Day: February 1, 2024

Ms Charlotte Yawa Sodzedo, a final year student from the Adidome Farm Institute in the Central Tongu District, as she emerged winner of the Sixth edition of the Agricultural Student Boot Camp (AGSTUD) in Ghana.

She clinched the prestigious Agromonti Ultimate Prize after garnering over 97 points ahead of students from renowned institutions nationwide and was duly awarded by.

Agrihouse Foundation in partnership with Agromonti Company Limited.

As part of the prize package, she was awarded a shop stocked with agrochemicals and other relevant agricultural materials worth GHC 75,000.

Madam Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, the Chief Executive Officer for Agrihouse Foundation disclosed to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the initiative was geared towards propelling the youth into the realm of Agri input dealership and to also align them with the broader national agenda of ensuring seamless access to agricultural inputs for farmers across districts and communities.

She stated that though the competition was fierce, wit
h participants hailing from institutions such as Kwame University of Science and Technology, University of Ghana, and other esteemed establishments, Ms Sodzedo’s triumph showcased her knowledge and passion for agriculture.

Madam Akosa urged the relevant stakeholders in the district to continue supporting the students and gave the assurance that her Foundation would endeavor to play pivotal roles in pushing them to attain higher heights in the agricultural sector.

Mr. Benjamin Donkoh, the Technical Director for Agromonti Company Limited lauded the efforts of the Farm Institute and its management for facilitating brilliant students, who have an interest in the agricultural sector.

He mentioned that there was a dire need to get more women in the sector to contribute significantly to the sector.

Madam Selina Delali Amati-Doe, the Principal of the Adidome Farm Institute expressed gratitude to the organisers of the event and pledged her commitment to ensuring that the students always emerge the best in the coun
try’s agricultural industry.

Madam Amati-Doe called on Togbe Kwasinyi Kakakloko Agyemang V, Dufia of Adidome and Mr. Gabriel Alexander Hotordze, the Member of Parliament (MP) of North Tongu Constituency to offer their maximum support to the school.

Togbe Agyemang and the MP unanimously, gave the assurance that they would give the school the necessary support it needed.

They disclosed that measures were also underway with appeals to the government to upgrade the Farm Institute to a veterinary college.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has tasked accountants to go beyond traditional roles by embracing innovation and adaptation to become strategic business partners.

Their ability to leverage technology, analyze data, and navigate regulatory landscapes, would position them to provide ideas that would not only contribute to the financial health and success of the organizations they served but also enhance economic growth.

‘In today’s rapidly changing global landscape, the pursuit of economic growth has become inseparable from the twin pillars of innovation and adaptation.

As nations, industries, and businesses grapple with the challenges posed by technological advancements, demographic shifts, and environmental concerns, the imperative to foster a culture of innovation and adaptability has never been more critical’, Dr Bawumia stated.

These were contained in a speech read on his behalf by Mr Simon Osei Mensah, the Ashanti Regional Minister, at the opening of the 2024 annual conference of the Contro
ller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) in Kumasi.

The Vice-President observed that, although the CAGD had come a long way in using technology to fine-tune and simplify its business processes, it was imperative for the Department to continue looking for ways to enhance business processes to make it more accessible to stakeholders to have the right kind of information that translated into economic gains for Ghana.

This year’s conference was held on the theme ‘Enhancing Economic Growth through Innovation and Adaptation.’

The two-day conference would, among other things, be used to discuss creativity and innovative strategies that would help improve revenue generation at Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

It will also be used to discuss payroll improvement initiatives – dealing with the menace of unearned salaries, as well as digital transformation technological innovation, and tax implications.

Mr Kwasi Kwaning-Bosompem, the Controller and Accountant-General said in the last f
ew years, the Department had strived to pay salaries and pensions on schedule time despite the global economic challenges, explaining that even during the Covid-19 era, the institution did not relent in payment of salaries.

Again, he said, the Third-Party Reference System, an online system that allowed third-party institutions to deduct at source loan payment, insurance premiums, welfare, and credit union contributions as well as hire purchase repayment from salaries of the Government of Ghana employees had been improved significantly.

This, he said, had prevented fraudulent transactions from employee’s salaries and addressed issues relating to wrongful deductions.

Source: Ghana News Agency

South Africa has shipped the first consignment of products to neighbouring countries under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), boosting the momentum of the world’s largest free trade area.

Refrigerators, home appliances, and mining equipment were among the products shipped from KwaZulu-Natal’s Durban Port on Wednesday, January 31.

‘This shipment demonstrates that the African Continental Free Trade Area is a reality…we are taking forward the dream of an ever larger and ever stronger Africa,’ said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the event.

He emphasized that only proper implementation of the AfCFTA would allow African countries to grow quickly and sustainably.

Mr Ramaphosa said that South African automotive companies sourced leather car seats from a factory in Lesotho that employs about a thousand people, as well as wiring harnesses from Botswana, where two plants also engage several thousand people.

The companies, he added, sourced copper wire from Zambia, rubber from Cote d’Ivoir
e, Nigeria, Malawi, Ghana and Cameroon, and steering wheel components from Tunisia.

‘These are installed in cars that are then exported from South Africa to other parts of the world. These inputs alone accounted for more than $200 million worth of products traded among African countries and the scope to do more is available to us,’ he said.

