Day: October 26, 2023

Prof Kobby Mensah, Associate Professor of Political Marketing, University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), has expressed concern about the issue of vote buying in the run-up to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) November 4 presidential primaries. ‘It looks like our politicians have succeeded in corrupting the entire system where people are looking at goodies, physical distribution of monies etc. as the basis for choosing a candidate which is very appalling.’ Prof Kobby Mensah made the statement when he spoke to the media on the impending NPP flagbearer race slated for Saturday, November 4, 2023. The campaigns by the two forerunners in the race, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and Mr Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, have generated a lot of interest because of the personalities contesting. He said in the past delegates were shy to tell whether material things would influence their decision when it came to voting for a particular candidate, but the situation had completely changed. Prof Kobby Mensah urged the aspirants to convince the delegates that the reason for the flagbearership race was not just to select somebody to lead the NPP, but someone who could win power for the party in the national elections. ‘So, there is room for that message to be passed on to delegates that indeed the selection of the flagbearer is for the bigger competition and to tout their credibility and credentials as fitting to win that contest come 2024,’ he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Speaker of Parliament, has called for the ‘meaningful participation’ of the youth in the formulation and implementation of climate change policies at the national, regional and district levels. The Speaker said young people were ‘positive agents of change’ and could be positioned to lead climate action. Mr Bagbin made the call in a speech read on his behalf at the 2023 Local Conference of Youth on Climate Change held at the University of Ghana, Legon on Wednesday. The speech was read by Mr Yves Hanson-Nortey, Member of Parliament for Tema Central and Vice-Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Environment. The Conference assembled youth groups and young individuals who are actively involved in the issues of climate change to discuss the role of young people in mitigating the climate crisis. The National Youth Climate Action Plan was also launched at the event to guide and empower the youth in addressing critical challenges posed by climate change. Mr Bagbin said young people should not just be advocates of climate change but should be directly involved in formulating ideas and innovations that would help address the problem. ‘…there is the need to promote meaningful youth engagement in agenda setting and policy development that introduce fresh ideas and innovative solutions to tackle the climate crisis. ‘By so doing, it will increase the participation of the youth in the policy formulation and implementation of climate change policies at the national, regional and district levels,’ he said. The Speaker added there was a need to bring together multi-sector stakeholders to co-create solutions to bridge capacity gaps, highlight opportunities and showcase youth-led climate adaptation and mitigation measures. Mr Pius Enam Hadzide, the Chief Executive Officer, National Youth Authority, advocated the allocation of funds to support young people with innovative solutions to address or mitigate the impact of climate change. ‘The young people are encouraged to work with the Authority in terms of projects and approval of budgets, grants so that they can do their work,’ he said. Mr Fiachra McAsey, Deputy Country Representative, UNICEF-Ghana, said the climate crisis could not be addressed without youth participation and called for an increment in investments for youth climate support in Ghana.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Shai-Osudoku District, has engaged with residents of Oyarifa and Teiman in the Greater Accra Region to address their concerns on its newly introduced Mobile App. The app, with the catchphrase ‘ECG goes cashless,’ allows customers to easily transact business online using Mobile Money, Visa or Mastercard. The engagement also forms part of the company’s ongoing efforts to address teething challenges encountered by identified communities in using the app. The discussion was led by the District Manager, Mr David Amemasor, and the Regional Marketing Officer for Accra East Region, Mr Richard Akumey. Mr Amemasor said the ECG, being a utility service provider, was committed to customer satisfaction through its corporate responsibility and sound operation policies. The cashless system, which offered a lot of convenience to clients, had come to stay, he said and urged customers to download the Mobile App to access ECG services and pay online using their phones. He said the company prioritised such engagements to resolve emerging concerns and would continue to engage with clients to bring those concerns to the barest minimum in a win-win situation. At different forums in the two communities, participants complained about payment for credit not reflecting on their meters, difficulty in using the new app, delays in the resolution of complaints, and periodic fluctuation in power and power surges, which destroyed their gadgets. Others included postpaid meter users being shortchanged, and claims of being frustrated following complaints of faulty meters. Mr Amemasor, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the challenges were not beyond resolution, adding that teething challenges came with every new enterprise, which could largely be resolved. On the issue of alleged delays in complaints resolution, he explained that sometimes customers reported to the wrong office, which unnecessarily delayed the resolution processes. The new cashless system, he said, was a convenient means of paying bills and reporting all complaints for resolution. Before its rollout, the ECG carried out sensitisation programmes on television, radio, through public address systems, and floats among others, which would continue till customers became conversant with the new model. Assembly Members were engaged to complement efforts to broaden the scope of work in the sensitisation programmes. The ECG App was user-friendly and fashioned out in the features of accessing mobile money, Mr Amemasor said and encouraged all customers to get acquainted with it. ‘ECG is fully prepared and there is no turning back to conveniently serve our cherished customers.’ Mr Akumey, on his part, said the office would continue to prioritise the needs of customers with an open-door policy. A participant and a resident of Oyarifa, Mr Evans Okantey, appealed to the ECG to fashion out modalities to provide viable alternatives.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Leadership of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) and the organisers of the 2023 Volta Trade and Investment Fair have paid a courtesy visit to Mr Jeroen Verheul, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Ghana. The primary purpose of the visit was to extend an invitation to the Ambassador for the upcoming Volta Trade and Investment Fair scheduled to take place from November 26th to December 10th this year. Dr Humphrey Ayim-Darke, President of AGI, who led the delegation, disclosed that the encounter was also to explore potential areas of collaboration. The delegation, during the meeting, which was held in Accra, briefed Mr Verheul and his team about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Climate Action Workshop to be held on December 4, during the fair. Ambassador Verheul, in his response, lauded the initiative and indicated that they would provide technical expertise for the programme. He conveyed his readiness to support the Fair, which includes the sponsorship of select Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) who have benefited from the Embassy’s programmes. The SMEs would have the opportunity to showcase their products at the Fair. Additionally, Mr Verheul discussed the available avenues for collaboration and support that the Kingdom of the Netherlands could extend to the AGI. Notably, this year’s Annual General Meeting of the AGI would mark a first, as it is scheduled to take place in the Volta Regional Capital as part of the larger Volta Fair initiative. The delegation also included Mrs Grace Amey-Obeng, Vice President of AGI, Ralph Ayitey, Treasurer, Dela Gadzanku, Chairman of AGI Eastern, Volta, and Oti, Fred Avornyo, Chief Operations Officer of the Volta Fair, and Mama Blemali III, Queenmother of Afife.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Only 48 per cent of Ghanaians consistently wash their hands with soap, according to Dr Freda Prempeh, Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources. Referencing a scientific report made available to the Ministry (MICS 2018 Report), she indicated that 24 per cent of households had designated places or devices for handwashing but without soap and water. Equally, about 28 per cent also have no facility at home for handwashing when hands come into contact with germs. The report consequently showed inequalities in the coverage of basic handwashing facilities, which ranged from just 42 per cent in rural areas to 56 per cent in urban areas. Such inequalities in handwashing facilities and ineffective handwashing promotion programmes the report said, could put individuals at higher risk for diseases that impact their health, education, and economic outcomes. Dr. Prempeh disclosed this at the 2023 national media launch of the Global Handwashing Day in Cape Coast on Tuesday, on the theme: ‘Saving lives through handwashing with soap.’ The global theme for the celebration is ‘Clean hands are within reach.’ Organized by the Ministry of Sanitation, the engagement was aimed at equipping media personnel with information on the National Hand Hygiene For All (HH4A) strategy and roadmap for Ghana (2022-2030). HH4A is an initiative by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF that came on the heels of the onset of COVID-19. It is a call for all to achieve universal access to hand hygiene through a three-R approach, namely responding to COVID-19, rebuilding after the COVID-19 pandemic, and re-imaging hand hygiene to become part of the people’s culture. The initiative also aligns with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.2, aimed at achieving access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all, ending open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations. The goals identify 12 settings where handwashing facilities are expected to be available. They are households or homes; schools; childcare homes; healthcare facilities; workplaces; markets; transport terminals; correctional centres; worship centres; refugee camps; eateries and events or recreational centres. Dr. Prempeh stressed the need for Ghanaians to inculcate the habit of regular handwashing, given its significant part in preventing diseases. Washing hands with soap regularly is an effective way to prevent infections and communicable diseases such as cholera, hepatitis, typhoid, and respiratory infections. Dr. Prempeh said the importance of regular handwashing was brought to the fore more strongly, following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic globally and has since proven as the most cost-effective and effective way of dealing with a disease outbreak. Mrs. Marigold Assan, the Central Regional Minister, reiterated the essence of handwashing with soap which helped remove germs from hands to prevent infections because people frequently touched their eyes, nose, and mouth without even realizing it. ‘Regular handwashing is one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick, and prevent the spread of germs to others. ‘Whether you are at home, at work, travelling, or out in the community, regularly wash your hands to prevent any unpleasant consequences,’ she advised. Later, a durbar was held at the Kotokuraba market, where the traders were enlightened on the essence of handwashing and the processes involved.

Source: Ghana News Agency