Day: June 25, 2024

The La Traditional Council has launched the 2024 Homowo Festival with a call for peace and good neighbourliness.

On the theme ‘Development through Good Neighborliness and Peace; The Role of Traditional Festivals’, this year’s event will be used as a tool to foster peace and the development of the La Community.

The month-long celebration, which starts from August 5 – 30, 2024, will be preceded by some activities and rituals.

The events include educational and fun based activities such as inter-schools and inter-quarters quizzes, street carnival and musical concerts, health screening and soccer.

The festival also seeks to portray the rich cultural values and traditional practices of the La people.

Launching the festival at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra, Nii Adjei Kofeh IV, La Shikitele, emphasised the importance of good neighborliness and peace, and said it was crucial to the development of any community and nation.

Stating that the Traditional Council would capitalise on the festival as a tool for deve
lopment, Nii Kofeh encouraged the people of La to maintain the peace and unity currently prevailing in the area.

He also cautioned the youth of the area to abide by the laws of the country and not to allow themselves to be used to perpetuate any form of crime and disruptions before, during and after the 2024 General Election.

The Homowo Festival is an annual event of the Ga people and has been celebrated over the years with pomp and pageantry.

Homowo, which means hooting at hunger, is celebrated to mark the bumper harvest after a prolonged famine due to drought suffered by their ancestors during their exodus from Israel to their present settlements.

It is celebrated by the people of Tema, Nungua, Teshie, La, Osu, and Ga Mashie between May and September every year.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A three-day workshop to address environmental and social concerns in the Volta River Basin has opened in Accra.

The workshop is in relation to the Reversing Ecosystem and Water Degradation in the Volta Basin (REWarD) Project to validate the inception report of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP-DHI).

Mr Armand Houanye, Executive Secretary of Global Water Partnership-West Africa (GWP-WA), told the GNA that the Water Basin was a water source for about three hundred million people in Africa.

The event was organised by the Water Resource Commission, Volta Basin Authority, Global Water Partnership-West Africa (GWP-WA) and UNEP.

The Volta River Basin consists of six African countries which are Ghana, Mail, Burkina Faso, Togo, Cote d’Ivoire and Benin.

He said there were plans and strategies which were to be implemented to improve the knowledge base and management development tools for transboundary governance.

This, he said, would improve the conservation and restoration of the ecosystem to improve liv
elihoods in the Basin.

‘This project is also aimed to enhance the coordination and capacity for regional and international agencies and organizations in the Volta Basin,’ he said.

Mr Houanye urged key institutions to prioritize the protection of our environment, especially the water resources, adding that monetization and evaluation of water resources was key to protecting it from pollution.

Dr Mawuli Lumor, Head of Planning Water Resources, Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, said Ghana, like many other countries, was facing several water resources management challenges mainly due to human induced environmental degradation and climate change, causing significant damage to the rivers and leading to siltation and water quality problems for downstream users.

‘These resource management challenges are particularly acute in the Volta Basin,’ he added.

He said the government was committed to the implementation of policies and programmes that address challenges in the water resources sector.

He said th
e government invested over GHS1billion in water and sanitation projects, which had resulted in significant increase in access to water and sanitation services across the country.

‘Despite these efforts, we still have a long way to go in addressing our water challenges. This is why we are so excited about the REWarD Project, which seeks to contribute to reversing ecosystem and water degradation in the Volta Basin,’ he added.

Dr Lumor commended all partners, including, the International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN), the Volta Basin Authority, Global Water Partnership-West Africa, DHI and the riparian countries for the bold initiative.

He said the inception workshop held immense significance as it marked the beginning of constructive engagements and discussion on the implementation plan for the technical assistance to be provided by UNEP-DHI to deliver some outputs of the REWarD Project.

He urged all to actively engage in the discussions and share insights and experiences to help guide the implementa
tion of the programme and hoped that the initiative would set a precedent for effective water resource management practices across all the riparian countries.

He said the impact of their collective actions today would resonate for generations to come.

Source: Ghana News Agency

German Development Cooperation and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) have signed a joint work plan to create decent jobs in Ghana.

The work plan is to promote employment opportunities and sustainable economic growth to address challenges in underemployment, and high youth unemployment in the informal sector.

