Day: November 27, 2023

The Interfaith Tourism World (ITW) club, a religious tourism club, has been launched in Accra with the aim of uniting people of diverse faiths through the transformative power of travel and exploration.

The club made up of over 250 members seeks to open doors for those eager to uncover the rich tapestry of tourist sites in Ghana and beyond.

Mr Ernest K. Boateng, President of ITW Club, said religious heritage could act as a transmitter of the age-old values linked to the identity of a territory while reflecting on the relationship between the religious value and the monumental value of a place.

This reflection, he said, was based on the initial premise that at present there were elements related to the architectural heritage of the church that have wholly or in part lost their use value as places of worship.

Mr Boateng said religious phenomenon was a crucial part of human history, in every period with evidence to support the existence of religious activity.

‘Religious tourism is a niche within the segmen
t of cultural tourism, comprising four specialist niches, pilgrimages, visiting sacred sites, church, mosque and temple tourism, and also travel for the purpose of mission or worship.’

The President said the mission of the club goes beyond mere sightseeing, but connecting individuals to positive experiences through tourism. ‘By this, we aim to shift perspectives and enable them to see the world in a new light.’

‘As a tourism club, we strive to bridge the gap between the affluent and the less privileged, as well as foster unity among various religious communities in our great nation.’

Mr Boateng noted that members of the club, have the opportunity to enjoy a range of benefits, subject to decisions made by leadership. These privileges encompass both travel and tour advantages, as well as social benefits.

‘We will also offer career guidance for those interested in pursuing studies in tourism-related fields, and recognize and reward those who demonstrate exceptional potential and contribute positively to the
communities they visit during exhibitions and fairs.’

In times of need, active members will also have access to financial aid and mutual support, and have the privilege to participate in literacy programmes thoughtfully designed by the club.

‘Before the end of this year 2023, the club in partnership with Adom Group of Companies and its subsidiary ANB Acrylic Limited will paint the entire building of the Rising Star Orphanage home located in Dodowa and donate to selected individuals and orphanages as part of our social responsibility.’

Mr Kofi Atta Kakra-Kusi, Deputy Head of Corporate Affairs, Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), said tourism brings a lot and it has helped to build our nation in many ways.

It is evidence of our footprint in the tourism industry in terms of preserving our patriotism and ensuring the peace and progress of our nation.

He said the GTA was delighted to empower clubs such as the ITW club in order to push the tourism industry to a higher pedestal and boost the economy.

Mr Kusi said d
omestic tourism now plays a critical role in the tourism industry and was hopeful that with the launch of this club, domestic will improve and more tourists from the diaspora would come in to experience what Ghana has in terms of religion and tourism.

Madam Alisa Osei-Asamoah, President of Tour Operators Union Ghana (TOUGHA) said, the establishment of this new club was a great initiative and would help promote the tourism industry since the clubs also play a major role in the tourism industry.

She said her outfit also seeks to promote the tourism industry, especially domestic tourism, and assured stakeholders they would collaborate with the ITW Club and provide the needed support for them to also contribute their quota in moving the industry forward.

Executive members for the club were later outdoors, including Ernest K. Boateng, President, Faustina Yakubu, Vice President, Afia Animah Boateng, Secretary, Saka Nana Yeboah, Organizing Secretary, Ebenezer Asare, Deputy organizing Secretary and member of the m
edia Team, Iddi Ibrahim, Treasurer and Thomas Arthur, PRO and Member of the Media team.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Over 250 businesses in the Adansi enclave are expected to participate in this year’s Obuasi Trade Show (OTS) set for this Christmas, Mr. Ishmael Yakubu Coffie, Chairman of the show, has announced.

The annual event, which is the sixth edition, brings together small and medium enterprises and exhibitors to showcase their products at one place to promote sales for local businesses.

The theme chosen for this year’s event is ‘Harnessing our Creative Potential to Diversify the Local Economy of Obuasi.’

Consequently, a media launch has been held in Obuasi to unveil activities lined up for the event, which is put together annually by AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine and its partners, made up of the Obuasi Municipal Assembly, Obuasi East District Assembly, Akrofuom District Assembly and the Ghana Enterprise Agency.

Mr. Coffie told the media that this year’s edition would be spiced up with other side attractions such as music and fashion shows, comedy shows, rep your jersey, rep your community, and health screening.

H
e said the goal was to boost the local economy by providing a platform for businesses in Obuasi to showcase their products to create a market for them beyond the trade show.

Mr. Edmund Oduro Agyei, Head of Stakeholder Engagement and Land Management of AngloGold Ashanti, said the company prioritised innovation and sustainable development as underpinned by its 10- Year Socio-Economic Development Plan (SEDP).

‘Today, as we mark the preparation towards organising the five-day Obuasi Trade Show, we are thrilled to share that our focus on diversification goes beyond just mining,’ he told the media.

He said AngloGold Ashanti recognised the importance of supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs.

‘Through strategic partnerships and investments, we aim to stimulate the growth of various sectors within Obuasi’s local economy to nurture vibrant and self-reliant communities,’ he emphasized.

He entreated entrepreneurs and artisans to seize the opportunity to showcase their talents, products and services, while fo
rging networks and partnerships to strengthen the local economy.

Dr. Maurice Jonas Woode, the District Chief Executive for Akrofuom, said empowering local businesses was the way to build a resilient local economy.

He reminded the people of how Obuasi became dormant when AngloGold Ashanti suspended operations to undergo care and maintenance, stressing that it was important to diversify the local economy.

He applauded AngloGold Ashanti for implementing various interventions in the areas of health, education, and economic development under its 10-year development plan.

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

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 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 ECOWAS Court of Justice on Monday 27th November 2023 commenced a workshop aimed at reviewing its risk management strategies and developing a comprehensive risk register for 2024 under the theme ‘Risks Register Training and Preparation of the 2024 Risks Register.’

The objective of the workshop is to equip Judges, Directors, Heads of Divisions/Units, and other relevant members with the requisite knowledge and skills to effectively implement robust risk management strategies.

In his opening remarks, President of the Court, Hon. Justice Edward Amoako Asante, emphasised the workshop’s objective of developing and adopting Risk Register for the ECOWAS Court of Justice. He underscored the importance of empowering heads of division and unit with the necessary expertise to identify and address potential risks associated with their duties.

Justice Asante urged participants to actively engage with the experts’ guidance on the development and management of a risk register, recognizing its significance as an essent
ial tool for proactive management.

Dr. Alfred Braimah, former Auditor General of the Institutions of the Community and Lead Consultant, reminded participants of the pervasiveness of risks, emphasising their inherent presence in everyday life.

Mr. Babatunde Oladipo, a consultant, highlighted the emergence of new risks, acknowledging that while participants may be familiar with some, they may be unprepared for new ones. He defined Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) as the art of proactively avoiding or mitigating risks before they materialise, enabling smarter decision-making.

Participants are expected to define risks from their respective departments and submit solutions to mitigate their consequences and optimise the objectives of the Court.

Source: Ghana News Agency