Day: April 19, 2024

A book titled: ‘Fadi’ by Azags Agandaa, a Ghanaian writer has been shortlisted in the 2024 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.

Other African writers who make the 2024 five-strong Africa shortlist include ‘Dite’ by Reena of Mauritius; ‘House No. 49’ by Olajide Omojarabi of Nigeria; ‘The Goat’ by Jean Pierre Nikuze of Rwanda and ‘A Song Sung in Secret’ by Jayne Bauling of South Africa.

Writers from Mauritius and Rwanda are featuring for the very first time.

The Commonwealth Foundation announced this in a statement, which was made available to the Ghana News Agency said all but one had never been shortlisted before.

It said their stories feature well-drawn characters including a pensioner reflecting on forbidden love and a football-mad young boy.

It noted that the world’s most global literature prize shortlists 23 writers from 13 countries – all but one of whom are shortlisted for the first time.

The statement said Judges hail ‘a dream list’ which will leave readers ‘startled and shocked, heartbroken and humb
led in equal measure.’

It said stories range from romances and speculative fiction to family dramas and coming of age tales and address a range of topics from motherhood and bereavement to mental illness and forbidden love.

It stated that an international judging panel had shortlisted twenty-three outstanding stories for the world’s most global literature prize.

It said the shortlisted writers hail from 13 countries across the Commonwealth and their ambitious stories span continents and decades.

The statement said many of the stories were told through the eyes of children-tales of parents splitting up, of school, and of the sometimes baffling behaviour of adults around them.

It said older characters also appear-sometimes destructive, sometimes inspiring; adding that five of the stories reflect on motherhood in very different ways.

It reiterated that others tell of forbidden love in a hostile world.

It said topics range from music, football, art, film, the impact of electricity arriving in a village, an
d even one woman’s passion for tea; while romance and thrillers feature prominently, a quarter of the shortlisted stories are speculative fiction.

The statement said the Commonwealth Short Story Prize was awarded annually for the best piece of unpublished short fiction from any of the Commonwealth’s 56 Member States.

It is the most accessible and international of all writing competitions: in addition to English, entries can be submitted in Bengali, Chinese, Creole, French, Greek, Malay, Maltese, Portuguese, Samoan, Swahili, Tamil, and Turkish.

It said such linguistic diversity in a short story in part reflects the richness of the Commonwealth, not least its many and varied literary traditions.

It indicated that this year, 414 entries were submitted in languages other than English.

It said the stories on the 2024 shortlist were selected from a total of 7,359 entries from 53 Commonwealth countries-a ten per cent increase as compared to 2023.

It said three small Commonwealth countries-Mauritius, Rwanda and
St Kitts and Nevis had authors on the shortlist for the first time.

The statement said the shortlisted writers- six men, 15 women and two who identify as non-binary-range in age from 26 to 70.

It said all but one had never been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short.

Chair of the Judges, Ugandan-British novelist and short story writer Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi said: ‘This is a dream list for lovers of the short story form-readers who wish to read around the world, writers who wish to hone their skills, agents looking for talent and content creators who relish the challenge of predicting regional winners and the overall winner’.

‘Whether reading stories from Africa and Asia, through Europe and Canada to the Caribbean Islands and the Pacific, you’ll be amazed and thrilled, startled and shocked, and heartbroken and humbled in equal measure by the skill and talent, imagination and creativity, by the flexibility of the form and what it is capable of, and by what the world is doing with the English language. F
or the judging panel, it has been an incredible literary journey.’

Dr Anne T. Gallagher AO, Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation, the intergovernmental organisation which administers the prize, commended everyone who entered stories in 2024.

‘The Short Story Prize is legendary for unearthing and nurturing the rich creative talent of our Commonwealth. This year is no exception and I have been overwhelmed by the depth and reach of the 2024 shortlist,’ she stated.

‘My congratulations to the 23 writers whose stories will now secure a truly global audience. And I offer my warmest encouragement to the remaining 7,336 entrants to keep on writing. Today, perhaps more than ever, it is storytelling that will help inspire the love, compassion and understanding that our world so desperately needs.’

The 2024 shortlisted stories will be published online, in the innovative online magazine of the Commonwealth Foundation, adda (addastories.org), which features new writing from around the Commonwealth.

The judg
es will go on to choose a winner for each of the five regions; the regional winners will be announced on Wednesday 29 May before being published online by the literary magazine Granta.

The overall winner will be announced on 26 June 2024.

The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is administered by the Commonwealth Foundation.

The prize is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2000-5000 words).

Regional winners receive £2,500 GBP and the overall winner receives £5,000 GBP.

Short stories translated into English from other languages are also eligible.

The winning stories are published online by Granta and in a special print collection by Paper + Ink.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A convergence of several challenges has created complex livelihood crises in rural communities in the Kassena Nankana District in the Upper East region.

Aside from being resource-constrained to navigate these crises, communities in this district lack access to financial services, making it difficult for them to meet their financial needs.

