Day: December 7, 2023

The National Communications Authority (NCA) has held a regional sensitisation forum for stakeholders in the Upper East Region for effective collaboration towards achieving its mandate.

The Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana National Fire Service, National Investigation Bureau, and the Municipal and District Assemblies, among other stakeholders, were taken through the functions of the NCA, including regulatory administration, legal, and engineering.

It aimed at building the capacities of the stakeholders on the NCA functions to enhance effective coordination for better service delivery.

Mr Kwame Gyan, the Deputy Director, Consumer and Corporate Affairs, NCA, said despite the Authority’s several functions, including facilitating universal access to quality communication services for national development, it was only known, unfortunately, ‘for closing radio stations.’

Also, its functions on regulating the communication industry in a forward-looking and transparent manner that promotes fair and sustainable com
petition could not be overstated.

Mr Gyan said, for instance, that a study conducted in 2014 indicated that only 14 percent of Ghanaians knew about the NCA’s mandate, and though this may not be representative in 2023, it was important to sensitise the stakeholders to be abreast of its mandate and their role to help achieve it.

He said the NCA’s work demanded collaboration with the various stakeholders and that their understanding of its mandate was paramount to facilitating its operations.

‘The work of the NCA requires collaborations with other state agencies, so for instance, if we were to take any action that required security, we would need the Police Service, and there is the need for them to know why they must be with us for such an exercise,’ Mr Gyan said.

There were instances where erecting a Mast or Tower at some places became an issue because some of the residents had misconceptions about them, but once stakeholders were sensitized, then they could be well positioned to support the NCA, he said.

H
e reinterpreted the regulatory role of the NCA and emphasized that it did not include the content media organizations aired but rather the frequencies and licenses used in operating.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Young Urban Women Movement (YUWM) has called on the government to ratify Convention 190, the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) treaty to prevent and address gender-based violence (GBV) and harassment at workplaces.

When adopted, the Convention, according to YWUM Chairperson Madam Hawa Tasala Gariba, will provide a framework for dealing with workplace violence and harassment.

It would also protect workers in the formal and informal sectors, as well as those living in urban and rural areas, from abuse and harassment.

Madam Gariba made the appeal at a stakeholder engagement in Accra on Thursday.

The engagement is part of the activities marking the ’16 Days of Activism Against GBV’ in 2023.

The ’16 Days of Activism Against GBV’ is an annual global event which seeks an end to violence against women and girls.

Madam Gariba said that a study undertaken by Action Aid on young urban women in the informal sector found that 44 per cent of such women suffered harassment in the form of rubbing, touching
, and groping.

The research also revealed that 49 per cent had been sexually abused, while 41 per cent had been sexually harassed more than once.

According to her, those unfavourable trends typically pushed women away from work, rendered them jobless, and made them poor and unable to achieve their life goals.

Madam Gariba said though the YUWM, a wing of Action Aid Ghana, had undertaken several initiatives like advocacy, campaigns, and engagement to end gender-based violence at work, the issue persists.

That is why YUWM was urging the government to ratify the Convention, she said.

She said the ratification of Convention 190 would create a safe working environment for women and safeguard their right to work.

Madam Agnes Simpey, Deputy Director at the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations’ Gender Desk, said that the Ministry had made significant efforts to ensure that the Convention is ratified.

She said since the execution of the Convention in Geneva in July 2019, the Ministry had engaged critical
bodies like Parliament and Cabinet to see to the ratification of the Convention.

Madam Simpey assured participants at the meeting that the Convention would be ratified to enable women to enjoy their rights and freedom to work.

Madam Eugenia Ayishitu Ayagiba, Campaign Manager, Women’s Rights, Action Aid Ghana, outlined why AAG invests in movements such as YUWM and other GBV activities, saying the goal was to persuade the government to invest in social services.

She said that, despite the country’s current challenges, the government should not ignore critical social services, such as funding initiatives aimed at ending domestic violence.

Madam Ayagiba noted that women make up a sizable proportion of Ghana’s workers and contribute significantly to the economy.

‘It is therefore important they work in an environment devoid of harassment and other forms of GBVs,’ she said.

