Day: June 27, 2024

Professor Matilda Steiner-Asiedu, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Ghana, says it is important for academic institutions to encourage community participation to drive science and technology in Africa.

She said community engagement would enable academic institutions to bring their scientific researches and technological innovations to the awareness of community members, which would generate interest, appreciation and partnerships for advancement of science and technology.

‘It is also an encouragement for our students to showcase their work and be able to apply it to everyday life, and how they can network and extend it to community needs and foster national development,’ she added.

Prof Steiner-Asiedu said this on Wednesday during the celebration of the Day of Scientific Renaissance of Africa (DSRA) at the La Bawaleshie Presby School, in the Ayawaso West Municipality.

Approved by the African Union, DSRA is observed to enable Africans showcase their scientific and technological innova
tions.

The event, organised by the College of Basic and Applied Sciences (CBAS), University of Ghana, in collaboration with the Ayawaso West Municipality, was on the theme: ‘Connecting Communities with Science’.

Activities for the Day included exhibitions that highlighted the application of science in everyday life, technology in the home, food, water and personal hygiene, waste management, antirabies vaccination, and health screening.

Prof Steiner-Asiedu, also the Chairperson for the CBAS DSRA Committee, said the College decided to mark the Day by involving the people of La Bawaleshie so that it would widen the University’s impact on the lives of the people.

She said finance was the major challenge in organising such community events and called for sponsorships so that the College could extend the event to other communities to reach wider population.

She said the College had undertaken many innovative projects and appealed especially to the media to help with advocacy and awareness creation for partners
hips.

Prof Steiner-Asiedu assured of the University’s willingness to work with communities, particularly to provide training in animal husbandry, crop farming, and agroprocessing to create job opportunities to enhance the livelihoods of the community members.

Prof Boateng Onwona Agyeman, Provost, CBAS, expressed appreciation to the La Bawaleshie Traditional Council for allowing the University to hold the event in the community.

He said the event, organised for the second time in the community, would be held annually to keep the people abreast of the University’s science and technological breakthroughs.

He emphasised that, the University had embarked on many researches and developed ideas, but on a smaller scale and called for public-private partnership to scale up to commercial levels.

Mrs Sandra Owusu-Ahinkorah, Municipal Chief Executive, Ayawaso West Municipal Assembly, in a message delivered on her behalf, acknowledged the pivotal role of science and technology in national development.

She stressed t
he Assembly’s commitment to promoting science and technology, urging all stakeholders to forge partnerships and leverage collective expertise to advance the nation’s development.

Mr Ebenezer Okoe Kotey, on behalf of the La Bawaleshie Traditional Council, noted that, the exhibitions had enlightened them and given them a practical feel of some of the scientific processes and applications.

He appealed to the University to organise such events frequently to let community members learn more about science and technology, assuring that, the Traditional Council would offer the necessary support to achieve that.

The exhibitions showcased various projects by the students of CBAS, including innovative ways to preserve foods and maintain their nutritional value, how to make variety of foods from local produce and cater for nutritional deficiencies, food packaging, probiotics for gut health, use of plastic waste for fuel, hydroponic system for irrigation, drug development, and recycling and reuse of plastics.

Ms Korko
r Okai, Department of Biochemistry, University of Ghana, said: ‘It is important we came to the community to have this exhibition with the people. For instance, it will help them to practise good personal hygiene and to be more health-conscious.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

A four-day arts and cultural festival has opened at Sekondi, to project the creative arts sector within the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis of the Western Region.

The festival, dubbed: ‘Sakeva Transnational Cultural Festival’, is being organised by the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) through the European Union-funded Twin Cities in Sustainable Partnership Project (TCSPP).

It Is being held in collaboration with the Centre for National Culture, Ghana Association of Visual Artists, Takoradi Technical University, Ghana Tourism Authority and Ghana Export Promotion Authority.

The theme for the maiden festival is: ‘Projecting Sekondi-Takoradi through creative arts’, and would feature activities such as an arts and crafts exhibition, a display of the eight Akan Clans totems, a symposium on arts and tourism, a drawing and cooking competition for students, and a traditional fashion show.

‘Sakeva’ is an Ahanta dialect translation of ‘Sankofa’, an Akan word with the literal meaning: ‘Go back for it’, thus,
the festival is meant to rejuvenate and promote ancient and indigenous artefacts, artworks of local artists, and heritage sites within Sekondi-Takoradi.

The opening event drew participants from indigenes, some tourists, traditional authorities, students, and religious leaders among others who witnessed sterling and captivating rich cultural displays, and some masquerade dance moves, popularly known as ‘Ankos.’

The chiefs and Queen mothers were clad in their beautiful traditional regalia, with their sub-chiefs and elders also in their costumes sitting elegantly in state.

