Day: April 19, 2024

Mr Alfred Adjei, the Presiding Member (PM) of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), has called for uniform end-of-service benefits for assembly members in all Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) nationwide.

Mr Adjei’s call came in the wake of concerns raised by assembly members over disparities in the end-of-service they receive after their tenure of office.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency after his re-election as Presiding Member for the AMA for the fourth consecutive term, Mr Adjei said the existing system of remunerating assembly members was not appropriate.

The PM stated that currently assembly members receive remuneration from the internal generated fund (IGF) of their respective assemblies, a practice he deemed unfair due to the significant discrepancies in the financial capacities of different MMDAs.

Mr Adjei who is also the Assembly Member for Avenor Electoral Area emphasised that while some MMDAs boast substantial IGFs, others struggle with limited resou
rces, leading to unequal compensation for the members upon the completion of their terms.

He underscored the need to restructure the service payment system to be directly from the consolidated fund to ensure equitable treatment for all assembly members, particularly those from disadvantaged assemblies.

‘At the end of the day, the MP’s function is the same regardless of their geographical location as lawmakers.

‘The same applies to assembly members. If anything at all, our end-of-year benefits should come from consolidated funds and not from the IGF. So that is one of the core functions we are going to advocate because it is very relevant to us,’ he said.

Mr Adjei stated: ‘The current system of disbursing end-of-service benefits based on internally generated funds creates unjust disparities among assembly members across the country.

‘We must establish a fair and standardised payment structure that addresses the financial discrepancies among MMDAs and guarantees equal compensation for all assembly members,
‘ he added.

Mr Adjei who was re-elected as the General Secretary of the Association of Presiding Members, raised concern over the absence of PMs in 11 MMDAs within Greater Accra and announced plans to conduct a working visit to these MMDAs to expedite the election process.

Highlighting the critical role of PMs as the spokespersons for their assemblies, he emphasised the significance of their presence to the welfare of all assembly members in Accra, stressing the need for swift action to address the issue and ensure effective representation and governance within these assemblies.

‘Without Presiding Members, the Assembly faces obstacles in fulfilling its obligations, including the completion of the District Performance Assessment Tool (DPAT) assessment,’ and pledged of ensuring that the 11 MMDAs elect PMs to facilitate their governance.

He said: ‘Having served as the Secretary of the Association and re-elected as the PM of the AMA for the fourth consecutive term underscores my continued leadership and advoc
acy for the advancement of local governance in Greater Accra.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

Africa Disability Institute (ADI), formerly Voice Ghana has sensitised residents of Keta to demand accountability from state institutions for quality service delivery.

The community engagement held at the Keta Market square on Thursday formed part of the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO’s) newly launched programme, Ghana Performance Accountability Activity.

It aims at strengthening civil society oversight responsibility and feedback on government performance in public service delivery in Ghana.

The project, which focuses on education, health, fisheries, agriculture, Water Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) is being implemented in collaboration with state ministries, agencies, district assemblies, civil society organisations and NGOs.

Madam Cynthia Mensah, Project Officer, ADI in her address, explained the aims of the programme.

‘Some objectives of this programme are to increase citizens’ demand for responsible service delivery and improve the efficiency of government service delivery by promoting more rig
orous regulatory standards and good government capacity,’ she added.

Madam Suzzy Sogbaka, Monitoring and Evaluation officer, ADI, charged the people to be responsible for things done in their communities and demand accountability from authorities using decorum.

‘How do we demand accountability matters? As people, we must establish how we engage government authorities; your way of asking these questions should be decorum and polite to get the right response from the service providers.

”It is a two-way affair where we entreat you citizens to demand accountability and also prompt the service provider usually government, to also be responsible in their service deliveries.’

She encouraged people to engage their political and opinion leaders in the community and use the media for desired results.

The 5-year project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Democracy International and currently being implemented in 70 districts across 10 regions including Ce
ntral, Savannah, Upper West, Upper East, Oti, Western, Eastern, North East, Western North and Volta Regions.

South Tongu, Ho West, Adaklu, Agotime-Ziope, Ketu South and Keta are beneficiary districts in the Volta Region.