The Labour Department and the Domestic Violence Secretariat, both under the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, also comm
itted to helping in the ratification of the Conversation.

On June 21, 2019, the 108 Session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, adopted the ILO Convention 190.

Several nations have ratified the convention since it came into effect on June 25, 2021.

Within Africa, 9 countries have so far ratified the convention. They are the Central African Republic, Lesotho, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, and Uganda.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Richard Opoku, a Global Inclusion and Safeguarding Lead at Chance for Childhood, has called on the Ministry of Education to prioritise the

implementation of Ghana’s Inclusive Education Policy by committing adequate funding to make inclusiveness a reality.

He also urged the Ghana Education Service to ensure that per the provisions of the Inclusive Education Policy, screening was conducted for every child who enrolled in primary school.

That, he said, would ensure early identification, referrals, and assessment of disabilities in children and adequate support.

‘Early detection will also ensure that all children with disabilities receive early and right intervening services to succeed in school and life,’ he added.

Mr Opoku, who made the call in an interview with GNA, said most children with disabilities were out of school due to the fear of stigmatisation and lack of family support.

Also, lack of capacity in many basic schools to give the necessary help to children with disabilities is hindering child
ren with such challenges from being out of school.

According to the World Health Organisation, there are about 150 million children with disabilities worldwide. About 120 million of these children, representing 80 per cent, are in developing countries, and less than 1.2 million (10%) go to school.

Mr Opoku noted in Ghana, there were an estimated 130,000 children with disabilities, but the figure could be quite higher, because not all children with disabilities are known.

‘Averagely, only one out of every six children with disabilities are in school. It means that for each child with a disability who attends school, there are five others who do not get education’.

He said: ‘There are also many children who are in school but not learning because they have a disability or different learning need such as Dyslexia (reading and learning difficulties), but it is not identified at an early stage.

‘Other learning difficulties affect other areas of learning. But very often these types of disabilities are overlooke
d, and the child is left to struggle on their own.

He said it was important that disabilities in children were identified as early as possible through screening and assessment for disabilities and other special needs to give adequate support for those who would need it.

‘There are many studies that show that children who have been identified early are much more likely to get the help they need. They are better able to achieve at grade level, have fewer behavioural problems and develop social and emotional skills,’ he noted.

In 2015, the Ministry of Education launched the Inclusive Education Policy. This Policy is to ensure that all children with special needs in Ghana have access to education, including children with disabilities and children who are out of school for other reasons.

The Policy prescribes that children with mild and moderate disabilities should be enrolled in mainstream schools. The special schools can only enroll children with severe disabilities and provide expertise services to the scho
ols in their vicinity.

The Inclusive Education Policy also emphasises the importance of screening and assessment, to identify diverse needs in children at an early stage. It states that ‘all schools should undertake early identification, referral and intervention through periodic screening of all learners.’

The policy further highlights that every child in primary school shall undergo an assessment twice every year, and assessment results shared with the parents. This provision in the policy is, however, yet to be fully implemented.

Chance for Childhood is a child-centered NGO working to promote a safe school environment and inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream education.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Panellists at a stakeholders’ forum for enhanced advocacy for children with visual impairments have called on parents not to abandon these children but continually show them love, care and support to ensure their wellbeing.

They said oftentimes, people with special needs suffered stigmatisation by both families and society, a situation that affected the self-worth of the victims, leading to mental disorders.

Among others, the child rights activists recounted the recent baby abandonment at Kasoa-Ofaakor in the Awutu Senya East Municipality of the Central Region, where a day-old ‘special baby’ was abandoned in the bush.

Though Ghana has made modest gains in ensuring the rights of children since the ratification of the UN Treaty over three decades ago, they said some cultural practices were discriminatory, since they inhibit children’s rights.

Instead of putting families under pressure through stigmatisation, society should encourage them to care for their children with special needs because they were also
gifts from God, who did not choose that path.

Representing the Cape Coast Local Council of Churches, Reverend Samuel Kwame Antwi, the Coordinator, asked believers to care for those in need and support people in inconvenient situations to make life worthwhile.

