Day: June 15, 2024

Commodore Solomon Asiedu-Larbi, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) the Nutekpor Naval Training Command, has commended the media for its role in the promotion of the military institution.

The training command, located in the South Tongu District of the Volta Region, comprises various training institutions of the Ghana Navy.

Collaboration with the media began in 2022 when the then FOC, Commodore Godwin Livinus Bessing, shared with executives of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), the vision of becoming a one-stop-hub for naval education.

The present FOC, who is barely months on the job, appraised the media while on tour of units and relevant institutions in the Volta Region.

‘The reason for being here is to pay a courtesy call on your association following the job you have done in projecting the naval command. The feedback is that you have helped in projecting the naval training command and we want that good job to continue,’ the FOC said.

He said the visit was part of a familiarisation tour of various
units and hoped to strengthen synergies with various stakeholders.

He added: ‘We are here to establish contact with the opinion leaders in the Region and forge a common purpose, identify areas of interest that we can build up and if there are any differences, find a a way of solving it amicably.

‘So, the purpose is to join forces with you to create the peaceful environment that we are currently enjoying, and if they are any hitches anywhere, we find a nice way of solving it.’

Emmanuel Agbaxode, Chairman of the GJA in the Volta and Oti Regions, shared how the past FOC Commodore Bessing had tasked the media to lead the campaign to promote the training command, and pledged the support of the media.

He said the media continued to expand collaboration with the security agencies, set off by a fruitful relationship with the 66 Artillery Regiment, and that the honour of the visit by the new FOC was a ‘testament to the strong bonds of friendship between the GJA and nation’s security agencies.’

‘The visit should l
ead to a more fulfilling relationship,’ he added, and pledged ‘assistance in any manner in ensuring outmost peace, especially this election year.’

The Regional Chairman appealed to the training command to support the Association complete the ongoing Volta Press Center project.

The FOC, during the visit, paid a courtesy call on Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa, the Volta Regional Minister and met with heads of major universities in the Region, including the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), and the Ho Technical University.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mrs Kathleen Quartey Ayensu, council member, National African Peer Review Mechanism- Governing Council (NAPRM-GC), said the Council will collaborate with the AfCFTA National Coordinating Office in empowering Ghana businesses to leverage the enormous prospects offered by the continental market.

She said though the National Coordinating Office of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was located in Accra, the country had to nurture it domestically so that people would be aware of it and take advantage of it to grow their businesses.

Mrs Ayensu was speaking at a knowledge empowerment workshop for District Oversight Committees (DOCs) of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in Ho, in the Volta Region on the Targeted Review of Ghana and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

In 2023, NAPRM- GC in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration together with the continental APRM secretariat facilitated the Country Review Mission for the conduct of the Targeted R
eview of Ghana on the theme, ‘Corporate Governance as a Catalyst for the Implementation of AfCFTA in Ghana.’

This targeted review was a focused governance assessment which examined key corporate governance and intra-African trade challenges that must be addressed to facilitate the implementation of the AfCFTA in the country.

The review offers the opportunity to strengthen good governance practices for Micro and Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), the most dominant private sector in Ghana to also access the enormous AfCFTA markets.

This is important because, the Ghana Enterprise Agency (GEA) indicates that the MSMEs sector which is the backbone of the Ghanaian economy is made up of 1.7 million of the estimated 2.1 million businesses in Ghana and employs 2.5 million people with a cumulative contribution of 75 per cent of national GDP.

Therefore, their ability to harness the AfCFTA opportunities will result in increased foreign exchange earnings and national income as well as the creation of vast employmen
t opportunities in Ghana.

Mrs Ayensu said the workshop formed part of NAPRM-GC’s agenda to empower the DOCs with knowledge on the Targeted Review of Ghana on the AfCFTA and corporate governance and their role in facilitating intra-African trade under the AfCFTA initiative.

It aimed to revitalise the DOCs at the districts to enable them to play their role in the dissemination of the targeted review outcomes and in the promotion of citizens ownership and participation in the monitoring and evaluation of the programme of action of the Targeted Review of Ghana report.

Mrs Ayensu, said at the heart of APRM’s success lay the principle of local ownership and participation and the DOCs exemplified this ethos, serving as grassroots advocates for good governance and community development.

The Chairman emphasised the importance of the workshop in enhancing the awareness of the DOCs on the significant role of the APRM in facilitating the implementation of the AfCFTA through the recent targeted review of Ghana.

Sour
ce: Ghana News Agency

CARE International Ghana, an international non-governmental organisation, has equipped 100 youths in the Hohoe Municipality with digital skills.