The Folkloric Dance Group performed some exciting cultural dance moves to the admiration of all.

Beautifully handcrafted artworks made in ceramics, colourful paintings, sculptures, traditional wears and paraphernalia, and basketry among other locally made artefacts were on display to serve as an opportunity for indigenes to reconnect with their cultural roots and heritage.

Aside from promoting the cultural heritage of the people of Sekond
i-Takoradi, the Sakeva Festival also to highlight the critical role the creative arts industry played in creating employment and promoting tourism and the creativity of local artists.

It was also meant to enhance effective collaboration with stakeholders, increase the market value and recognition of indigenous arts and crafts, and ensure sustainable growth of the industry in the Metropolis.

Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, the Western Regional Minister, Mr Andrew Egyapa Mercer, the Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Nana Kobina Nketsia V, Paramount Chief of Essikado Traditional Area and Mr Abdul-Mumin Issah, the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Chief Executive are some of the dignitaries expected to grace the occasion.

Source: Ghana News Agency

An international ride-hailing service Yango, a part of a global tech company Yango Group, has partnered with Guinness Ghana PLC to launch a new safety initiative aimed at preventing drunk driving accidents, promoting safe mobility and ensuring both drivers and passengers are safe at all times.

A continuous ”Don’t Drink and Drive Campaign” will include promotional events and activities to encourage responsible drinking habits by passengers and discourage drunk driving by partner drivers.

This includes in app notifications, regular training, out of home marketing campaigns and many advertisements.

The safety forum, which is a first step in the campaign, took place on Wednesday, in Accra and covered topics such as recognizing signs of impairment, strategies for preventing drunk driving, and how to use alternative transportation options such as ride-hailing services like Yango.

The training was provided by certified instructors and was available to all Yango partner drivers and passengers free of charge.

T
his was attended by over 150 participants which cut across Yango’s partners, partner drivers, passengers and authorities from many safety organizations across the country.

As part of the ”Don’t Drink and Drive Campaign”, Yango and Guinness organized a safety training to raise awareness about the dangers of driving under the influence as well as highlight the many safety features Yango has provided for both partner drivers and passengers.

The ”Don’t Drink and Drive Campaign” will also include promotional events and activities to encourage responsible drinking habits by passengers and discourage drunk driving by partner drivers.

This includes in app notifications, regular training, out of home marketing campaigns and many advertisements. Yango and Guinness are working together to create a safe and welcoming environment for all members of the community

‘We are committed to promoting responsible road practices and ensuring the safety of passengers and partner drivers. By partnering with Guinness Ghana PLC
, we hope to raise awareness about the dangers of drunk driving and provide the community with the knowledge and tools they need to make safe and responsible choices.

We are excited to contribute our quota in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of everyone in the country. Safety is a fundamental need and plays a key role in our vision to create income generating opportunities for partner drivers while providing affordable and convenient transportation for passengers,’ said Mr. Ofonime Tom, Country Manager of Yango Ghana.

The Safety Forum also featured a panel discussion which had experts from the health and safety industry to speak on road ethics, crime, safety techniques and measures to ensure the safety and security of both the partner drivers and passengers.

The panel consisted of Mr. Eric Komla Kwakuyi, Regional Safety and Security Officer at Yango, Lynessa Darko, Sustainability and Responsibility Manager at Guinness Ghana PLC and Mr. Damoah Emmanuel Nyarkoh, Director of Safety Campaign Ghana.

Lynessa
Darko, Sustainability and Responsibility Manager at Guinness Ghana PLC, expressed optimism about the campaign and safety training while encouraging more ride-hailing companies to follow the footsteps of Yango in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of their key stakeholders.

She said, ”Safeguarding our community is very important in national development. Ensuring that as brands and companies, we play our roles in providing adequate safety education and awareness to help drivers and passengers stay alert on the roads while knowing the dangers of drunk driving is the first step to achieving a safe and sound environment viable for economic growth.”

The beneficiary partner drivers received certificates of participation to confirm that they have successfully gone through the safety training and are fully aware of the many safety features provided by Yango for partner drivers such as display of passenger ratings, identity photo checks in special cases, display of alert zones and non-penalty configuration for drive
rs to be able to skip orders to the alert zones, display of passenger profile picture, rating form to evaluate riders and in-app calls to support.

The passengers who attended the training also expressed their gratitude to Yango and Guinness for putting together the initiative and pledged to use the knowledge acquired to ensure their safety and the safety of other road users.

Some of the safety features available to passengers include rating form to evaluate trips, display of driver rating, safety center (this houses the share route, ambulance and police, trusted contacts and emergency situation buttons), SOS button, support team which acts promptly, drivers document checks among others..

This move is in line with Yango’s launch of the ”Safety Talk Series” last month which saw the company visit and educate students, faculty members and the general public at the University of Ghana during their SRC week celebrations.