Anyako, Atiavi, Lawoshime, Vodza and Keta Central are beneficiary communities within Keta Municipal with their focus on Education, Water, Sanitation health and Hygiene.

Present at the meeting were, leadership of Keta Youth Association, Mr Gabriel Dzikunu, Assembly member for the area, Mr Charles Adadevoh, Unit Committee Secretary and Mr Seyram Kwawukumey, Unit Committee Chairman who thanked the team and asked them to be making periodic visits to the community for such education.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, the Minister of Employment, Labour Relations, and Pensions, has launched the ‘Integrated Action on Green Jobs and Skills Project’ in Accra.

The Project is an initiative aimed at promoting a sustainable and inclusive transition to a green economy in Ghana.

It focuses on skills development, green jobs creation and policy support; aimed at contributing to Ghana’s sustainable development, reduce poverty, and mitigate the effects of climate change.

Mr Baffour Awuah commended the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the European Union (EU) for supporting the Project and that the Ministry would continue to play its role of ensuring that green job interventions were effectively coordinated and harmonized to support the development of green enterprises and to create green jobs.

The Ministry in collaboration with other stakeholders is implementing the National Green Jobs Strategy as part of efforts to help minimize job losses and maximise the potential of the green and circular ec
onomy for the creation of decent green jobs in Ghana.

Mr Baffour Awuah recalled that Ghana signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change aimed at increasing climate resilience in 2016, and that as a sequel to that, the Government demonstrated its commitment by developing and implementing the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) aimed at reducing emissions and the impact of climate change on the environment and livelihoods.

He said since 2017, there had been a series of calls from stakeholders to ensure there was a smooth transition from the brown to the green economy.

He said the major concern was for the Government to institute effective measures that would maximise the positive impacts and minimize the negatives; adding that this was particularly important considering the emerging shift in Ghana’s economic development towards the promotion of green economic activities.

He said research by ILO had also revealed that the emerging green and circular economy had enormous potential for job creation if t
he right measures are put in place.

He underscored that it was in the light of this that the Ministry partnered the ILO to develop the maiden National Green Jobs Strategy in 2021.

The Minister said it had ben realiased that they could only maximise the job creation potential of the emerging green and circular economy through skills development in the value chain.

He said it was in view of this fact that Component 2 of the Strategy focuses on green skills development; declaring that without the skills it would be difficult to take advantage of the opportunities created by green technologies and innovations.

Mr Baffour Awuah said after the development of the Strategy, funding became a major challenge for implementation.

‘It is in the light of this that today, we are happy to collaborate with the ILO and EU to kick-off the implementation of the project, dubbed the ‘Integrated Action on Green Jobs and Skills Project’, focused on supporting the implementation of the green skills component of the strategy.’

D
r Vanessa Phala, the ILO Country Director for Ghana, expressed joy that the ‘Integrated Action on Green Jobs and Skills Project’ had officially taken off in Ghana.

‘Let me congratulate you all for such an excellent showing! We have enjoyed great cooperation, invaluable insights, and contributions from you all towards the development of this Project and for its implementation,’ she said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Chiefs and elders of the Bassare Traditional Area have officially announced the death Obore Gariba Yankosor II, Paramount Chief of the area.

A News release copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Friday said ‘We the chiefs of the Tatale Traditional Area, Council of Elders of the Nakpale Bore Palace, Elders of the family of the late Paramount Chief are saddened to announce the demise of the late Paramount Chief of Tatale Traditional Area, Obore Gariba Yankosor Il which occurred at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) after a short illness.

The late Obore Gariba Yankosor Il was born to his late parents Elder Gariba Tignanaba and Madam Tiriwah Gariba.

He was 81 years of age.

The late Obore Gariba Yankosor Il was enskinned by the late Ya-Na Yakubu Andani Il at the Gbewaa Palace in Yendi on October, 2001. He reigned as the Paramount Chief for 23years.

He was a father for all ethnic groups in the area, a man of peace and a unifier.

He left behind a wife and three (adult-chidren).