Mr Wilhelm Hugo, Coordinator of the Sustainable Economic Development Cluster at the Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), said the cooperation aims to better position Ghana’s growing textile and garment industry and the shea sector on the global market.

‘It would also increase the productivity and competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs),’ he said.

Together, the GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Government and ILO would include training on occupational health and safety as well as production and quality management modules.

This is because more than 90 per cent of Ghanaians of working age are employed in the informal sector and usually have neith
er vocational training nor social security.

Mr. David Marcos, Head of Programme, Productivity Ecosystems for Decent Work at the ILO, stated that working jointly with GIZ provided an impetus for garment manufacturers, shea producers, and SME owners to deliver quality, a core requirement for increased market access and improving the business ecosystem.

GIZ and ILO, over the last few years, have collaborated on several projects, including the ‘Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) Programme’, which has since 2021 assisted over 400 SMEs to improve their productivity, resource efficiency, and job creation potential through SCORE Training.

The signing of the joint workplan falls within the framework of the GIZ-implemented Special Initiative ‘Decent Work for a Just Transition’ of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the ILO’s Productivity Ecosystems for Decent Work programme.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has refuted the assertion that Ghana lost US$8 Billion in the last two years due to FinTechs and Money Transfer Operators (MTOs) withholding the country’s foreign currency reserves.

It said that the media assertion was misleading and not grounded in facts.

‘All remittance inflows are credited to the nostro account of partner banks of Payment Service Providers (PSPs), as such, no PSP holds any forex inflows from inward remittances. The partner bank credits the local cedi accounts of PSPs for onward transfer to beneficiaries,’ the Central Bank noted in a statement.

It noted that the country had seen a consistent increase in remittance inflows year-on-year though

the Bank of Ghana ‘does not license MTOs since they are based abroad.’

The Bank, however, said it conducted due diligence on MTOs, who partner with local banks and/or FinTechs to deliver remittances into Ghana as part of the authorisation process.

As part of regulatory obligations, the central bank noted that both banks and
FinTechs engaged in inward remittance services regularly submit prudential returns to the BoG.

‘Banks and FinTechs have the responsibility of complying with the Foreign Exchange Act, 2006 (Act 723) and other legal and regulatory requirements.

The Bank collects data on inward remittances from all licensed institutions and undertakes regular surveillance activities to identify any illegal operations in the remittance ecosystem,’ the statement highlighted.

It also refuted the assertion that PSPs and MTOs were supposed to operate two accounts thus, remittance inflow settlement account and local

settlement account, without recourse to their Nostro accounts.

‘The statement is grossly inaccurate. Section 7 (1)c of Bank of Ghana’s Updated Inward Remittance Guidelines for Payment Service Providers (2023) clearly mandates PSPs involved in inward remittance termination to ensure partner MTOs credit remittance proceeds to nostro account of the partner banks for onward credit to a cedi settlement account.’

It furthe
r explained that ‘it also stipulates that all funds terminated should be reconciled and matched within 72 hours.’

‘The Bank, however, noted that under the 2021 Guidelines mentioned above, whereas PSPs were allowed to maintain a remittance inflow settlement account and local settlement account, all inflows were routed through the nostro accounts of their partner banks,’ the statement added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG) has tasked its members to adhere to the ethics of the service to avoid sanctions.

Mr Samuel Afotey Otu, President of JUSAG said disciplinary actions had been taken against some staff who went contrary to the code of ethics.

‘Let me remind everyone gathered here today that, as much as the majority of us uphold high ethical standards in our line of work, there are frequent reports and petitions received concerning indiscipline and misconduct of some staff.’

Mr Otu said notably amongst the reports were embezzlement, extortion, suppression of revenue and deposits, teeming and lading.

According to him, ‘These negative practices affect the image of the service both locally and internationally, and it is time we sat up to reverse the trend.’

Mr Otu said at the outdooring of a new welfare package for JUSAG members at Tamale in the Northern Region.

The outdooring of the new welfare package was jointly launched by JUSAG and Vanguard Life Assurance Company Li
mited.

The product, dubbed, ‘JUSAG Funeral Booster Plan’, intends to provide financial support to Judicial Service workers in an event of bereavement.

