Category: General

The Ghana Water Company Limited has donated some items to persons affected by the Akosombo Dam spillage in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region.

In collaboration with its Head Office, the Volta Regional Directorate of the Company presented 2,000 bags of sachet water and 100 packs of bottled water to the victims.

The items were presented by a team from the Volta Regional Office of the Company led by the Regional Chief Manager, Mr Francis Lamptey.

The Chief Manager said the donation formed part of the Company’s corporate social responsibility and aimed to alleviate the plight of the affected persons.

He said water was life, but it must be quality water to promote good health, hence the gesture was to enable the victims to have access to quality water to drink.

Mr Lamptey disclosed that the Company produced the water presented to the people through its subsidiaries called G-WATER, and it was of high quality.

He said the Company was delighted with the customers because without them they could not e
xist and be in business, hence they deemed it fit as a corporate entity to support them.

Mr Lamptey said they were concerned about the people, and that they would do whatever they could as a utility to support them with potable water to avoid any waterborne disease.

The items were received by Mr Divine Osborn Fenu, the District Chief Executive and Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a Member of Parliament.

Mr Fenu thanked GWCL for their support and pledged that the items would be distributed to the affected persons to ease the challenges.

Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for the area, expressed appreciation to the Company for mobilising resources to support the victims.

The MP also commended individuals and organisations and the entire country for their quick response to the situation in providing relief items to the affected persons.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana HIV and AIDS Network (GHANET), a non-governmental organisation, has advised Ghanaian youth to embrace self-testing to help minimise the spread and effects of the infection.

It said many people in Ghana were still living with the virus without knowing their status, which was dangerous.

The Organisation, therefore, called on Ghanaians to take advantage of the national self-testing programme to know their status and seek the required treatment to stay healthy and contribute to the country’s development.

Mr Patrick Anamoo, the National Public Relations Officer of GHANET, gave the advice on behalf of Mr Ernest Amoabeng Ortsin, the National President of GHANET, at the commemoration of the World AIDS Day at Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.

The event was organised by GHANET and the Network of Persons Living with HIV (NAP+), in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service, attended by some students and the public.

As part of the activities to mark the day, a health walk was held to create awareness
about HIV/AIDS, the need to get tested and avoid stigmatising persons living with the infection and encourage people to protect themselves against the virus by using condoms.

Free HIV testing kits were also given to some members of the public.

The participants held placards with inscriptions like: ‘Treatment for HIV is free, don’t Lose Guard’, ‘Test yourself, know your Status’, ‘Don’t be Naive, HIV is still real’, ’72 per cent of Persons Living with HIV in Ghana know their Status, what about you?’, ‘Don’t Assume…use Condom if you are not Sure.’

Mr Anamoo explained that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on health would not be realised if many people did not know their HIV status.

‘The National AIDS/STI Control Programme (NACP) has expressed confidence that the multiplication of HIVST testing options will help the country to achieve the first 95 of the 95-95-95 UNAIDS targets,’ he said.

‘Currently, only about 72 per cent of the estimated 354,000 persons living with HIV in Ghana know their
status. This means that about 100,000 PLHIV are not aware of their status and may be spreading the virus unknowingly.’

Mr Majeed Sulemana, the Upper East Regional HIV/AIDS Coordinator, Ghana Health Service, revealed that the prevalent rate of HIV infections in the region was 1.9 per cent in 2021, which he described as worrying.

‘There is cause for worry in the sense that new HIV infections among the adolescents, who are the productive force of the future, have actually increased across the country, it is not even the late adolescents, it is the early adolescents aged 10 to 14,’ he said.

He attributed the cause to decline in education on HIV/AIDS, making people to believe that the virus had been defeated and encouraged Ghanaians, especially the youth, to use condoms to ensure dual protection against STIs and unplanned pregnancy.

Ms Comfort Ayamga, the President of NAP+, said stigmatisation was a major barriers preventing the public and people living with HIV from visiting the health facilities for testing
and treatment, and called for increased education to fight the challenge.

