Day: March 2, 2024

President Nana Akufo-Addo says Ghana is envisioning nuclear energy to account for 30 per cent of the country’s energy mix by 2070.

This would ensure the provision of clean and affordable electricity to drive the country’s industrialisation agenda.

‘It is also meant to position Ghana as a net power exporter in the ECOWAS region through the West African Power Pool,’ he said.

President Akufo-Addo made the statement when delivering the 2024 State of the Nation Address to Parliament.

He stated that his remark was an extension of what he said at the US-Africa Nuclear Energy Summit and the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Co-operation (IFNEC) Ministerial Conference, which took place in Accra in November last year.

‘We have committed ourselves to the development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes,’ he added.

Nuclear energy comes from splitting atoms in a reactor to heat water into steam, turn a turbine and generate electricity.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, nuclear is a lo
w carbon emitting source of energy apart from being a clean, reliable, affordable, and modern energy source.

Available data indicates that the total installed capacity for existing plants in Ghana is 5,134 Megawatt (MW), with a dependable capacity of 4,710 MW.

Thermal generation accounts for the largest share of Ghana’s power generation, representing 66 percent, with hydro accounting for 33 percent.

Ghana’s thermal power generation is fuelled largely by natural gas, but occasionally using light crude oil and diesel. Ghana exports power to Togo, Benin, and Burkina Faso.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has charged students of the Zanlerigu Junior High School in the Nabdam District of the Upper East Region to study hard to become successful people in future.

Madam Monica Mamattah, the Director of Finance at the NCCE said the ascertion that children are the future leaders of the country comes with a responsibility that required of them to work hard to attain the requisite human capital that would enable them to manage the affairs of the country when the baton of leadership is handed over to them.

‘As students, you are here to acquire knowledge and must foremost take your academic activities very seriously because your future and the future of this country hinged on you, and that is the more reason you should be serious about adding value to yourselves.’

The Director of Finance made the remarks when she addressed the students on violent extremism, as part of the Prevention and Containing Violent Extremism (PCVE) Project being implemented by the NCCE with f
unding support from the European Union (EU).

The PCVE project is being implemented in eight border regions of the country, including the Upper East, Upper West, North East, Northern, Savannah, Bono, Bono East, and the Oti regions.

It is aimed at creating awareness about violent extremism and facilitating activities to engender security consciousness, social inclusiveness, community cohesion, and situational awareness among the citizenry.

Mr Joachim Elbazar, the Nabdam District Director of the NCCE, noted that peace was essential to the development of every country, and as students, they must do well to maintain the peace the country was enjoying by avoiding acts of violence.

He urged the students to inculcate in themselves the habit of ‘saying something when they see something’ suspicious in their respective communities by reporting such suspicious characters to the security agencies and opinion leaders.

Mr Elbazar added that the Commission’s quest to engage citizens on the threat of violent extremism to
prevent the invasion of extremists in Ghana would only be a success when young people joined hands by saying no to violence and called on them to be peace advocates.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Bartholomew Darabor Setsoafia, the founder of Volta Dance Culture Group, has said that interest in Ghanaian local dances has increased.?

Mr Setsoafia said that these days, people have been hiring the services of cultural groups for various social events, adding that even during funerals, traditional music and dance performers’ services are being used, especially to match the cultural beliefs of the bereaved.

He told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that the local Ghanaian dances do not only involve the movement of the body parts but rather are done skillfully to rhythmic patterns that express people’s histories, happiness, tragedy, achievement, and communicate a lot more.

He mentioned that it has also served as an attraction for international tourists to visit Ghana over the years, adding that it was refreshing that Ghanaians were now appreciating their own.?

He disclosed that this year, the cultural group had already performed at three functions and was looking forward to more as the year p
rogressed.

Mr Setsoafia stated that the group, which was founded in 2013 at Accra Newtown, is a master in the performance of the agbadza, kinka, atsiagbekor and adzogbo dances.

He said the establishment of the group was a vision from God to build a bigger family on earth and help people identify their talents.

Mr Setsoafia said the group has also absorbed some unemployed youth who are catering for themselves and their families, adding that members are also supported on a welfare basis.

He added that to ensure that the youth become skilled in the dances and advance in the sector, the government must give attention to cultural groups to create more opportunities for the youth.?

Touching on some challenges, he said some event organisers often refuse to provide them with water and other courtesies they extend to other performers and artists.

He said because the dances required the use of lots of energy and strength, it was just proper that event organisers stick to their side of the contract by providing th
em with the necessary things to make their work easy.

Mr Setsoafia called on the Ghana Tourism Authority and traditional leaders to sensitise the public on the importance of Ghanaian traditional dances so people would fully appreciate them and hire the services of such dance groups, especially during national events.

