy rate from 68 per cent in 1979 to 86 per cent in 2020.
‘However, the current situation is still rife with injustice and inequality. At the halfway point in the 20230 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 244 million school-age children are still not in school, 98 million of them in sub-Saharan Africa.
At the same time, 773 million adults still cannot read or write-two third of them women’, she said. The UNESCO Director-General said, ‘over and above illiteracy, learning gaps still too often lead to incomplete literacy: six out of ten children attending school at the age of ten cannot read and understand a simple text.’
She said that was why UNESCO supported literacy efforts in countries all over the world and that they paid particular attention to crisis situations, where the fundamental rights to learn to read and write were under threat.
Ms Cecilia Amankwa, Country Director, Engage Now Africa, said the organisation operated in 271 communities in 14 regions out of the 16 in the country and that since programme inception, they have enrolled 13,211 and graduated 7,647 learners.
Ms Amankwa said their zeal was in the belief that no one should be left behind and that they would do everything possible to carry along beneficiaries of the programme.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Anthony Asare-Nsiah, Presidential Advisor on Health has commended the people of Akatsi North and the contractors working on the government’s Agenda 111 project in the area.
He said the state of work so far, compared to others in the Volta Region placed Akatsi North contractors in a commendable position.
Dr Nsiah-Asare gave the commendation at Ave-Dakpa as part of his monitoring tour to all the eight project sites in Volta and those in the Oti Regions.
‘We were here in June last year with the President to inspect the edifice that has been placed here, and we were impressed. I can say today that we are over-impressed. It looks so beautiful.’
Dr Nsiah-Asare addressing traditional rulers, assembly staff, Heads of Department, and residents who converged at the project site said, they visited about five Zones including Greater Accra, Eastern, Central, Ashanti, Western North, Bono East, Ahafo and parts of Oti.
‘Today, we came to Zone Seven which is Volta with some sites in Bono East and Northern Region. So far, we have visited 56 sites, and I will say that so far, so good.’
He said they embarked on the inspection tour to assess the progress of work, ‘so, we can tell which project will be ready by the end of the year, the first, second, and third quarters of next year for commissioning.’
Dr Nsiah-Asare expressed the hope that all the 101 district projects together with the 10 selected regional and specialised hospitals that have started would be commissioned by the President for the people of Ghana to use.
He maintained that the initiative was real, and all eyes must see what they were doing, ‘bringing quality health care to your doorsteps because health is wealth.’
Mr Simon Peter Ofosu, the District Chief Executive for Akatsi North, on behalf of the Chiefs and people of the area, expressed their deepest gratitude to the NPP government for bringing development to the area.
He commended Dr Nsiah-Asare and his team for their commitment towards completing the project.
Mr Simon Ofosu also commended the Security agencies, the Chiefs, land owners, assembly staff, and others for ensuring materials and other items at the project site remained intact.
He also appealed for the construction of the Ave-Dakpa to Akatsi road along which the hospital was cited.
On their part, Global Management Construction Limited (GMC), the Lead contractor, Jalailo Limited, and JYC Pharmacy, the three main contractors working at the site, assured the team of completing the project, which was about 64 per cent complete within the stipulated time.
Eight other districts including Adaklu, Agotime-Ziope, Anloga, Ho West, South Dayi, and Afadjato South Districts are all benefiting, including the Akatsi South Municipality where a 100-bed capacity hospital project is underway.
The inspection team comprised, Mr Kwabena Nyarko, Chief Executive Officer of Hospital Engineering Group Limited, the Coordinating Consultant and his team of the Agenda 111 projects in Ghana, and Mr George Lomotey, Director for Procurement and Supply at the Presidency.
The rest included representatives from the Ministry of Information, Finance, Health, Monitoring and Coordination Unit from the Office of the President, and others.

Source: Ghana News Agency