A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Friday said an European Union (EU)-funded project, Landscapes and Environmental Agility across the Nation (EU-LEAN), implemented by World Vision Ghana, had addressed the crises through the Savings for Transformation (S4T) initiative.

This initiative allows smallholders to save money and access loans on flexible terms for investment, consumption, and emergency purposes. ‘S4T brings access to uninterrupted financial services to the doorsteps of about 24 communities in the district, improving livelihoods, increasing household incomes, and facilitating village-based entrepreneurship’, said Joseph Abugri Talata, a projec
t officer.

‘Rural communities depend largely on forest resources such as tree felling for firewood, charcoal production, and agricultural activities for their livelihoods and income. Preventing them from engaging in such activities requires the introduction of alternative livelihoods and income-generating activities, the reason the project introduced S4T to communities,’ he added.

The statement said before that farmers founr it difficult to access financial support including loans to meet their needs. ‘It was difficult to find someone who had enough money to lend to you to solve critical financial problems. Firewood harvesting was one way I earned income but I have stopped this after joining S4T group in the Banyono community,’ said Atongo Cynthia, S4T a famer.

S4T beneficiaries Adawona Vivian and Ayedalem Diana both accessed loans to establish provision shops and are now trading in different commodities that earn them income.

As a result, the two are now able to support their households financially.

‘Th
is year, I took a loan of one thousand Ghana cedis. This enabled my husband to buy agro-inputs for our vegetable farm,’ said Vivian.

For Adawona, S4T is not providing access to financial services it was also promoting relationships and building peaceful coexistence among households. S4T also improved women’s leadership and decision making process at household levels.

World Vision Ghana, through EU-LEAN, has formed 60 S4T groups in 24 communities.

The statement said by December 2023, these S4T groups had saved 647,951.00, Ghana cedis with 1,492 (1,165 women and 327 men) smallholders accessing loans. A cumulative of 72,553.30 Ghana cedis was accrued as interest. This granted financial freedom to smallholder farmers.

World Vision Ghana recently provided training on group dynamics, leadership, basic recordkeeping, financial, and business management to key leaders of S4T groups from these communities to sustain this initiative beyond the EU-LEAN Project. ‘We have improved financial inclusion and increased wome
n’s financial access to a level that they are now contributing significantly to meeting their households’ needs. This improves family cohesion and bonding needs’, said Joseph Edwin Yelkabong, EU-LEAN Project manager at World Vision Ghana.

The project supported 1,492 S4T group members to plant 2,984 seedlings mostly economic trees such as mango and cashew. By adopting these practices, local communities have not only improved their livelihoods and incomes, but they are also contributing to the overall restoration of degraded lands in the Kassena Nankana West District.

The EU-LEAN intervention has enabled farmers to diversify their livelihoods, improve crop yields, and access better markets through agricultural value chain linkage fairs.

This has in turn increased their incomes and allowed them to invest in their communities.

‘The project has enabled these communities to become more resilient and adaptive to climate change while improving biodiversity in their areas.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Freda Prempeh Foundation (FPF), an organisation that advocates environmental sustainability has commended the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources for his outstanding dedication and leadership in propelling the Green Ghana Initiative forward.

The initiative, a ground-breaking endeavour aimed at addressing deforestation and promoting environmental conservation across the nation, has made remarkable progress under the visionary guidance of Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, the sector Minister, it stated.

‘Since its inception, the initiative has garnered widespread support and active participation from communities, government agencies, and stakeholders, thanks to the Minister’s tireless advocacy and strategic approach,’ the foundation said in a statement.

Signed by Dr Freda Prempeh, its Founder and President, the statement said through impactful tree planting campaigns, educational outreach programs, and policy initiatives, the Minister has effectively mobilised citizens to take proactive steps towards preservin
g Ghana’s rich natural heritage.

‘We are immensely grateful to the honourable Minister for his unwavering commitment to the Green Ghana Initiative.

His leadership has not only inspired a collective sense of responsibility towards environmental stewardship but has also laid the groundwork for a greener, more sustainable future for generations to come,’ it stated.

The Minister’s relentless efforts in championing the protection of forests, water bodies, and biodiversity have played a pivotal role in raising awareness about the importance of safeguarding our natural resources.

Through fostering collaboration and cooperation among diverse stakeholders, the Green Ghana Initiative has emerged as a beacon of effective environmental governance.

It reaffirmed the foundation’s unwavering support for the Green Ghana Initiative and pledged to collaborate closely with the Ministry for Lands and Natural Resources to further its objectives.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Shatta Wale, a Ghanaian dancehall artiste, has apologized to the Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled (GSPD) for using disability to mock his fellow Musician StoneBwoy.

A letter dated 18th April addressed to the GSPD and signed by Samuel Atobi Baah said, ‘We understand that the wording of the statement may have been insensitive, and we acknowledge the concerns raised.

