Category: General

Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell urged Israel to ‘immediately’ end its military operation in Rafah in a statement on Wednesday.

The EU foreign policy chief said the Israeli offensive in Gaza’s southernmost city is disrupting deliveries of humanitarian aid and ‘leading to more internal displacement, exposure to famine and human suffering.’

Borrell said the European Union called on Israel to ‘refrain from further exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.’ He warned that continuing the assault will strain EU-Israel relations.

While the EU recognizes Israel’s right to defend itself, ‘Israel must do so in line with International Humanitarian Law and provide safety to civilians,’ Borrell said.

Israel’s allies, including its main backer the United States, have been warning Israel for weeks against a ground offensive into Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had been sheltering from fighting elsewhere in the coastal strip.

The Israeli army advanced on Rafah from the east at the beginnin
g of last week and has since also taken control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing to Egypt.

On Tuesday, Israeli troops advanced deeper into central Rafah, according to eyewitnesses in the overcrowded city.

Borrell said the EU called for ‘all parties to redouble their efforts to achieve an immediate ceasefire’ and for the unconditional release of all hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7 attacks.

Around 1,200 people were killed and 250 others taken hostage in the unprecedented massacre by Hamas and other Islamist groups in Israel.

The terrorist attack triggered the Gaza war and around 35,000 Palestinians have since been killed in Israeli airstrikes and fighting on the ground.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Cameroon Water Utilities company revealed that it recently received a large shipment of equipment in collaboration with a Chinese company CGCOC on Sunday 12 May 2024 in Maroua. The reception was done under the supervision of the Governor of the Far North Region, , with the support of the Mayor of the town of Maroua.

‘As soon as the equipment was received, work began on installing the pipes in the city of Maroua in the presence of the authorities. The acceleration of this work, which is part of the 9-town drinking water supply project – Phase 2, is already visible in the field. The work consists of connecting the borehole at the University to the existing network in the town of Maroua,’ the Camwater communication team revealed.

It was also revealed that more than 7.5 kilometers of pipes have already been laid between the Kodek and Kongola districts, providing an additional 1,200 m³/day.

‘CAMWATER’s ambition is to improve the drinking water supply as a matter of urgency.

In addition, a new borehole is b
eing drilled, enabling the once-abandoned 1,000m³ water reservoir to be brought back into service. Some 13,000m³ of water a day will be injected into the network.’

Camwater is also looking at a bigger picture; that of providing portable water to neighboring cities and towns.

‘As a reminder, the town of Maroua is the beneficiary of the 09-town drinking water supply project, phase 2. The main aim of this project is to provide a sustainable solution to the drinking water supply deficit in the localities covered by phase 2, namely: Dschang, Garoua, Garoua-Boulaï, Maroua, and Yabassi. In Maroua, with the implementation of this project, the production capacity of the city of Maroua will increase to 25,000 m³/day by the end of the works. More than 25,000 additional households will benefit from the project. CGCO Group Co Ltd, the company awarded the contract, intends to speed up the work so that the first volumes of drinking water are available before the end of this year, in line with the government’s desire to me
et the population’s drinking water needs in terms of quality and quantity.’ A statement read.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

?Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, the Regent of the Katamanso Divisional Council in the Kpone-Katamanso municipality, has called for urgent repairs of a community school that got damaged during a rainstorm.

Nii Agbo, a former Member of Parliament for Kpone-Katamanso, made the call after he visited the school to assess the level of damage after the rainstorm.

The rainstorm ripped off the school’s roof, causing injury to four pupils, and some damage to cars belonging to teachers and other properties.

He said the school was the only public school in the area, adding that the current situation at the school was affecting teaching and learning?activities.

The Katamanso regent noted that the school was currently positioned at a vantage point as it served residents of Ashaiman and other adjourning communities.

He further called on the government, through the Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Assembly, to urgently attend to the challenges of the school, as the situation had led to the pupils being overcrowded in the few availabl
e classes.

During the visit, the regent donated an undisclosed amount of money to help cater for the hospital bills of the four injured pupils during the storm.

