Category: General

As part of the commitment to empowering young women, staff of Standard Chartered Bank held a mentorship session for 350 teenage girls in Accra to mark International Women’s Day.

The interactive session brought together participants from the Nima Cluster of Schools and St. Kizito Basic School as resource persons shared inspiring stories and useful professional and life tips.

International Women’s Day is celebrated March 8 annually to honour the achievements and contributions of women. This year’s celebration was themed: ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress’.

The session at Nima formed part of Standard Chartered Bank’s employee volunteering programme. At the gathering, some staff members highlighted aspects of their life and career development journey and how teenagers could navigate the path to adulthood.

The employees encouraged the students to set clear goals and work towards their aspirations, irrespective of setbacks and again urged the girls to resist the ‘temptations’ of adolescence.

The volunteeri
ng initiative, according to the personnel, was also part of efforts to create positive social change and invest in women to accelerate growth.

Standard Chartered Bank has over the years demonstrated readiness to support women to achieve personal and professional aspirations, while contributing to the creation of a more equitable and prosperous world for women.

The Bank’s initiatives, such as the ‘Goal’ programme, uses sports to build life skills in adolescent girls for the future. More than 12,000 young girls have benefited from the programme over the past six years in the Eastern and Greater Accra Regions.

Standard Chartered Bank’s long-term goal aims to promote gender equity by increasing participation of women in the economy and helping to unleash the financial potential of women and small businesses.

The Bank provides holistic support to women at various stages through different initiatives, and actively promotes gender equity within its workplaces, communities, and clients fostering a culture of incl
usion and opportunity.

Source: Ghana News Agency

By Charity Nginyu

In a bid to display gratitude and generosity, former students of Lourdes College have come together to honor one of their own, Pa Joe, a dedicated night watchman who served the institution for 41 years.

The Ex-students embarked on a project three months ago to rehabilitate Pa Joe’s home, ensuring his comfort and well-being in his retirement years.

This was upon discovering that Pa Joe’s living conditions were not as comfortable as they should be. The alumni sprang into action to remodel his house.

The result is a stunning transformation including a modern bathroom and toilet, both indoor and outdoor kitchens, tiled floors, and a satellite dish providing access to 452 channels of entertainment.

Furthermore, the renovated home has been furnished with essential appliances such as a fridge and TV, three bedroom sets, and a double bunk for his grandchildren. A fully installed solar panel system, complemented by Eneo electricity has been installed to ensure a reliable power supply, while outd
oor bathroom facilities and a backup water tank provide added convenience.

In addition to the physical upgrades to his home, Pa Joe was also granted a lifetime pension, the exact amount of which remains undisclosed for security reasons. He received a complete set of utensils, bedding, towels, and special outfits, ensuring his comfort and dignity are upheld.

As the finishing touches are put in place, anticipation builds for the grand celebration planned for Palm Sunday, where Pa Joe will have the opportunity to celebrate his 85th birthday and 55th wedding anniversary in style. The event will also mark the unveiling of his newly renovated home, as well as the formal recognition of his service by the Vatican.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Alhaji Ibrahim Issaka Kayaba, the Zongo Chief of Nkwanta in the South Municipality of the Oti Region, has led the Muslim community, in special prayers for the restoration of peace and unity of the area.

The town was immersed in ethnic misunderstandings and clashes among the Adeles Challas and Akyode groups, resulting in the deaths of 16 people and the destruction of properties.

During the prayer session, worshippers prayed fervently for an end to the violence and for all parties involved to come together in a spirit of reconciliation and understanding.

The Zongo Chief stressed the importance of unity and tolerance in times of conflict and the community to set aside their differences and work towards building a more peaceful and inclusive society.

Alhaji Kayaba appealed to the government to review the curfew period, stating that it affected the Ramadan prayers in the area.

He said during the Holy month of Ramadan, Muslims fasted from dawn until sunset and engaged in extra prayers and spiritual activities,
however, with the current curfew in place, many were finding it difficult to attend late-night and congregational prayers at the mosque.

In acknowledging the importance of the curfew in ensuring public safety, Alhaji Kayaba urged the government to consider the religious needs of the community members during this sacred time.

Mr Felix Owusu Gyimah, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) in the Nkwanta South Municipality, who participated in the prayers urged the people to embrace peace to rebuild the community for development to thrive.

‘I pray for a successful tenure in office and, most importantly, for a peaceful Nkwanta, where every individual can thrive and all potentials can be nurtured.,’ he said.

The MCE also urged the parties involved to exhibit positive attitudes in all their daily activities to confirm to the government the current peace in the area to warrant the review of the curfew.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A Pre-Northern Ghana Development Summit (NGDS) Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) forum has been held to discuss and agree on the best way to present a coordinated CSOs front during the annual NGDS.

It was also to discuss and adopt a plan for post NGDS accountability and follow up on actions and commitments, as well as discuss ways of improving development coordination and effectiveness in northern Ghana among CSOs primarily but also between CSOs and other actors.

The day’s event, held in Tamale, and attended by local and international CSOs, NGOs and community-based organisations operating in the five regions in northern Ghana, was organised by STAR Ghana Foundation, Oxfam in Ghana, ActionAid Ghana, Norsaac, and Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA).

It was on the theme: ‘Coordination of Northern Ghana’s Development: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Way Forward’.

