Category: General

The General Agriculture Workers Union (GAWU) says it disappointed that President Nana Akufo-Addo failed to comment on the current state of the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam in the State of the Nation’s Address (SONA).

Mr Edward Kareweh, the General Secretary of GAWU, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that the facility had been left unattended for years after the government had cut the sod to revamp it and promised to complete it in 50 months.

Mr Kareweh said the project should have been in the President’s address to Parliament on Tuesday.

Mr Kareweh wondered where there was also no disclosure on why the revamping of the dam had not seen any progress.

He said the union found it difficult to trust the government as it had failed to fulfil numerous promises he had made to the agricultural sector, which included the construction of additional irrigation facilities.

He mentioned that even though they acknowledge that it would be difficult to deliver all the promises, accountability was the key for t
he public to get to know and understand the issues on the ground to help them make informed decisions and choices; however, ‘nobody is accountable to us.’

He indicated that, ‘the record is not good about him delivering on his promises, he has promised a lot, but he has not delivered on them, we have also seen some of these promises he delivered but has not completed.’

He said a committee should have been put in place to fast-track accountability on the plans regarding the dam, which could be a source of huge investment for the country.

The General Secretary of GAWU lamented that the government’s commitment to agriculture had not been impressive as there were no results to support the claim of having impacted positively on the sector.

‘We should not deceive ourselves that what has been stated will be done before the end of the year, when the president is exiting,’ he stated.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Scores of residents in the greater Kumasi metropolitan area have expressed concerns about the current economic situation in the country.

They described it as a ‘dried pocket’ one with increasing taxes on almost every commodity in existence.

These comments were echoed when the Ghana News Agency spoke to some residents to get their reactions on the State of the Nation’s Address (SONA) delivered by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Tuesday, February 27, 2024.

In the address, the President told Ghanaians about several efforts being made to improve transparency in the upcoming elections, ensure economic stability, good roads, ensure quality education as well as provide healthcare.

Despite these assurances, some Ghanaians believe there is ‘hardships in the system’ which is not making life easier for them.

Mr. Akwasi Agyena, a driver spotted at Angola Junction, said the turn of events lately had been an issue for him and his family.

Hitherto, the driver alleged that, he spent GH?100.00 on his three
children and wife every day.

‘Now, this same amount must be tripled to be able to eat from morning till evening.

Everything is expensive now, from the fuel we buy to the food we eat,’ he lamented.

Mma Fatima Lawal, Waakye Seller at ‘Tech Taxi Rank’ expects the prices of foodstuffs to go down for food vendors like her, to afford and buy ingredients to make food.

According to her, she used to buy directly from wholesalers but the prices coming in lately prevented her from making bulk purchases.

‘The prices are too high nowadays, when you ask, they say there are taxes, especially on cooking oil, and other charges which are making them increase their price.

‘The government should help us by cancelling some of the taxes on the goods to make it easier for businesses to thrive,’ Mma Lawal appealed.

At Kejetia, the responses were like other parts.

The traders seemed more concerned about the increased taxes and pleaded with the government to adjust for businesses to keep afloat.

Madam Yaa Pokua, a general mer
chandiser, said business lately was not that smooth.

‘Most customers are not buying due to the increase in prices of goods,’ she said.

She explained that it was no fault of traders, the problem had been the high taxes on imported products.

Mr Adu Agyare, another cloth seller, said as the nation prepared for the upcoming elections, it was important to consider the economic welfare of the people because these conditions would determine the choices the citizens made.

‘If I am hungry right now, I won’t even go out to vote, talk less of someone who will make things hard and rip me off my daily bread.’

He asked that the leaders instituted pragmatic measures to help boost economic growth and development.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Oti Regional Capital, Dambai is undergoing a sustained clean-up exercise ahead of the Regional Independence Day celebration on Wednesday, March 6, 2024.