Pe Aluah Thomas Asang-chera, the Upper East Regional Chairman of GHANET, said more needed to be done to protect the youth against HIV and other chronic diseases so they could help build a sustainable economy.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Right Reverend Dr Lieutenant Colonel Retired BDK Agbeko, Moderator of the General Assembly, Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPCG), has urged Christians to live their lives to model Jesus Christ to the world.

He said it could be done through the renewal and transformation of their minds and hearts and presenting themselves as a living sacrifice to do the will of God to demonstrate Christ’s life.

Rt. Rev. Dr. Lt. Col. Agbeko (Rtd) made the call during a sermon on the 50th Anniversary Climax Service of the 37 Military Hospital Methodist Presbyterian Church on Sunday.

It was on the theme: ‘Celebrating 50 Years of Living a Transformed Life through Christ the Lord’.

The Moderator said: ‘…So that people who are not hearing the gospel, but they experience us in the workplace, they experience in the home and in the country will see your life, the way you behave, and attitude and begin to understand that there is something different, there is something new about you that they need to follow.’

Rt. Rev. Dr. Lt
. Col. Agbeko said it appeared God and the Church were becoming irrelevant in human society, especially in the European countries and America.

He said, however, God was still relevant in Africa, but there would come a time when He would seem irrelevant because humans would be finding solutions to their problems and think God was unextistent.

‘… But it is God who gives us the mind, understanding and the ability to do what we view as solutions,’ the Moderator stated.

Rt. Rev. Dr. Lt. Col. Agbeko, therefore, encouraged Christians to keep a positive mindset and attitude, and be appreciative of God at all times.

Most Rev. Dr. Paul K. Boafo, Presiding Bishop, Methodist Church, Ghana, in a goodwill message, called on the Church to be committed and single-mindedly devoted to its task.

‘Your celebration is coming at a time when the people called Methodists in Ghana are focusing on discipleship and making an intentional effort to live the transformed life in Jesus Christ. It is my prayer the whole Christian commun
ity also make that the focus of all undertakings since that is the commission of the Lord,’ he said.

Rt. Rev. Professor Dr J.0. Y. Mante, Moderator of the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church of Ghana, asked the Church members to never forget the roots and heritage of their denominational traditions, learn from each other, and create the beautiful worship environment their founding denominations envisaged.

‘Due to the hardwork of the leadership and members, today you have something worth celebrating – a larger congregation and a larger worship space. We heartily congratulate you on this feat,’ he stated.

Rev Cadre Paul Adjei-Djan, Director General, Religious Affairs, Ghana Armed Forces, bemoaned the level of aggression of anti-Christian activities and advised members to use the Anniversary to market Christianity through their individual acts.

He said:’Let us pray to be beneficiaries of God’s divine grace and a manifestation of His wants.’

Colonel RL Mensah, Commanding Officer, 37 Military Hospital, said
the past five decades, the Church had stood as a beacon of faith, hope, and community service showing the unwavering commitment and selflessness that were hallmarks of the military personnel.

He applauded the Church’s support and inspiration to the military community and its dedication to nurturing the spiritual, physical and emotional health and well-being of service members and their families.

The 37 Methodist Presbyterian Church started in 1973 and currently has 650 members.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Alban Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, Monday said the Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which sought to proscribe witchcraft accusations, was passed on Thursday, July 27, 2023, yet to receive Presidential assent.

However, during Monday’s proceedings, the Bill resurfaced as Motion 41 in the Order Paper at the Consideration Stage, hence the Speaker directed the Table Office to remove it.

The object of the Bill is to amend the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Acts 29) to prohibit the practice by any person as a witch doctor or a witchfinder; to proscribe the declaration, accusation, naming or labelling of another person as a witch; and for related matters.

The Private Member’s Bill was sponsored by Mr Francis-Xavier Kojo Sosu, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Madina.

Other sponsors included Hajia Laadi Ayii Ayamba, NDC MP of Pusiga; Dr Godfred Seidu Jasaw, NDC MP, Wa East, Madam Helen Adjoa Ntoso, NDC MP, Krachi West, and Madam Betty Nana Efua Krosbi Mensah, NDC
MP, Afram Plains North.

