Month: April 2023

In a bid to revive the vacoa artisan industry in Seychelles, the Little Explorers Club based at Bel Ombre has planted seven out of a scheduled 50 plants at the Domaine Val De Pres heritage site recently.

The Little Explorers plan to plant more vacoa trees at Bel Ombre in their garden where they are already cultivating fruits and vegetables. Those on Praslin, in partnership with Terrestrial Restoration Action Society of Seychelles (TRASS), are producing some more vacoa plants.

The Little Explorers Club, comprising children of 4 to 12 years old, was created by a not-for-profit organisation – Gaea Seychelles. There are presently two groups – one at Bel Ombre on the main island of Mahe and the other on Praslin, the second most populated island. The club promotes community-based activities relating to the environment, culture and tradition.

Last year, the Little Explorers focused on crafts made out of coconuts and this year it is vacoa crafts.

The vacoa is a very distinctive large parasol-shaped plant with aerial roots. It is not a palm tree. The vacoa tree can reach 20 metres in height and is used in weaving and in some countries as traditional medicines.

The director of Gaea Seychelles, Dr Elvina Henriette, said that these are skills that children are unaware of, and it is slowly fading out of Seychellois culture.

Henriette says that these days few artisans work with vacoa leaves and no one is planting the trees either, so they are trying to promote the idea of planting vacoa plants to supply the artisanal industry.

“We want these children to learn these things, this is why we did the tree planting activity. We want the children to know more about the plant and what we can do with it and later in their life they can become entrepreneurs,” she said.

“If we as adults don’t transfer the knowledge to our youth, the new generations will not know about it! It is easy to say that children of today know nothing but if we don’t share the knowledge, therefore, the children will not know,” added Henriette.

The 50 young vacoa plants were provided by TRASS, which prepared the seedlings.

The vacoa plant, which is used by artisans to make bags, hats and mats, can hardly be seen around Mahe, said the executive director of the National Heritage Resource Council, Benjamine Rose.

“Cultural practitioners have to go further into the forest to collect vacoa leaves. This tree planting activity is a very important one as it provides an opportunity to revive the vacoa industry and the fact that it is being done by the Little Explorers is very encouraging,” she added.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

Mr Bright K. Lenwah, the Municipal Chief Executive of Nkwanta South in the Oti Region has paid a familiarization visit to some communities in the Bonakye North Electoral area.

The communities visited were- Bugna, Jumbu Cheri and Alege-Akura.

His visit was to ascertain the challenges of the chiefs and people of these areas and find immediate solutions to them.

Mr David Yatima, the Assemblyman for Bonakye North Electoral Area, highlighted challenges confronting the communities, which included bad road networks, poor school facilities, lack of potable drinking water, lack of telecommunication network, lack of electricity and poor health facilities.

He commended the MCE for the initiative and hoped that measures would be put in place to address them.

Mr Lenwah, responded to the various issues raised by the communities, and promised to deal with the issues, especially those directly under his jurisdiction and refer those that were not under his immediate control to the appropriate quarters for redress.

He called for continuous support to government policies and interventions regardless of their political affiliation and to live in peace and harmony with one another as the only way to derive development.

The people in the communities visited expressed their appreciation and gratitude to the MCE for his visit saying that, this is the first of its kind a face-to-face meeting was held to ascertain their challenges, which had boosted their hope and confidence in him and his government.

They encouraged him to continue his good works for the people of Nkwanta South and assured him of their support whenever he called on them.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Reverend Dr Komi Hiagbe, Rector of the Global Theological Seminary (GTS), Centre for Capacity Building and Continuing Education (CCB and CE) has called on Christian leaders and church workers to remain committed to their calling.

He said it was important to remind ourselves of the call to serve God fully in all situations.

Dr Hiagbe made the call when he addressed GTS Akatsi Campus students at their maiden graduation ceremony held at Akatsi in the Volta Region.

He called for the commitment in doing God’s work regardless of any challenging moment that may occur along the line.

‘Under whatever condition, let us not be found wanting in doing God’s work. Know that you are serving God,’ he said.

Dr Hiagbe who was also the guest speaker during the short graduation ceremony which saw 20 graduands, commended them on their resolve to enhance their knowledge in doing God’s work.

He urged the graduands to move to higher heights after attaining their initial excellence in Christian Ministry courses.

Reverend Forestone Tsagli, the Akatsi Presbytery Chairman, disclosed that the school was recommended for Catechists, Church Elders, Deacons, Administrtors, and other church workers who desire to be equipped for effective ministry.

The ceremony, which was held at the GEC’s Shalom Chapel auditorium, under the theme, ‘Christian Ministry as Service to Christ and His Kingdom,’ was part of the climax of this year’s Presbytery Representative Conference of the Church, Akatsi Presbytery.