He won three (3) peace aw
ards for the Tatale Traditional Area in the Tatale/Sanguli District of the Northern region.

The late Obore Gariba Yankosor Il was a member of the Dagbon Traditional Council, Northern Region House of Chiefs and National House of Chiefs respectively.

He was loved by the Ya-Na Abukari Il, Overlord of the Dagbon Kingdom because of his honesty hardwork and love for peace.

Preparations are underway for his burial and installation of his regent.

Source: Ghana News Agency

By Joy Bikom

Addressing the challenges facing education in the South West region of Cameroon, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) Central Africa Regional Office spearheaded a two-day symposium aimed at bolstering youth education rights amidst ongoing crises.

The symposium, held from Wednesday, April 17, to Thursday, April 18, convened educational stakeholders and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Buea, South West region.

The event, characterized by panel discussions, workshop sessions, and interactive engagements, served as a platform for robust dialogue on access to education and the right to education within the region.

The symposium was held on the heels of the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which Kickstarted last December.

Acknowledging the profound impact of this seminal document on shaping international human rights norms, participants acknowledged the importance of aligning educational initiatives wit
h the principles enshrined in the Declaration.

Kiven Fonyuy, a Human Rights Officer at the UNHCR Central Africa Regional Office, emphasized the significance of youth engagement in advancing the right to education and promoting human rights education in their communities.

Against the backdrop of challenges stemming from conflict-related disruptions to schooling, including the prolonged closure of some educational institutions, Fonyuy stressed the timeliness of the symposium and expressed satisfaction with the fruitful exchanges and recommendations that emerged from the deliberations.

‘You know that there are challenges that are related to conflict in these regions. The fact that some schools have been shut down for several years and so on, those are clear facts. Those are challenges that are facing education in this region and the Northwest region and the South West region. We believe that as members of the Cameroon civil society and as youth leaders that we all are it is imperative that we take active part
in coming together and sharing ideas to make the civil society in which we live better,’ said Kiven Fonyuy.

Nju Lucas, a representative from a Civil Society Organization while talking to the press highlighted the imperative of collective action in improving the civil society landscape.

Lucas highlighted the need for active youth participation in the educational system and advocated for increased efforts to address existing gaps in education provision.

‘Basically this is to ensure that the young people themselves should get involved in the educational system and to also educate them, which is one of the challenges that we currently have. On the subject matter, the education is relatively lacking,’ added Nju Lucas.

Elizabeth Mende, a teacher at GPNS Likoko Membea, voiced concerns about the impact of the crisis on education, citing the pervasive influence of social media and its implications for youth perceptions of schooling.

Elizabeth emphasized the need for comprehensive strategies to counteract these ne
gative influences and underscored the role of education stakeholders in safeguarding the right to education for all youth.

‘With the crisis that erupted, with the social media too, it hasn’t helped because there is so much that the youths watch on TV, the Internet, and to them, it’s just a normal way of living, whereas it has an impact to the extent that it has affected even schools,’ said Elizabeth Mende.

The symposium culminated in a call to action for sustained collaboration among stakeholders, CSOs, and youth leaders to address the multifaceted challenges confronting education in the South West region.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

By Charity Nginyu

Earlier this month, an elderly couple, identified as Adebola Ezekiel (80) and his wife, Abiodun Ezekiel, were discovered lifeless in their apartment. Reports indicate that the couple

was brutally murdered, with the perpetrator allegedly using daggers to carry out the heinous act.

Jonathan Marcus, the prime suspect in the case, has been apprehended by authorities.

Marcus, reportedly a former driver for the deceased couple, was tracked down and arrested at his hideout in Obajana, Kogi State, as indicated in a report by Sahara Reporters.

The Commissioner of Police for the FCT, Bennett Igweh, disclosed during a press briefing at the command headquarters in Abuja that Marcus confessed to entering the victim’s residence on the day of the incident, slitting their throats, and stealing their mobile phones and ATM cards.

The arrest of Marcus brings a semblance of closure to the gruesome incident, although the motive behind the brutal attack on the elderly couple is yet to be made known.

Sour
ce: Cameroon News Agency