Day: December 28, 2023

Low education among migrants’ communities has been identified as one of the barriers to peaceful coexistence with indigenes of the local communities in the country.

Most migrants and their host community members, out of insufficient awareness and education, turn to have negative perceptions about each other in terms of their rights.

These observations were made at a day’s community cross-talk organised by the Centre for Migration Studies (CMS), University of Ghana, Legon in partnership with Migration Advocacy Center, an NGO for migrants from Buduburam Refugee Camp, indigenes from Kasoa and its environs.

The event forms part of Migration for Development and Equality (MIDEQ) Project being undertaken by the CMS to promote peaceful coexistence among migrants and members of their host communities.

Professor Mary Setrana, the Director of CMS and IDRC Chair on Forced Displacement, said the cross-talk aimed at bringing stakeholders together to speak across their views, learn from each other to encourage cohesion
among migrants and host communities.

It was also to enable them to deliberate on how to co-exist by being nice to each other to build cohesion and thereby propel economic development of the country.

She said: ‘Migrants are very important for socioeconomic development of every country, hence the need to protect them to foster peaceful environment.’

She said there were lots of benefits within the West Africa region that migrants could take advantage of to better their lots and not necessarily move abroad.

Prof. Setrana said the dialogue would be a continuous effort by CMS to build stronger relationships with migrants’ communities across the country.

DSI Jonathan Tetteh from Ghana Immigration Service, Kasoa Central Sector Command, commended the CMS and MAC for the event to strengthen peaceful coexistence in migrants’ communities.

He urged the migrants to acquaint themselves with information and the laws on migrants to ensure peaceful stay in the country.

He also assured them of the Service’s preparedness
to assist and guide them to acquire the relevant documents and to regularise their stay.

MIDEQ project has identified a complex relationship, including some form of inequalities, between migrants and the locals.

The project also revealed that there was a lot of movement within Africa and that if policies and migration are handled well, there are some opportunities and benefits along the south-south migration for both host countries and migrants themselves.
Source: Ghana News Agency

The Upper West Regional Office of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), acting on intelligence, has arrested a suspected drug peddler in Tumu in the Sissala East Municipality.

The suspect, Abdul-Razak Kudus, aged about 35 years, was arrested for selling unregistered herbal drugs in Tumu and its enclave to unsuspected consumers.

Mr Kelvin Dafaari, the Acting Upper West Regional Head of the FDA, revealed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Wa.

He said the suspect was in police custody and would be made to face the full rigours of the law in accordance with the Public Health Act.

He said the suspect, who operated the Sawab Herbal in Wa, had registered the Sawab capsules and Sawab ointment with the FDA but sold about eight different products under the guise of the two registered products.

The unregistered products included Men Enlargement Tonic, Sawab Power Bitters, Sawab Koo Tonic, and Sawab T-Mala Mix, among others.

‘The most interesting thing is that all these medicines that he is selling are from one
ingredient but with different labels that are kept on the products to sell.

The herbal medicines are kept in different bottles, very dirty and not registered, and if you look at the expiring date on the drugs too, some of them have two varying expiring dates, one product with different expiring dates,’ Mr Dafaari explained.

He said the suspect produced the products in Wa but sold them in Tumu to evade the routine inspections of his activities by the FDA.

He said the arrest of Kudus added up to two people arrested in the region this year for drug peddling.

The FDA Regional Boss, however, indicated that the issue of peddling drugs in the region had been reduced since the FDA began operation in the region in 2011.

He indicated that few people in the region had registered their herbal medicines but that the FDA had made the registration process very liberal for every person who wished to manufacture and sell herbal medicine to do so legally.

Mr Dafaari cautioned the people in the region, who engaged in drug
peddling contrary to the Public Health Act to desist from the act since they would be sanctioned severely when apprehended.

He said the FDA staff might not be in every part of the region, but they were gathering intelligence, and had eyes were on the ground, and anyone apprehended would be sanctioned according to the law.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Network for Women’s Rights (NETRIGHT) with funding support from Africa Women Development Fund has donated relief items to flood victims in North and South Tongu Districts of the Volta Region.

The items worth GhS120,000.00 were given to victims who are women, girls, and persons with disabilities at Mepe and Sokpoe in the North and South Tongu Districts, respectively.

Madam Patricia Blankson-Akakpo, Head of Secretariat, NETRIGHT, told the Ghana News Agency they were worried about the difficulties experienced by women, girls, and persons with disabilities.

She said the items were presented based on the assessments carried out in the beneficiary areas by NETRIGHT through Global Action for Women Empowerment (GLOWA) and some NETRIGHT members.

Madam Blankson-Akakpo said the donation was made to help the people rebuild their livelihoods, following the spillage, which resulted in the widespread displacement of people and the destruction of livelihoods.