Mr Bagbin said a letter to the Presidency, regarding the non-signing of the Bill was yet to receive a response.

He, therefore, urged the President to ‘follow the dictates of the 1992 Constitution to register his concerns over the Bill and not seek to flout the same Constitution.’

Commenting on the issue, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, an NDC MP for Tamale South, explained that the non-signing of the Bill by President Akufo-Addo was a ‘breach of Article 106 of the 1992 Constitution.’

Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Majority leader, clarified that the President had several issues with the passed Bill and had been seeking a meeting with the Speaker over the development, adding that he (President Akufo-Addo) had not refused to give his assent to it.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ho Jubilee Park, venue for the Sixth Volta Trade and Investment Fair, is witnessing the billing of lots of exhibitors from all over the country positioning their products to do business.

The Fair is expected to offer a common platform for business owners within the region and beyond to market their products to the rest of the world.

The Ghana News Agency’s visit to the venue on Monday, the first day of the Fair, saw many exhibitors from different parts of the country, including Tamale and Accra, with variety of local produce.

The Fair will officially be opened on Tuesday, November 28, on the theme: ‘Leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) for Economic Development.’

The theme aligns with the AfCFTA’s overarching goal of fostering inclusivity by empowering young Africans, women and integrating informal cross-border traders into formal economic framework.

The exhibitors present included the State Insurance Company, Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, Stanbic Bank, Ghana Export Promot
ion Authority, Ekumfi Fruit and Juice, GCB Bank, and Ghana Water Company Limited.

Others are Salaria Eyemed and Optical Suppliers, Teracita SPA, Ghana Standard Authority, Lareine Ventures from Accra, Mallai Enterprise from Tamale, Divine Superplus Enterprise and the Hohoe Municipal Assembly.

Those who spoke to the GNA said though the programme was yet to officially open, they had already started making good sales.

They were optimistic that there would be a massive turnout for them to sell, network and get new customers.

Mr Taufik Hudu of Mallai Enterprise, producers of African wear, was hopeful of getting new customers to expand his business and work towards exporting his brand.

Mabel Zewu of Lareine Ventures from Accra, producers of local body lotion, body and facial wash, commended the organisers for the programme and said the Fair offered an opportunity to market their products, network and expand their markets.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Five people are feared dead in a tragic road crash, which occurred on Monday on the Sunyani-Berekum Highway.

The Ghana News Agency (GNA) learnt that the accident occurred around 1400 hours when a taxi cab, with registration number BA GT 5591-12, heading towards Nsoatre, collided head-on with an unregistered private Salon car, which was coming from the opposite direction.

All five occupants, including the driver, were reported to have died on the spot, while the other driver, who was the only occupant of the private car, is said to be in critical condition.

When the GNA visited the scene, Police and Fire Service personnel retrieved the yet-to-be-identified bodies and deposited them at a mortuary in the area for preservation and identification.

A police source at the scene told the GNA that investigations had begun into the issue.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The bad road network in the Bono East Region continue to hamper farming activities, compelling some farmers to abandon their farms for other means of survival.

The trend has affected food prices in the area.

Although the region is known to be one of the country’s key food baskets, its farmers have persistently complained bitterly about post-harvest losses, as most of their productions are often left on the farm to rot due to poor accessibility of road networks.

A survey conducted by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in some major farming communities including Atebubu-Amantin, Prang, Kwame-Danso, Techiman North and South, Kintampo North and South and Nkoranza, revealed that about 45 to 65 per cent of farmers in the Bono East Region continued to suffer the same predicament.

The situation, which had not been attended to for a long time was gradually creating food insecurity which may impede the country’s progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The road system at Tadieso, Wuraso, Aworopata
, Akisimaso and Bamiri all in the Techiman South, established the plight of farmers who use the bad roads, making it difficult to get vehicles to transport their products to the market.

In the area of Krabonso and Jema communities in the Kintampo South District, Bomini, Busunya and other communities in the Nkoranza North district were also not left out in the situation as they also find it very difficult to send heavy agricultural equipment to the farms due to bad road networks.

