Day: October 4, 2023

The Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection has engaged boys and men on Gender equality and Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) in Amamomo in Accra. The programme, which was in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Canadian Government, was to sensitise men and boys to be agents of change in ending Gender inequalities and for SRHR. Madam Matilda Banfro, the Greater Accra Regional Director, Department of Gender, said since gender equality was a human right and developmental issue, it was imperative for male and females to cooperate to end human rights violations and inequalities amongst them. She said several international conferences on gender equality had acknowledged the enormous role of men and boys in achieving gender equality. Madam Banfro called on men and boys to be actively involved in developing and implementing legislation and policies to foster gender equality, and in providing role models to promote gender equality in the family, the workplace and society. Madam Juliana Abbeyquaye, Acting Eastern Regional Director, Department of Gender, said it was prudent to invest in gender equality for a cohesive society, stressing that it was not a competition, but a collaboration of males and females. She said to attain gender equality, vices such as Gender Based Violence and child marriage must end, women and men must be empowered and women included in decision-making at all levels of society. Madam Abbeyquaye urged parents to be good examples of responsible behaviours because children learned from what they saw and heard. Madam Sheila Serwaa Ayiripe, a Senior Nursing Officer at Accra Metro Health Directorate, said erectile dysfunction was a common issue, which could signal a serious health problem in men. She said medical conditions or medications including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, obesity, and metabolic syndrome could cause erectile dysfunction. ‘These conditions can affect blood flow and nerve function, which are essential for achieving and maintaining an erection, ‘ Madam Ayiripe stated. Mr Rees Hakeem Oduro, Deputy Regional Commander, Narcotics Control Commission, Accra, called on the citizenry to provide adequate information on drug trafficking activities in the community to the appropriate authorities. He encouraged them to organise drug prevention education for the community and refer substance abusers to drug rehabilitation centres for treatment.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Accra Archdiocesan Catholic Youth Council (AADCYC) has inducted four executives to lead the Council for the next two years. Mr. Augustine Kwame Dagbey, Mr. McDennis Apawu, Ms. Rhodalene Anaba and Mr. Kizito Danso, were sworn into office at a short ceremony in Accra. An induction mass was held for the new executives at the Catholic Youth Formation Centre at Lashibi in Accra while outgoing officers received certificates for dedicated service. In his speech, Mr. Augustine Dagbey, the new AADCYC Chairperson, said the executives would respond to the call of service and contribute towards the growth of Catholic youth in the Accra Archdiocese. He said his tenure would focus on spiritual growth of the youth while using social media as a tool to spread the Catholic faith. He pleaded with individuals and groups to donate a minibus to facilitate travel and other activities of the association. Mr Gerald Woode, the past AADCYC chairperson, advised the new leadership to spread the gospel through digital channels, pledging support and counsel to the new administration. For his part, Fr. Alphonse Bulloro, Youth Chaplain of the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra, urged the outgoing executives to collaborate with the new executives to ensure progress of the association. The Accra Archdiocesan Catholic Youth Council plays a vital role in empowering young Catholics and fostering their spiritual growth. Through various activities and initiatives, the Council aims to create a vibrant and inclusive community for the youth.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The National Vice President of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD), Ms Sirina Mahamadu, has called on world leaders to speed up action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ensure they are inclusive of people with disabilities. She said front-runners must ensure that political declaration and national commitments made at the recent United Nations SDG Summit ‘focus on reaching those who are being left furthest behind’. Ms Mahamadu made the call when GFD presented a petition to the Chief Director of the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection in Accra, demanding ‘action to protect the rights of people with disabilities’. Some 48,063 individuals from 121 nations, including 14,178 signatures from Ghana, signed the ‘Promise in Peril’ petition initiated by GFD and Sightsavers. They include the disability movement, persons with disabilities, Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the public. The ‘Equal World’ campaign urges world leaders to keep the SDG promise of leaving no-one behind and ensure disability is specifically addressed in discussions on the SDGs. The SDG Summit, which took place in New York from September 18-19, 2023, sought to make new commitments and assess progress on the global goals, which are said to be going ‘off-track’. According to David Agyeman, Senior Programmes Manager of Sightsavers, people with disabilities were being hit hardest by the ”lack of progress on poverty and inequality” adding that ‘the promise to leave no-one behind is in peril.’ The call followed a United Nations (UN) report, which shows that the SDGs cannot be achieved unless urgent action is taken to include marginalised groups, including people with disabilities. World leaders at the recent Summit issued a political declaration warning that the world is nowhere close to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set in 2015.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Kennedy Agyapong, one of the Flagbearer Aspirants of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has commiserated with former President John Agyekum Kufuor on the passing of the former First Lady, Theresa Aba Kufuor. The Assin Central Lawmaker described the former First Lady as a calm, warm, and friendly person, who welcomed and received everyone with open arms. ‘She welcomed me as a son anytime I visited their home in Accra. I will go straight to her kitchen to prepare for myself a cup of tea or coffee whenever I paid a visit. This house bear testimony to that,’ he said when he visited the former President following news of the demise of Theresa Kufuor. ‘…When I speak harsh, my old man will not talk to me. He will call the wife and say, ‘that’s your son’ meaning I have erred, and she will talk to me about it. Yes, sometimes politics makes us go astray. She has been good to me, that’s why I made time to come and pay homage though I have lost my father, too.’ Scores of people, including Members of Parliament and top government officials continue to visit the home of former President at Peduase to sympathise with him. A day after the demise of the former First Lady, the Government directed that all flags shoud fly at half-mast for a week in her honour. A book of condolence has been opened in the house of the former President. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said he was very saddened by the demise of the former First Lady. Theresa Kufuor was a nurse and midwife. She served as first lady from 1st January 2001 to 31st December 2008 under the administration of her husband, President Kufuor. She is credited with the introduction of free maternal healthcare. She died at her Peduase home Sunday evening, 1st October, 2023 at age 87.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Ngmongmowuyaa Kwesi Animle VI, Paramount Chief, Osudoku Traditional Area, has asked the Government to fix roads in the traditional area. He said roads promoted economic growth and that bad roads in the area had crippled tourism promotion and economic activities. ‘It is pathetic to mention that there is not a single tarred road in the whole Osudoku Traditional Area, even though our major feeder roads link the Eastern, Volta and parts of the Greater Accra Region,’ the Paramount Chief said. He said this at the grand durbar of the 2023 Osudoku Aadegbor Djehayemi (festival) held in Osuwem over the weekend under the theme: ‘Tourism as a Tool for Socioeconomic Development of Osudoku’. Ngmongmowuyaa Animle, who is also the President, Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, appealed to the office of the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) to liaise with Government for the construction of road networks in the area to boost toursim. Mr George Nkrumah Ansere, Tema Regional Director, GTA, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said roads were important in the promotion of tourism and said GTA would continue to give technical support on tourism issues, including how to enrich the Aadegbor festival.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Development Bank Ghana (DBG) has partnered with Sinapi Aba Savings and Loans Limited to enhance lending to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to spur growth. Under the partnership, DBG will support Sinapi Aba Savings and Limited with a long-term funding of GHc15 million to meet the financial needs of its customers. DBG, which began operations in June 2022, has entered strategic alliances with key Participation Financial Institutions (PFI), including universal banks, to be able to support the MSMEs sector. It is the first time that DBG has onboarded a Savings and Loans company as a PFI. The partnership would afford DBG the opportunity to tap into Sinapi Aba’s network of 44 branches located in the country’s 14 of the 16 regions, reaching 65 percent of customers in the rural areas and support with much-needed long-term capital to bring about business growth and expansion. Sinapi Aba, on the other hand, will receive wholesale capital which it will on-lend to its base of MSME customers, the majority of whom are in the rural areas as patient capital. Highlighting the relevance of the deal, Mr K. Duker, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of DBG, said the partnership would allow DBG to reach an untapped target group, ‘which are the grassroots businesses who are also a vital component of the whole MSME sector.’ ‘Today marks a significant milestone in our shared journey towards economic development and empowerment. Through a loan facility of 15 million cedis, we are set to make a transformative impact on various sectors including education, agriculture, health, and manufacturing,’he said. More than 150 MSMEs will benefit from the collaboration, with 50 of these being women-led businesses. Overall, 6,000 jobs are expected to be created, supporting 30 youth entrepreneurs, and indirectly benefiting an astounding 30,000 individuals. According to Mr Duker, the partnership would, among many other benefits, bring about enhanced access to financial support to local businesses, business growth opportunities, capacity building, and preservation of livelihood especially among the lower-income strata communities. He said in the current difficult macroeconomic environment, it was important for DBG to step in to support businesses to build vibrant and sustainable private sector businesses. Mr Duker said the mandate of DBG was to help build a thriving and strong private sector by providing them with long-term capital. In his remarks, Mr Anthony Gyasi Fosu, CEO of Sinapi Aba Savings and Loans, said the alliance with DBG opened a new door of offering long-term patient capital to the many local businesses, who desired facilities with longer time span to allow them to grow their businesses and return value to their stakeholders. ‘The acknowledgment by DBG of Sinapi Aba’s pivotal role in the noble mission of building lives through financial inclusion and empowerment stands as a profound endorsement of our enduring commitment spanning 29 years. This recognition underscores our capacity to broaden financial access across a more extensive market, augmenting our capacity to provide enhanced financial solutions.’ He said the company currently has a customer base of more than 500,000. Mr Fosu said Sinapi Aba was committed to providing innovative financial solutions and training to entrepreneurs in MSMEs in Ghana to improve their business and enhance income-generating opportunities for the poor to improve their standard of living and positively transform their lives. He said the company was focused on Agriculture, Business, Housing, and Education. DBG is a Development Finance Institution established by the government of Ghana to facilitate and strengthen long-term financing to Ghanaian businesses along with the delivery of appropriate non-financial services to strengthen the ecosystem in which businesses operate. The Bank ensures that sustainable and global best practices are applied across all of its operations. The Bank has so far disbursed GHC 731 million, with an impressive GHC 277 million allocated just in September. The target is to lend reach one billion cedis by year’s end.

Source: Ghana News Agency