She said the action was also taken to show support for the a
ffected people and make sure they had access to food and good drinking water so they could stay healthy.

Madam Blankson-Akakpo further said NETRIGHT, AWDF and GLOWA shared in the suffering of the displaced, thus the decision to help them to lessen their plight and provide them with some form of comfort.

She noted that the gesture formed part of their mandate in providing a support to the vulnerable in society, especially women, girls and persons with disabilities.

Mamaga Adzesu II, Paramount Queen of Sokpoe Traditional Area, expressed appreciation for the support.

Ms Rosemond Ewoenam Atutonu, Executive Director, GLOWA asked the beneficiaries to put the items to good use and properly maintained them.

The items included bags of rice, mattresses, bags of gari, tin tomatoes, yazz sanitary pads, frytol oil, bar soap, washing powder, bathing soap, mackerel and bags of sachet water.
Source: Ghana News Agency

The Health Ladies Association, a group comprising health workers on Thursday presented items for the upkeep and to improve hygiene of female inmates at the Sunyani Central Prisons.

The items include quantities of sanitary pads, shaving blades, toiletries, washing, bathing and medicated soaps, pomade, brushes, pastes and washing powder.

According to the Reverend Esther Prempeh, the President, the Association was formed to support needy and vulnerable people in society.

‘We are happy when we share with the needy, orphans and the vulnerable people,’ she said.

Superintendent Charity Yeboah, in-charge of Industry at the female Prison, thanked the Association for the gesture and appealed for more of such support.

‘It’s been a long time since the inmates received shaving sticks from the public’ she stated and appealed to the public to also support the reformation of the 19 female inmates at the central prison.

Supt Yeboah said the reformation and reintegration of the inmates remained shared and collective res
ponsibility, saying more of such assistance was expected from the public in providing the essential needs of the inmates.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Protect Our Future Foundation (POFF), an NGO, based in Bolgatanga has donated clothes and food items to about 300 widows and single mothers at Adaboya, a community in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region.

It was part of the NGO’s annual outreach to provide for widows and needy women in rural communities.

Other activities under the outreach included training in soap making and health screening on cervical cancer amongst others for the beneficiaries.

Miss Susana Anutiga Nablise, Founder of POFF, speaking during the event, said the Foundation prioritised health of women, hence the initiative.

She said the community deemed the outreach timely, particularly the health screening session, which was indicated in the reception given to the team.

She stated that two women observed with noted severe health conditions were promptly taken to a CHPS compound at Bongo for medical attention where they were subsequently admitted.
Source: Ghana News Agency

Accountants have been tasked to constantly upgrade their skills, knowledge, and competencies and embrace innovation and change to meet expectations.

Dr Theophilus Senyo Ackorlie, the Finance Officer of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), made the call at the inauguration of the new Winneba District Society of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana (ICAG), hosted by UEW at Winneba.

Dr Ackorlie, a member of ICAG, stated that the accountancy profession was facing many challenges in the era of globalisation and digitalisation, thereby threatening its sustainability.

He said the profession was expected to provide reliable and relevant information for decision making to ensure accountability and transparency in financial reporting.

It was also to safeguard the public purse and to contribute to the socio-economic development of the country.

‘I, therefore, charge the Winneba District Society of the Institute to support the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) of its members to provide them w
ith the necessary skills and guidance to enhance their competencies and capabilities.

To ensure that the members patronized the CPD to achieve the maximum impact, organisers must be innovative in the choice of topics, facilities and medium of delivery, he stated.

‘To become a member of the Institute is one thing and to develop into an accomplished professional accountant is another,’ he said.

That required not only technical knowledge and skills, but also soft skills such as communication, leadership, teamwork and ethics to become a fully-fledged professional.

Dr Ackorlie, therefore, expressed the hope that the Winneba District Society would play a key role in fostering mentorship, facilitate and encourage the matching of mentors and mentees based on their interests, needs and preferences.

He underscored the importance of publication of technical papers as one of the powerful ways by which accountants could promote their profession and sustain its relevance.

That would go a long way to showcase the tale
nts and potentials of the members and enhance the profession in Ghana and globally, he added.

Prof Kwame Boasiako Omane-Antwi, a Fellow of the Association of Chartered certified Accountants (ACCA, UK) and a member of the ICAG, among other personalities, schooled members of the Society on a wide range of professional issues.

He urged them to adapt to change, be focused, ethical and endeavour to nurture integrity, which was the hallmark of the profession and never rush in taking decisions.

Ms Sena Dake, the President of ICAG, who inaugurated the Winneba District Society, led the executives to take the oath of office and allegiances after which he swore them into office.

Representatives from Cape Coast, Accra and Kasoa District societies graced the occasion with goodwill messages.
Source: Ghana News Agency