‘No person with a disability is worthless, they all can function according to their ability and so instead of stigmatising and abandoning them, they should be supported and encouraged to realise their potential.’

‘It makes the burden and frustration of not being fully whole lighter.’

Mr Okine Mustapha Aryee, the Cape Coast Metro Social Welfare Director, encouraged people with disability to apply for free National Health Insurance registration to access quality health care services.

The Department was also working to develop and coordinate community-based rehabilitation programmes for people with disability (PWDs), and vulnerable and excluded groups to promote access to social welfare services.

Mr Fred Mac-Ocloo, Principal Civic Education Officer wi
th the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), urged the assemblies to prioritise data collection of PWDs to help address their concerns.

Whilst calling for support to enhance their civic outreach activities in schools, communities, and groups, he advised parents not to abuse the rights of children with disability.

Hajia Salamatu Gausu, the Metro Special Education Coordinator, commended the Government for its commitment to providing quality and inclusive education to children despite the economic challenges.

She urged stakeholders (state and non-state actors) to see the implementation of inclusive education as a collective responsibility to ensure its sustainability.

‘This will help provide quality education fairly and equitably to all as a right.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

Tertiary Education Workers Union of Ghana (TEWUG) and Technical University Workers Association -Ghana (TUWAG) have merged to transact business in common as far as the Public Universities are concerned.

The merger is to promote cooperation, communication, and joint initiatives between TEWUG and TUWAG in matters to protect and promote the common interest of the Union members, including but not limited to collective bargaining, negotiation, grievance resolution, and advocacy.

The merger took effect from November 30, 2023.

This was in a statement issued and signed by Mr Sulemana Abdul-Rahman, National Chairman of TEWUG, and Mr John Alateng Ayarik, National President of TUWAG, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Tamale on Wednesday.

The statement said, ‘The two Labour Unions have common issues and related matters, which both parties have considered that when merged, it will help the two great Unions at the Public Universities in the country to achieve our common goals for the interest of our members.’

It
said TEWUG and TUWAG met on November 10, 2023, to consider proposals from both parties, where a committee was constituted to look at the modalities and to produce decisions for the merger.

It stated the areas of collaboration as part of the merger, saying ‘parties shall exchange in joint bargaining or share information pertaining to collective bargaining with the aim of advancing the interest of their respective members’ as well as negotiate for a better condition of service for the members of the Unions.

It added that the parties shall exchange best practices, resources, and support for effective grievance handling and dispute resolution processes and shall undertake joint advocacy efforts to influence legislation and policies that impacted the rights and well-being of their members.

The statement said, ‘The two Labour Unions are asking all the rank and file of their membership that henceforth TEWUG and TUWAG are now together, and we are by this communique informing the Employer and the whole Country that
this takes effect from Thursday 30th November 2023.’

The two Unions said they would for now maintain their names.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Parliament has approved the Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Government for the fiscal year ending 31st December 2024 after a head count of members.

The Majority had 138 votes as against 136 for the Minority.

Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, in declaring the results, said: ‘At the end of the headcount, the ‘ayes’ had 138, nos were 136, one absent. The ayes have it. The 2024 budget has been approved.’

On Wednesday, November 29, during voting to approve the Budget, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Deputy Minority Leader challenged the opinion of the Speaker that ‘I think that the ayes have it’, he therefore requested for a headcount.

The Deputy Minority Leader’s request was vehemently opposed by Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business in Parliament and his Deputy, Mr Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin.

The Speaker’s decision to conduct a headcount with each MP standing up at his seat to be named and counted, did not go down well with the
New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Majority, which led to a walkout.

During the House’s sitting on Thursday, November 30, the Speaker directed that the Business Committee retable the Motion for the approval of the Budget to Thursday, December 7.

However, during Thursday, December 7, sitting, when the Speaker put the Budget approval to a headcount, the 137 NPP MPs and one independent, Mr Andrew Amoako Asiamah, the independent Member of Parliament for Fomena voted enbloc to approve the Budget by 138 votes.

The opposition NDC Minority voted 136 against the budget, with one of them being absent from the Chamber.

Finance Minister, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, presented the budget to Parlaiment on November 15, this year.

Source: Ghana News Agency