Some of the farmers interviewed in the Tadieso community told the GNA that they had cultivated varieties of food crops ranging from vegetables to tubers on a vast land but did not have access to the market due to the bad road network in the area.

‘We are not able to send our produce from the farms due to bad roads and it is affecting our livelihood,’ they stated.

At Konkonti a farming community in the Techiman North district, a cocoa and yam farmer, Mr Awini Atongo, lamented about the lack of Agricultural Extension officers to sup
ervise and teach new farming methods, to increase productivity.

He said this had been a challenge to farmers in the area over the years.

He said quality healthcare services to farmers and their dependents had been another worrying issue, as health workers were not able to access the road to the area to provide healthcare to the people.

Mr Opoku Nyame, the District Chief Executive of Kintampo South Assembly, confirmed the situation to the GNA and said the government had initiated plans to address such road networks, indicating that most of the roads in these farming communities, had been given the needed attention for reshaping.

Source: Ghana News Agency

All is set for the Western Region to host the 39th edition of the National Farmers’ Day at Tarkwa in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality on December 1, 2023.

This is the first time the region is hosting the Day, which would be jointly organised by the ministries of Food and Agriculture, and Fisheries and Aquaculture Development.

It is on the theme: ‘Delivering Smart Solutions for Sustainable Food Security and Resilience’, under the distinguished patronage of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

It promises to be a momentous celebration as the event will be attended by farmers, fishers, traditional rulers, policymakers, researchers and members of the public.

Fifteen award categories are up for grabs. These are; the Overall National Best Farmer, the First and Second runners-up, National Best Livestock Farmer, National Best Female Farmer and National Best Physically Challenged Farmer.

The rest are the Best Fisher, Best Marine Fisher, Best Inland Fisher, Best Fisher Farmer, Best Fish Processor, Best Cocoa Farm
er, Best Most Promising Young Cocoa Farmer, Best Most Enterprising Cocoa Farmer, and the Best Shea Nut Picker.

As a prelude to the national awards night same day, there would be a Regional Celebration where the Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, will confer regional honours to deserving farmers.

The agricultural sector accounted for at about 20 per cent of Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs about 60 per cent of the population in the agricultural value chain.

The Western Region’s contributions to the development of the country’s agricultural sector has been enormous since about 58 per cent of the indigenes are into agriculture.

The region is the nation’s largest producer of cocoa, rubber, coconut and one of the major producers of oil palm, while having the potential to become a major producer of rice and livestock.

In terms of fish production, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture reports that about 45 per cent of fish on the Ghanaian markets are from the region.

It i
s also endowed with considerable natural resources like gold, oil, and bauxite, giving it a significant economic importance within the context of national development.

Mr John Kwamina Gyimah, the Western Regional Director of Agriculture, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that the national awardees would arrive in the regional capital, Sekondi-Takoradi, on Thursday, November 30, to pay a courtesy call on the Regional Minister and other dignitaries.

They would also be taken through some rehearsals before proceeding to Tarkwa, where the event would be held.

On what the celebration was meant to the region, he noted that: ‘The 39th edition of the farmers’ day comes to us a business blessing and a massive window of opportunity to showcase the economic potential of agricultural production in terms of crop, fish and animal productions.’

Mr Gyimah said the event would expose farmers to new strategies to improve upon agricultural production, including technology for marketing on both the local and in
ternational landscapes, job creation, capacity development, and partnerships.

‘At this great meeting, all stakeholders in the agriculture industry, both local and international, are going to be present to explore the various agro-ecological production zones in the Western Region,’ he said.

‘I believe many of them will remain here to establish new value chains due to our great potential, coupled with good weather and agronomic conditions for successful production in all sectors.’

Beyond the celebration, Mr Gyimah said his team would create opportunities for continuous engagement with industry players and interested groups to attract investment and create jobs for the youth

This year’s celebration would be preceded by a five-day national agricultural festival, dubbed: ‘AgriFest Ghana 2023,’ from Monday November 27 to Friday, December 1.

It will be held on the principal streets of the ministerial enclave in Accra.

Source: Ghana News Agency