‘It was not our intention to cause any harm, and we value and respect the contributions and rights of individuals with disabilities in our society.’

The letter further stated that: ‘We are committed to promoting inclusivity and understanding, and we will strive to be more mindful of our words and actions in the future. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, and we appreciate your understanding.’

The GSPD in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency said, ‘we accept the apology and appreciate their commitment to promoting inclusivity.’

The GSPD reminded Ghanaians to be mindful of the reality that disability can be anyone’s lot
at any time.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Participants at a day’s National Policy Dialogue have called for the establishment of a dedicated fund towards food security in the country.

They also called on Parliament to review the District Assemblies’ Common Fund allocation formula to include food security under the basic needs component of the formula.

The event dubbed: ‘National Policy Dialogue on Strengthening the Decentralisation of the Agricultural Sector for Effective Policy Implementation and Coordination in Ghana’, was aimed at enhancing agricultural sector decentralisation.

It was organised by the Feed the Future (FtF) Ghana Market Systems and Resilience (MSR) Activity and the Ghana Policy LINK Activity in partnership with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture on the theme: ‘Strengthening Agricultural Sector Decentralisation for Effective Policy Implementation and Coordination.’

It brought together key stakeholders including policymakers, local government authorities, and market actors to discuss strategies for strengthening decentralisatio
n to enhance policy implementation and coordination within the agricultural sector in the country.

It focused on promoting inclusivity in policymaking and implementation processes leveraging evidence-based approaches and fostering stakeholder engagement to achieve more transparent and effective agricultural and food systems policy.

The participants also called for a speedy and timely disbursement of resources for agricultural production activities taking into cognisance the season patterns.

Mr Glenn Lines, Chief of Party, FtF MSR Activity, speaking during the event, said both Activities were committed to continued collaboration with the government at both national and sub-national levels as well as the private sector to facilitate an improved enabling environment conducive to agricultural-led economic growth.’

He said thorough consideration of the impact of agricultural sector policy implementation and coordination would advance agricultural policy compliance and reform in the country.

Alhaji Shani Alhas
san Saibu, Northern Regional Minister commended the partners for organising the dialogue saying, ‘The government is looking forward to working with all policymakers and policy decentralisation objectives that promote effective agricultural sector policy implementation and coordination.’

He was hopeful that the dialogue would aid in charting a solid path that would benefit market system actors particularly smallholder farmers including women, youth, and persons with disabilities.

Source: Ghana News Agency

An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a shopkeeper to five years imprisonment for stealing GH?330,135.00 belonging to a trader.

Mr Samuel Gyasi Annan used the said amount to buy a parcel of land in his hometown, renovate his family house and purchase sofa chairs in addition, according to prosecutors.

Charged with stealing, Gyasi pleaded guilty.

Mr Gyasi was convicted on his plea and was sentenced accordingly.

Prosecution led by Police Chief Inspector Jonas Lawer prayed the Court that the convict should be given a longer sentence to deter others.

In sentencing, the Court presided over by Mr Isaac Addo was mindful of the fact that the convict was a first-time offender as well as a family man.

The convict was therefore sentenced to five years imprisonment in hard labour.

Meanwhile, Madam Naomi Nyarko and Mr William Yaw Annan, a trader and mason respectively, and parents of the convict, are jointly held for abetment of crime to wit; stealing.

They pleaded not guilty to the charge levelled against them.

T
he couple have been admitted to GH?60,000.00 bail each with two sureties each.

The matter has been adjourned to May 20, 2024.

The facts as narrated by the prosecution are that the complainant, Madam Felicia Ofori, who resides at Teshie Gonno Cluster of the School area, is a trader while the convict who was a storekeeper and a sales boy to the complainant, resides at Mannet Court, Okpoi Gonno.

It said Madam Nyarko and Mr Annan were residents of Assin Dompim in the Central Region.

The prosecution said the complainant detected that the convict had been stealing from her shop.

It said based on that, on October 10, 2024, the complainant caused her auditors to audit the convict.

The prosecution said after the auditing, it was detected that he had stolen GH?330,135.00 from the complainant’s shop.

It said when the convict was asked to account for the missing money, he could not.

The prosecution said the complainant complained to Teshie Police station and the convict was arrested.

It said during the investiga
tion, the convict admitted the offence and stated that he used part of the stolen money to buy a parcel of land in at Assin Dompim, his hometown.

The prosecution said, ‘he also used part of the said money to put up two single storeys for his parents.’

‘He has renovated his family house, bought sofa chairs and also gave an amount of GH?51,400.00 to his mother (Madam Nyarko) for safe keeping,’ the prosecution added.

It said an investigation was extended to Assin Dompim where an amount of GH?51,400.00 was retrieved from his mother.

The prosecution said when his mother was questioned, she stated that it was part of the money that her son (the convict) gave to her for safekeeping.

It said his father (Mr Annan) could not also account for the items in his room that his son bought.

Source: Ghana News Agency