He said that the Volta Dance Cultural Group aims to go international to raise the banner of the country and boost interest among tourists in the local dances of Ghana.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Upper East Regional Child Protection Committee has intensified community engagements on child protection issues with residents and asylum seekers in five districts within the Bawku enclave in the region.

The engagements which benefitted the Bawku West, Garu, Tempane, Binduri and Pusiga Districts were part of efforts of the Committee to ensure that the asylum seekers as well as the indigenes prioritised the welfare and growth of their children.

The intervention, coordinated by the Department of Children with funding support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) was informed by activities of violent extremism in the Sahel region which had displaced several people particularly from Burkina Faso and compelled many to seek refuge in Ghana.

Apart from engaging some of the asylum seekers who were being hosted at the reception and resettlement centres at Tarikom in the Bawku West District, the Committee further engaged others who were being hosted by relatives in the various communities.

They were
taken through the need to prioritise their children’s education, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), immunization, food and nutrition and child right issues such as teenage pregnancy, child marriage and Female Genital Mutilation among others.

Mrs Georgina Aberese-Ako, the Acting Upper East Regional Director of the Department of Children, said education was part of behaviour change communication strategy to enhance both residents and asylum seekers’ knowledge on child protection issues.

She said due to the emergency that forced the asylum seekers to relocate into the country, they were vulnerable and there was the urgent need to build their capacity on how to care for their children in the area of their rights, WASH, food and nutrition among others.

‘Child rights are universal, it does not matter where the child is and so it is necessary to engage them to protect their children from abuse,’ she added.

Apart from engaging the asylum seekers on their rights and responsibilities, Mrs Aberese-Ako indicated t
hat the Committee further sensitised indigenes to be guided by the influence of the asylum seekers to engage in some cultural practices that were unacceptable in Ghana.

‘The Population and Housing Census shows FGM practice was high among people around border communities and so our concern is that, that practice is done in Ghana,’ she added.

She added that apart from engaging the communities, the Committee had developed jingles in three local languages namely Bisa, Kusaal and Hausa which were being played on radio stations in the area while the Committee engaged in dawn and dusk sensitization to influence positive behaviour change.

Mr Mawuli Agbenu, the Upper East Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), who is also a member of the Committee, said apart from engaging the participants on child protection issues, the Committee further sensitized them on violent extremism.

The Regional Director urged both the asylum seekers and the indigenes to report any suspicious characters
to the law enforcement agencies for action to prevent any spillover of attack in the country.

Mr James Twene, the Acting Director of the Department of Gender, noted that the influx of asylum seekers into the region due to the Sahel crisis was not affecting the displaced persons particularly women and children but had also put pressure on residents of host communities and there was the need to sensitise them to enhance social cohesion.

He commended the government, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, the Ghana Refugee Board, UNICEF, and World Vision among other institutions for playing various roles in responding to the humanitarian situation.

Source: Ghana News Agency

?Two fishermen in the Kpone Traditional Area in the Greater Accra Region are?holding themselves as chief fishermen for the?community, creating tension amongst the fishing community.

The two, Nii Tetteh Ashong II and Nii Nuertey Chawe III, both natives of the area, are interpreting a Supreme Court ruling on the issue as favouring them.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Nii Nuertey Chawe III claimed that a Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, indicated that he had been cleared to hold himself as the chief fisherman for the Kpone fishing community.

Nii Chawe III further told the GNA that he was ready to help develop the Kpone landing beaches and bring some dignity to the fishermen in the area.

According to him, plans were far advanced to build a modern fishing harbour in Kpone, and he therefore called on fishermen to support him to uplift the image of fishing in the community.

Meanwhile, the other contender, Nii Tetteh Ashong II, speaking to the GNA, expressed shock to hear
his contender and his supporters jubilating in the community over what transpired at the court on Wednesday.

He noted that the Supreme Court ruling did not state that he had been stripped of his position as the chief fisherman for the Kpone Traditional Area, saying such acts could be cited as contempt of court.

According to him, the apex court only granted some relief the complainant sought after a Court of Appeals judgement in July 2022, and that it has nothing to do with who should hold himself as chief fisherman.

He added that no one has the details of the Supreme Court judgments the parties were told to come for the judgement on March 7, 2024, stressing that he remained the gazetted chief fisherman recognised by the National House of Chiefs and the Kpone Traditional Council.

The Ghana News Agency observed that supporters of Nii Nuertey Chawe III were seen jubilating on some principal streets in the Kpone township amidst singing and dancing to traditional songs.?

Source: Ghana News Agency