Mr. Joshua Bortey Afutu, the Assembly Member for the Pinkwai electoral area, expressed?gratitude to the regent for visiting the school, saying that the local authorities should fast-track their plans to get the school roof repaired to facilitate learning and teaching activities.?

Mr. Afutu also mentioned that the school did not have electricity in some of its classes and called on all well-meaning residents to help in developing the school.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Members of the public have been encouraged to patronise energy-efficient electrical appliances approved by the Energy Commission for sale and use in Ghana to help conserve energy.

The Commission said all electrical appliances that it had approved had a yellow label, indicating the star rating of the appliance and the estimated annual energy consumption rate among others for easy identification for purchasing decisions.

Mr Kennedy Amankwa, a Deputy Director at the Energy Commission, said this in Wa during the Commission’s education and sensitisation for the Upper West Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) as part of its sensitisation for the RCCs in the country on energy conservation and efficient usage.

Heads and representatives of state institutions, departments and agencies and staff of RCC participated in the sensitisation and were educated on the Commission’s approved electrical appliances suitable for use in Ghana.

Mr Amankwa stressed the need for people to make conscious efforts to reduce their levels
of energy consumption at their homes and offices through the use of energy-efficient appliances and energy conservation practices.

He explained that prudent use of electricity would save the individual from excessive cost of electricity use and reduce the nation’s cost of energy production thereby saving money for other personal and national development priorities respectively.

The Deputy Director said that would also help reduce Ghana’s rate of contributing to global warming and help in climate change mitigation through reduced fossil fuel production.

‘In addition to promoting renewable energy consumption, we should also promote energy conservation and efficiency to tackle climate change’, Mr Amankwa added.

Mr Samuel Frimpong, the Public Affairs Officer of the Energy Commission, reiterated the need for people not to patronise ‘homemade’ electrical appliances, especially refrigerators.

He indicated that apart from the high energy consumption rate of such refrigerators, they also posed serious health risk
s to the user since one did not know what that fridge was originally used for.

He said the price of the appliance such as a refrigerator should be a determiner, but its energy efficiency considering its star rating should inform one’s choice in buying the appliance.

He, however, indicated that buying energy-efficient electrical appliances alone was not enough to reduce one’s energy consumption but observing the needed conservation practices regarding the use of the appliance.

Such practices, he identified, included using air-tight refrigerators, bulk ironing, and switching off appliances when not in use among others.

In a speech read on his behalf, Mr Stephen Yakubu, the Upper West Regional Minister, commended the Energy Commission for spearheading the initiative of ensuring efficient energy use in the country and its unwavering commitment to promoting sustainable energy practices nationwide.

‘Your dedication to advancing energy efficiency not only aligns with national priorities but also underscores our
collective responsibility to safeguard our environment for future generations.

By embracing energy efficiency principles, we are not only reducing our carbon footprint but also enhancing our resilience to external shocks and contributing to the overall well-being of our communities’, he observed.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Torgbuiga Dzoku V, the President of the Dzodze Traditional Council, has called on the government to construct the Ho to Akanu Highway to aid communication and trade.

He said the once-traffic-heavy highway connecting the heart of the Region to the border cities in the South was now being avoided by most drivers due to deep decay.

The almost abandoned stretch had become a favourite beat of highway robbers terrorising traders, while communities on the line remained virtually cut off from major cities.

Togbe Dzoku made the appeal to the government for urgent consideration of the state of the highway, during the inauguration of the Dzodze Traditional Council, where he was sworn in as President of the Council.

He said the border municipality, which played host to the Akanu Joint Border Post, was being adversely affected by the nature of its roads.

‘I wish to use this great occasion to outline the following needs which are foremost to position our traditional council in a good shape – the construction of the de
plorable Dzodze to Ho major road.

The traditional ruler called for the construction of other roads including the old Akanu Road, and the Dzodze to Ehi Road to meet the developmental prospects of the Municipality.