The unveiling of the package saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between JUSAG and Vanguard Assurance Company Limited.

Mr. Samuel Afotey Otu, JUSAG President, signed on behalf of the Union and witnessed by Mr. Abdulai Yakubu, General Secretary of JUSAG.

Mr. Emmanuel Nintuarah, Head of Distribution, Vanguard Assurance Company signed for the company and witnessed by Mr. Yussif Adam, Head of Special Market at Vanguard Life Assurance Company Limited.

Mr. Otu said the policy would ensure that members had a better alternative source of financial support for their funerals instead of resorting to banks and other lenders when they lose their loved ones.

Mr. Otu assured members that the leadership’s interest was to ensure better welfare for all, adding that the funeral booster policy was an addition to JUSAG’s 360 welfare policies which included
JUSCOFund, JUSAG Heritage Cashback, Judicial Service Provident Fund (Tier 3 Pension Scheme), End of Membership Benefit, among others.

‘Today, we are also here to launch our funeral booster or bereavement packages in partnership with Vanguard Assurance.

We will also provide you with detailed information about the Judicial Service Occupational Pensions Scheme (Tier 2) about performance of the fund and guidelines for members, updates on the draft Judicial Service Regulation (CI) and take feedback from you to make progress.

These are all part of the 50th anniversary celebration programmes,’ he said.

The National President of JUSAG called for a united front and cooperation from members as his leadership was working hard to secure better working conditions for them.

Mr. Abdulai Yakubu said the policy, which is part of initiatives to celebrate the JUSAG 50 year’s anniversary, provided a free insurance cover for members to a tune of GHC 5,000 to cover a member, spouse, two children and two parents.

Mr Yakubu sa
id ‘the booster package has a premium of GHC5.00 with additional total benefit up to GHC10,800.00 covering members, spouses, two children and two parents. With the highest premium of GHC 35, the total benefit cover is GHC 72,000 spread to cover the funeral on the death of a member, spouse, two children and two parents.’

Mr Joseph Akanlagm, Northern Sector Area Manager of National Insurance Commission, said the JUSAG and Vanguard Life partnership to share risk was commendable.

Mr Akanlagm admonished both parties to adhere to the terms of the contract for the benefit of members and respective organisations.

Source: Ghana News Agency

King Mohammed VI, Sovereign of Morocco and President of the Al Quds Committee, has ordered the launch of large-scale humanitarian operations for the benefit of the Palestinian populations.

These operations, a large part of which are financed from the personal funds of the Sovereign, aim to deploy a large humanitarian operation of medical aid, intended for the Palestinian population of Gaza.

According to the press-statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans living abroad, the aid ordered by the King of Morocco is made up of 40 tonnes of medical products containing, in particular, devices for the treatment of burns, and surgical and trauma emergencies, as well as essential medications for adults and young children.

This Moroccan aid, the second of its kind after that deployed last Ramadan following the instructions of the Sovereign, will be transported through the same land route taken during the first food aid operation, specifies the press-statement..

These lar
ge-scale of humanitarian operations for the benefit of the Palestinian populations demonstrate the personal involvement and effective commitment and constant concern of King Mohammed VI, President of the Al Quds Committee, in favour of the Palestinian cause, concludes the same source.

This humanitarian action for the benefit of the Palestinian people also affirms that the resumption of relations with Israel also serves peace and the interests of the Palestinian people.

Indeed, Morocco has always used its levers and networks to promote the interests of the Palestinians and peace for all the peoples of the region.

As a continuation of the Royal concern for the Palestinian people, the medical aid operation is a sincere illustration of the Sovereign’s personal involvement in favor of the Palestinian people.

It also demonstrates the effectiveness of the Al Quds Committee and Bayt Mal Al Quds and wise leadership, driven by a vision of peace focused on effective and concrete support for the Palestinians.

In con
trast to Morocco’s policy in favour of the Palestinian people, Algeria’s policy is one of overbidding and words, without ever combining them with actions. Indeed, the Algerians, always between verbal indignation and real ineffectiveness, loudly proclaim their hollow slogans, without a real support campaign for the benefit of the Palestinian people.

Source: Ghana News Agency