Yango and Guinness are working together to create a safe and welcoming environment for al
l members of the community.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Immigration Service, Kpone district has sensitised Golf City residents on security issues to equip them in identifying threats and reporting them.

The sensitization formed part of a community engagement organised by Mr Isaac

Newton Tetteh, the Assembly Member of the Nmlitsakpo Electoral Area to discuss social, economic, security and other concerns in the community.

The meeting focused on the need for landlords to demand state permits from foreigners before giving their spaces for them as well as check their business operating permits to know if they were legally allowed to operate businesses in the country.

Deputy Superintendent of Immigration (DSI) Janet Owusu Acquaye encouraged the residents to prioritize their personal safety, as well as that of the community and the country, irrespective of their financial challenges to check for valid documents from foreigners.

DSI Acquaye urged them to be security alert and identify suspicious people within the locality and if possible, report to security
officials to avert possible terrorist attacks.

She mentioned that security was a shared responsibility and therefore appealed to the residents to help safeguard national peace and harmony.

Mr. Isaac Newton Tetteh, the assemblyman for the area, thanked the immigration officers for the security education as according to him it would help in the security situation in the community.

He said the Golf City Community Association Annex B had been revamped to ensure the initiation of some self-helped developmental projects.

He commended residents for agreeing to construct drainages in the area to reduce flooding in the communities, especially in the rainy season.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Francis Kwaw Mensah, Assembly Member of Nkroful in the Ellembele district, together with other workers of Adamus Resources have affirmed their willingness to work with Ms. Angela List, the CEO of the company.

Their conviction to have the female CEO continue her operation stemmed from the fact that she had positively handled the management of the company well and contributed massively to the local economic growth and empowerment of the catchment area.

The Assembly member said, ‘Under the distinct leadership of the CEO Madam Angela List, our lives have bettered as we are able to take good care of ourselves and our dependent… I have witnessed tremendous developmental projects that have helped to improve the lives of our people.’

Meanwhile, others want the woman to step down, to allow an interim Management Committee to manage the company due to ownership and leadership impasse.

He said through the efforts of the CEO the company had been able to execute projects, under education, public infrastructure, wate
r and sanitation, donation, and community assistance, among others.

The company has constructed a two-unit classroom block and provided two 16-seater aqua privy toilets at Anwia and then constructed the Anwia Nursery School Block.

At Salman, the company has constructed a Health Centre and donated a two-bedroom unit house to Salman Basic School.

Also, at Teleku Bokazo the company has provided water and sanitation to the people and refurbished Teleku Bokazo Basic School.

Again, it has rehabilitated Kikam Junior High School with a staff common room and provided a 16-seater Aqua Privy toilet facility at Akango, a hand-dug well with a hand pump at Duale as well and the provision of 10-seater flushable toilet facility at Aluku.

In addition, the company has provided skills training/ capacity building for 58 youth (males and females) from Duale, Akango, Salman, Aluku, Salman, Anwia, Teleku Bokazo, Nkroful, Kikam, Asasetre, Nvuma, Avrebo, Adelekezo, Ahunyame, Awukyire, Akropong (16 Communities).

Introduced Wom
en Empowerment (WE) Project where 87 females in the Ellembelle District have obtained skills under the College of Beauty Arts and Entrepreneurship (CBAE).

The project sought to endow the women with power to be independent, self-reliant, and employed.

She supported the Ahantaman Girls Senior High School (SHS) with 1000 bags of cement for the construction of their Assembly Hall.

Recently, Madam Angela donated over 300 boxes of sanitary pads to some schools in the catchment area during the Global Menstrual Hygiene Day.

Ms. Angela List was named as the female CEO of the Year in Ghana’s Mining Industry at the eighth Ghana CEO Summit and Excellence Awards for her outstanding leadership, innovation, and commitment to sustainable practices within the mining industry.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Economic and Financial Court Two has granted an application for the 15th defence witness in the ongoing trial of the Beige Bank’s former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to give his evidence via video.

This is because Mr Thaddeus Sory, counsel for Michael Nyinaku, the former CEO of the liquidated bank, said Dr Edem BarWilliams, the next witness, was out of the Court’s jurisdiction.

The Court presided over by Mrs Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe, a Court of Appeal Judge with additional responsibility at the High Court, said the application was granted subject to the acceptance of Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo.

The application grant would cover any of the 61 witnesses the defence counsel would call.

The defence is also awaiting prosecution to file disclosures (witness statements) from two additional witnesses: Augustine Boakye Yiadom and Benjamin Akorglu.

Nyinaku is accused of siphoning customers’ funds without their consent, stealing, and fraudulent breaches of trust.

He has denied all the charges and
is on bail pending trial.

Source: Ghana News Agency