Under the WeGrow Project of the organisation is The Digital Skills Academy, which aimed at equipping the youth with employable skills in ICT.

Mr. Frank Adjavon, Zonal Project Coordinator, said Hohoe was one of the organisation’s operational areas hence the need to invest in the future of the youth.

He said a need assessment conducted revealed that the youth in the Municipality were eager to explore the digital world but lacked the necessary skills which compelled CARE International Ghana to support the participants with free training and issue them with certificates.

Mr. Adjavon said the participants received training in Microsoft suite, graphic designing and video editing and added that the response from participants had been motivating.

He encouraged the participants to continue to practice what they had learnt and become perfect for employers who would need t
heir digital skills.

Mr. Adjavon said 50 youths from Asumura in the Ahafo region and 100 from Suprisu and Addonkwata in the Eastern region also benefited from the same skills training.

Some participants commended CARE International Ghana for the initiative of grooming and equipping them with digital skills for the future.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Francis Asenso-Boakye, Minister for Roads and Highways has inspected some ongoing road projects in the Northern Region to assess progress of work on them.

They included the 168-kilometre Tamale to Tatali Road, 140-km stretch of roads in the Gushegu Municipality, the 5km Pong Tamale to Kpalung to Larigu Road, and the 13km Savelugu by-pass, which were all at various stages of completion.

Mr Asenso-Boakye, in an interaction with the press at the construction site at Yendi, said the roads, when completed, would boost socio-economic activities, ease traffic congestion and long traveling distances for motorists in the areas.

He said: ‘All these trunk roads are going to enhance agricultural activities, promote trade, tourism and generally promote economic development. These are major projects that are going to change the dynamics of Dagbon and the Northern Region.’

He added that ‘We are doing this because we believe that it is going to take us to the next level of development, and so far, throughout my inspec
tion tour, I am so impressed about the progress of work in the region.’

He was optimistic that the Yendi to Tatale Road would be completed by November, this year.

Mr Asenso-Boakye, as part of his inspection tour, also paid courtesy calls on Paramount Chiefs of Karaga, and Gushegu as well as the Overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Na Abukari (II) to brief them about his visit to the region.

Ya-Na Abukari (II) commended the government for initiating the projects in the area.

He appealed to the Minister to take keen interest in the construction of the Kumbungu to Savelugu Road, Jemli to Tidjo to Tampion Road and other strategic roads in some farming communities in the area.

He said, ‘The people of Dagbon are yearning to see these roads constructed to reduce the daily accidents on the roads and increase the socio-economic activities in those areas.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has organised a two-day workshop to enhance Local Government workers and journalists understanding and interpretation of results from Ghana’s maiden multi-dimensional poverty report, which examined poverty beyond monetary deprivations.

The targeted users of the report include the Municipal Planning and Coordination Unit, Development Partners, Civil Society Organization (CSOs), the Private Sector, Research Institutions, Academia, Religious Organizations, Traditional Rulers, Media Practitioners, and the public.

Mr Hanry Loglo, Regional Statistician in Oti, said the report provided relevant and timely data to support the implementation and monitoring of the Medium-Term National Development Policy Framework (MTNDPF) 2022-2025.

He said the disaggregated statistics would support monitoring of progress towards several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Mr Loglo took the participants through provisions of targeted interventions for the allocation of resources, monitoring and
evaluating Local government development programmes by enhancing their effectiveness.

He also considered tracking trends in multi-dimensional poverty over time, assessing progress across a range of interlinked Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targeted at the sub-national level in line with national development frameworks.

He thanked the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development (MLGDRD), and all Municipal and District Assemblies for their cooperation and support, which contributed to the report’s successful completion.

Mr Loglo expressed commendation of expertise and resources provided by the World Bank through the Harmonizing and improving Statistics in West Africa Project (HISWAP).

Mr Prince Latif Oyekunle, an Assistant Director of the Oti Regional Coordinating Council (ORCC), told the Ghana News Agency (GNA), that the training had been very insightful for him.

He again expressed satisfaction and looked forward to more programs to disseminate key findings of similar re
ports.

Deputy Superintendent of Prison (DSP), Mr Daniel Machator (Rtd), the Oti Regional Minister emphasized that developing an MPI report helps countries to complement

monetary poverty statistics, track poverty over time and strategically develop policies to target marginalized regions, groups, and households.

‘I believe this workshop, organised by GSS, will contribute to fast track the elimination of poverty and ensure no one is left behind,’ he disclosed, when interviewed by the Ghana News Agency.

Source: Ghana News Agency