A total of 19 traditional rulers, including five queen mothers were sworn in as initial members of the Council, after which Torgbuiga Dzoku called for unity and collaboration to achieve the ideals for its formation.

‘After the inauguration, a lot more work is expected to be done to bring development projects and programmes to the area. Let us all collaborate with each other to ensure that the coming of Dzodze Traditional Council is a blessing to the Traditional Area.

‘Opinion leaders, men, women, youth and all those who have the growth and development of Dzodze at heart, must come onboard for us to work together as one people with a common goal of developing the Traditional Area,’ he said.

Officials from the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs were present at the inauguration, and a tr
aditional council secretariat building was also commissioned.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Stanislaus Adiaba, a Lecturer at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), has urged the Lands Commission to make the draft policy guidelines for State land allocation available for public examination.

He said subjecting the guidelines to broader input from stakeholders would ensure that every gap in the policy was addressed to make it more robust and in accordance with best international practices.

The Lands Commission, in September 2022, inaugurated a nine-member standing committee to draft a policy guideline for the acquisition and allocation of public lands.

This is in line with Article 258 of the 1992 Constitution and the Lands Commission Act, 2008 (Act 767), which mandates the Commission to formulate and submit to government recommendations on national policy regarding land use and capability.

This mandate has been accentuated by the new Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036).

However, the guidelines, which were expected to be developed by October 2022, are still with the Ministry of Lands and Na
tural Resources (MLNR) awaiting ministerial approval.

Speaking in an interview with the media on the sidelines of a policy dialogue on the ‘Formulation of Guidelines for Public Land Allocation in Ghana’ in Accra, on Tuesday, Dr Adiaba called for the immediate release of the draft policy for stakeholder engagement before approval.

He stressed that subjecting the guidelines to broader stakeholder scrutiny was critical to ensure that it was fine-tuned to meet global best practices and address the problem for which it was developed.

‘As it is now, it needs to be released or made available to the broader stakeholders, then we look at it,’ he emphasised.

‘Knowledge does not reside in the minds of only technocrats, there are other people with varied knowledge in terms of novelty, in terms of being practical, in terms of user perspective. So, if it’s only the supplier or the producer perspective, you will bring it out and the users or the beneficiaries will point loopholes in it.

‘So, it’s good it is subjected t
o broader stakeholder consultation,’ Dr Adiaba stressed.

The dialogue, organised by the Ghana Integrity Initiative, was to solicit inputs from relevant stakeholders for the development of robust frameworks and strategic methodologies to optimise the utilisation of public lands.

It was attended by officials from the MLNR, the Lands Commission, civil society organisations, and political parties, among others.

Dr. Adiaba also urged that any final approved guidelines be consistent with the national development agenda.

‘It should flow with the directive principles of state policy and the objectives must be clear,’ he highlighted.

Dr. Adiaba reiterated that existing gaps in current regulations must be addressed to keep up with changing times.

To ensure transparency and efficient allocation of state lands to the public, he recommended that the public be provided information on available lands ready for allocation to enable them to make informed decisions.

Mr Maxwell Adu-Nsafoa, Technical Director for Lands at
the MLNR, indicated that over the years, the Ministry had undertaken several programmes to bring sanity into the allocation of public lands, including the formulation of policies such as the Ghana Public Lands policy and the Public Lands Protection Team.

He explained that these initiatives had begun yielding results.

‘The Public Lands Protection Team has made significant strides in protecting lands, including the Amrahia Dairy Farmland, Pantang Hospital Lands and Mpehuasem land,’ he touted.

While commending GII for the dialogue, Mr Adu-Nsafoa assured that the ministry would support any project intended to bring sanity to the country’s land tenure system.

Mr Benedict Doh, Head of Finance Department, GII, explained that the country’s land tenure system was intricate, which required transparent and accountable governance mechanisms to tackle.

He indicated that the misallocation of public lands had worsened social inequalities and eroded public trust in state institutions.

He called for broader stakeholder
engagement to help tackle the phenomenon.

Source: Ghana News Agency