Alhaji Ibrahim-Tanko Amidu, Executive Director, STAR Ghana Foundation, speaking during the forum, emphasised the need for more colla
boration and coordination amongst CSOs and NGOs in the north to make them effective in advocating changes in the development landscape.

When the Mole series were revived in 2019 and rebranded as the NGDS, stakeholders, especially CSOs, had expectations that this would be a platform for coordination of efforts on northern Ghana’s development, mutual accountabilities among CSOs themselves and collaborating with and holding government and other stakeholders (including development partners) accountable for their commitments towards the development of northern Ghana.

However, after four successive NGDS, CSOs, especially in northern Ghana and other stakeholders are concerned that the summits (NGDS) are not living up to this expectation, and that the summits are becoming more of an annual routine and talk-shop than being a space for coordination in a manner that will set a bold and strategic agenda for northern Ghana’s development.

They are equally worried that post summit actions and momentum between summits are
not pursued or sustained, with the submits missing the marks for mutual accountabilities on northern Ghana’s development, hence this Pre-NGDS, CSOs forum.

Alhaji Osman Abdel-Rahman, Executive Director, GDCA, said the importance of the forum was for state authorities to understand that CSOs and NGOs worked to complement the state to deliver development to the people.

Alhaji Abdel-Rahman said, ‘We need to demonstrate that as CSOs, we work to ensure state actors live up to expectation.’

Mr John Nkaw, Country Director, ActionAid Ghana, said the organisation was happy to be connected with the forum and would work with all partners to ensure its success.

Mr Mahamud Mohammed, Head of Governance Programmes at Oxfam, Ghana, who represented the Country Director of Oxfam in Ghana, said the deliberations at the forum showed the commitment of CSOs and NGOs towards the development of the northern part of the country.

He urged them to continue to work together to ensure success.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Babadjou-Matazem section of the road linking the West and the North West region is almost complete, the Ministry of Public Works revealed.

‘As at 15 March 2024, the physical progress of works on this 17 km route linking Babadjou to Matazem stood at 93% for the main road. In detail, earthworks and sub-base have been completed along the entire distance, bituminous-bound graded aggregate base course and bituminous concrete surfacing have been laid over 16.8 km, and signing works had been completed over 14 km.’ The ministry said.

From Matazem, near Santa, the road is taking its shape with the laying of the base on the Matazem Welcome to Bamenda section, further information revealed.

‘On this section, 18 km long, which is lot 2 of the Babadjou-Bamenda road, the base is being laid and as at 15 March, it covered 5.5 km. Earthworks are carried throughout the route and the sub-base is laid over 10 km. Of the 52 hydraulic structures of the project, 48 are completed and the prefabricated parts of the remaining 4
are available. As in section 1, the project equally includes a related component, namely the development of Mile 11 – Lake Awing – Farmers Potatoes Warehouse – Catholic School Afuh – Awing Market – GHS Mewungne -Three Corners Awing road.’

Users of this road are waiting for the good news when completion will be announced. For more than teo decades, this road has been in bad state but was an object of political discourse.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has asked the government to be pragmatic in handling the payment of road contractors to address the perennial abandonment of project sites.

‘Do not wait until you can pay all the money you owe contractors before attending to them.

‘Just give them what is available to keep them on site,’ he told Mr. Francis Asenso-Boakye, the sector minister when he called on him at the Manhyia Palace.

According to the Asantehene, no contractor would abandon site when funds are released to them, however small, and urged the Minister to consider his proposal to protect the investments being made in the road sector.

He said the incessant abandoning of sites by contractors due to lack of funds only deteriorated the roads and called for a paradigm shift in handling the situation to protect the investments.

The provision of good roads, he said, was a catalyst for national development and stressed the need to prioritise road construction across the country.

He charged the Minister to live
up to expectation by working closely with relevant stakeholders to improve the road network of the country.

Mr. Asenso-Boakye was at the Palace to seek the blessings of the King ahead of the inspection of road projects currently ongoing in the region.

Among the projects inspected by the Minister on the first day were the Sunyani Road in Kumasi, Suame Interchange, the construction of the Atafoa bridge as well as road projects in the Kwabre East Municipality and Kwabre South District.

The Suame Interchange which is being executed by Rango Construction Company Limited is a four-tier interchange which seek to reduce congestion and travelling time.

It comes with an underpass at Abrepo Junction and overpasses at Krofrom Junction, Anomangye Junction, Magazine New Road Junction, and Abusuakruwa Junction.

As part of the project, the Offinso Road would be widened into a two and three lane dual carriage way with 15 kilometres of local roads also earmarked for construction.

Mr. Asenso-Boakye after inspecting the pr
ogress of work on the interchange applauded the contractors for the good job than so far, and urged them to keep up the momentum.

He said the Suame Interchange was the single biggest road project in Ghana in terms of scope and function and that there must be no room for delays and shoddy work.

‘So far, I am very impressed with the work and I am satisfied with what the contractor and the consultant have done,’ he told the media in an interview.

He said projects of such magnitudes were bound to face certain challenges and for that matter, he had directed his deputies to participate in the monthly meetings of the contractors to enable the ministry to address emerging issues promptly.

‘Government is committed to making sure that all these projects are completed on time so that the people can reap the full benefits of the projects,’ the Minister assured.

He was of the firm believe that the completion of the project would boost socio-economic development not only in Kumasi but other adjoining regions who mostl
y passed through Suame to conduct their businesses

Source: Ghana News Agency