Certificates were presented to all graduands who took part in the mandatory nine-month Ministry Course.

The ceremony brought together some governing council and management members of the school such as, Professor Sampson Agbozo, Council Chairman, Reverend Dr Michael Alloteh Iiamofig, Vice Rector, Dr Hayford BK Kwashie, Registrar, Reverend Forestone FK Tsagli, Presbytery Chairman, Akatsi, Rev. SK Agbeyome, as well as Pastors and Church workers.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Chartered Institute of Supply Chain Management (CISCM) has held an induction ceremony for 96 members as part of efforts to develop and grow the supply chain industry.

The event, which was a climax of the celebration of the World Supply Chain week, appreciated the efforts of these individuals for their continuous support to the industry.

Speaking at the ceremony, Professor Kofi Osei Frimpong, a Fellow at the Chartered Institute of Supply Chain Management, said there was the need to prioritize the supply chain industry due to its contribution to national development.

He said businesses in Ghana would have collapsed if authorities had no idea on supply chain management and its benefits.

According to him, the country’s inability to understand the supply chain had led to the borrowing of huge sums of money from the International Monetary Fund.

Professor Frimpong again explained that importation of goods to the country had caused more harm than good and encouraged that there should be more exports which would yield profits for Ghana.

‘I urge you all to be up to date and broaden your scope in the supply chain industry in order to understand certain things that are happening in the business side,’ he noted.

He urged the various companies to produce local content to help boost Ghana’s economy in these difficult times.

Mr Awuku Sam, Vice President of CISCM, also congratulated all 96 inducted members of the institute and urged them to give their best to see the growth of the Supply Chain Industry.

He lauded the commitment of the Chartered Institute of Supply Chain management in contributing to the growth of Ghana’s economy.

Some notable names among the inductees were Mr Seth Kwame Acheampong, Eastern Regional Minister, Professor De-Graft Owusu-Manu, and Professor Aaron Lawson.

The weeklong celebration saw engagements with Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company Limited, Tullow Ghana and other companies.

Source: Ghana News Agency

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is expected to address this year’s May Day celebration in Bolgatanga, the Upper East Regional capital.

Annually, May 1 is celebrated as Labour or Workers Day across the world to recognise and appreciate the contributions of labour in nation building across the globe.

This year’s celebration would be on the theme: ‘Protecting incomes and pensions in an era of economic crisis: Our responsibility.’

Mr Stephen Yakubu, the Upper East Regional Minister, who confirmed the President’s participation in the celebration to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Bolgatanga, said ‘All is set to receive the President for the occasion.’

He noted that the President had frequently visited the Region, and it was therefore not a surprise that the Upper East Region was chosen for the National May Day celebration, adding that the tourism industry would be boosted.

‘All our major hotels in the Region are full, and that will increase incomes of the business community. In fact, apart from the May Day celebration, since I became Minister, the Region hosted National conferences of the Ghana Bar Association, the Ghana Medical Association, the Medical Laboratory Professional Workers Union among others,’ he said.

Mr Yakubu reiterated the need for residents in the Region to live in peace to attract more conferences and National events to boost tourism and businesses.

Leaderships of some labour Unions, especially the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) and the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) made appeals and shared their expectations from government in this year’s celebration.

Mr Samuel Alagkora Akolgo, the First Vice President of the GRNMA, appealed to government to reconsider its decision to rope in pension funds onto the Domestic Debt Exchange programme.

He said the Social Protection system in Ghana, especially for the aged was not the best, ‘So if people save their money with the hope that they will use that to sustain their lives, and this programme will affect them, we do not think that is fair.’

Mr Akolgo appealed to the President to assure the people that pensioners who had been complaining about their locked up investments would be exempted.

He said the cost of living and taxes had increased after labour negotiated the salaries of workers for 2023.

‘Obviously, these were not factored into the negotiation and now that some of these things are coming up, we expect government to work out a package to compensate workers for the introductions of some of these taxes,’ he said.

He said it was the expectation of the Association government would address inflation rate in the country which he noted affected market prices of items.

‘A lot of workers spend their money mostly on food, so inflation influences the food component so much. This means the purchasing power of the ordinary worker will be reduced.

‘So we expect the President to announce measures that will curtail the high inflation we are experiencing now. From the data, we are hovering above 40 per cent, which is not good for planning,’ Mr Akolgo said.

Mr Charles A. Ateem, the Bolgatanga Municipal Chairman of GNAT said ‘For us as Teachers, we need better conditions of service. We expect the President to tell us what the government is doing to better our conditions of service.’

On Housing Scheme for Ghanaian workers, Mr Ateem recalled that President Akufo-Addo cut the sod for the construction of a 120 affordable housing unit to ease the housing deficit in the Region, and said ‘We expect to hear from the President the state of that project.’

Source: Ghana News Agency