The South African President praised African Trade Ministers for ensuring that about 92 per cent of the products traded between nations had been finalized, emphasizing that trade mechanisms for goods had proceeded faster than for services.

‘We, therefore, need to put more effort into building African champions in finance, retail and telecommunications, and in expanding tourism between African countries,’ he said.

Mr Wamkele Mene, Secretary General, AfCFTA Secretariat said that the inclusion of South Africa in the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI) demonstrated a significant milestone in the broader expansion of the free trade agreement.

‘This expansion is a clear reflection
of our collective resolve to harness the full potential of the AfCFTA for the prosperity of our continent,’ he said.

Mr Mene reiterated that AfCFTA represented the most promising pathway towards prosperity for African countries.

‘To fully tap into its full potential, it is imperative for our countries to place a high priority on manufacturing, transforming our free trade area into a hub of industrial activity.

‘Particularly, the development of regional value chains and the expansion of light manufacturing present tremendous opportunities to support industrialisation, diversify exports, and create numerous job opportunities,’ he said.

Mr Mene noted that by capitalizing on the potential provided by the intra-continental free trade agreement, ‘our countries set themselves on a path of sustained economic progress.’

He assured the Secretariat’s full commitment to continue to build Africa’s trade network.

‘Our primary focus is to empower African companies to fully capitalize on the opportunities that arise. B
y doing so, we aim to generate quality job opportunities for our people,’ he said

Mr Ebrahim Patel, South African Minister for Trade and Industry stated that around 12 nations were prepared and equipped to trade under the AfCFTA in products ranging from food and beverages to steel and equipment.

Other products were taxis, pharmaceutical and personal care products, chemicals and household goods such as fridges and televisions.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Stakeholders are raising alarms over the rise in female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) at Lakeside communities within the Volta Basin in the wake of the Akosombo Dam spillage.

The river-borne tropical disease, known as bilharzia, holds a significant share in causes of infertility and maternal morbidity, although registered among neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).

Mr Ben Sackey, the Director of the Environmental and Sustainable Development Department of the Volta River Authority (VRA), said schistosomiasis was a ‘major challenge’ that came with the construction of the dam and is now feared dominant in over 400 communities in five regions sharing the Volta Basin.

The Director was delivering an address at a symposium in Ho to mark the 2024 World NTDs Awareness Day.

He said the evading floods from the spillage carried along aquatic weeds bearing snails that carried the schisto worms.

‘With the flood waters was the movement of the water weeds which harbours the schisto snail vector. What it means is that the
weeds could now find themselves, in communities where hitherto, were not there.’

Speaking on plans for the control of post-spillage, Mr Sackey noted the inception of a baseline study on the spread of infection, which was being undertaken by the University of Health and Allied Sciences under an MoU with the VRA.

He said the provision of sanitary facilities including drinking water for affected communities was being sustained, while partnerships with the health authority continued to enable mass drug administration in hundreds of lakeside communities.

Projects including the dredging of the lower Volta are expected to take off soon, and the Director spoke of ‘a recent partnership’ with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the KNUST to develop economic value for aquatic weeds.

Professor Morhe, Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at UHAS, said the waterborne tropical infection was first reported in 1899 in Egypt, and presently remains ‘the most neglected gynaecological condition in sub-Saharan Africa’,
affecting over 50 per cent of females.

He noted increased risk among women and girls in underdeveloped countries, counting an estimated 56 million in Africa south of the Sahara.

Blood flukes, known as the trematode worms, are parasites, and which Prof Morhe said could retain a lifespan of more than 40 years in a human host.

Common complications include infertility, ectopic pregnancies, preterm and underdeveloped babies, and HIV.

Prof Emmanuel Morhe said the release of inflammatory cells by the parasites attacked all foreign proteins in the female fertility organs including fertilised ovaries, thereby affecting the menstrual cycle and ovulation.

He said a study conducted in eleven communities in the Volta basin showed that 36.21 per cent of the 400 women surveyed had the disease and was prevalent within the age brackets of adult teens and young adults.

Prof. Morhe added that the number of affected persons in the Volta basin remained unknown and that stakeholders should consider disease prevention efforts
including an end to open defecation and urination which infested water bodies with the parasites.

Dr. Alfred Kwesi Manyeh, a senior research fellow at UHAS, and an NTD expert who is leading the UHAS-VRA baseline study, said data so far, showed a culture of heavy dependence on the infested river.

He said although women less frequented the water body as compared to men, certain economic activities such as weaving, which sourced raw materials from the river, increased contact with the disease vectors.

Dr. Manyeh said the study was bringing to the fore, the issue of inadequate water supply, a lack of social mobilisation and sensitisation on mass drug administrations, a lack of stakeholder engagement on the various interventions, and the fear of adverse drug reactions.

The symposium was on the theme ‘Addressing the Burden of Schistosomiasis and the Related Conditions in Ghana Towards Achievement of the 2023 Road Map’ and was attended by stakeholders including heads of the Volta Regional Health Directorate, and
various health experts.

A route march through the streets of Ho and Hohoe was held a day prior to raise community awareness to the NTDs, of which Schistosomiasis remains a dreaded member.

Source: Ghana News Agency