There have been regular announcements of the event on radio and public address systems in the Municipality to court support for the event.

Nana Kugbeadzor-Bakateyi II, the Oti Regional Director of Education, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that 450 pupils and students will participate in the event in March past.

The categories include five Primary Schools, five Junior High Schools, three categories from Senior High Schools and Senior High Technical Schools and security agencies.

For the cadet category, Oti Secondary Technical and Yabram Community Day Senior High School would provide for the occasion.

She said each contingent will be made up of 30 with teachers accompanying each contingent.

The GNA gathered that Dambai, being the home of tradition and culture, is presenting a unique spectacle on the occasion, which may go down in history as the best
.

Beyond the normal parade and speeches, personalities would don traditional wear and smocks to display the rich culture of the people.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Abu Kansangbata, a former Deputy Upper West regional Minister has called on stakeholders in the petroleum industry to prioritise the investigation of alleged the substandard fuel supply in the market.

He waidthesaid issues raised by the Institute of Energy Security and the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers, should be regarded as a national security issue as it could be detrimental to motorists.

Mr Kasangbata saId although the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) had given assurance on the safety of oil in the Ghanaian market, there was a need to go beyond the assurance and bring offenders to book.

In a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Wednesday, Mr Kasangbata also called on the Special Prosecutor to extend the investigation to include the NPA to get to the root cause of the problem.

He also called on the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy to launch a thorough probe into this matter to ensure accountability and transparency within the energy sector.

Source: Ghana News A
gency

Some women groups from four districts in the Upper East Region have received financial literacy training as part of efforts to help fight rising teenage pregnancy, child marriage and other sexual and reproductive health challenges affecting adolescents.

The training, organised by the Forum for African Women Educationalists Ghana (FAWE-GH), a non-governmental organisation, was to enable the women groups to acquire knowledge on financial management to enable them to expand their savings culture and invest in productive ventures to maximise profits to help cater for the needs of their adolescent children.

The groups comprised members of some Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) from the Kassena-Nankana and Builsa North Municipalities, and Kassena-Nankana West and Bongo Districts, where FAWE-GH was rolling out a five-year project to address sexual and reproductive health issues and gender inequality among adolescents.

It is part of the Global Affairs Canada sponsored project dubbed ‘Sexual Health and
Reproductive Education (SHARE)’ being implemented by a consortium led by Right to Play, WaterAid Ghana, FHI360 and FAWE-GH.

The project, among other things, seeks to advance gender equality through providing access to age-appropriate sexual and reproductive education and gender-responsive care for young people, particularly girls and young women.

Speaking at Navrongo during the training, Ms Dora Muchiah, the Programmes Manager, FAWE-GH, noted that the financial literacy training was part of efforts to contribute to making parents, especially women, economically independent to take care of the needs of their adolescent children.

She said issues of teenage pregnancy and child marriage resulting from transactional sex remained serious due to poverty and the inability of parents to afford the basic needs of their children, particularly girls and expressed the hope that the intervention would help to reduce the canker.

‘We noticed that most of the women groups are into the VSLA, so we trained them on how they
can strengthen their groups and increase membership, manage their monies, invest them wisely and be able to transact business with the banks, to be able to take loans to undertake certain initiatives.

‘Once these women are empowered and know how to use their money and are making a profit, they will be better positioned to support and provide the needs of their children, especially their adolescent girls,’ she said.

She said work in the communities had revealed that due to the inability of some parents to provide their adolescent girls’ needs such as sanitary pads, some males took advantage of the vulnerable state of the girls to ask for sex before helping them.

That, she said, had contributed to rising cases of teenage pregnancy with some pregnant girls compelled to marry at early ages, leading to school dropouts and other complications.

She advised the participants to use the knowledge to help improve their livelihoods and contribute to addressing challenges confronting the growth and development of youn
g people in their respective communities.

Ms Bridget Amoah, a participant from Vea in the Bongo District, thanked FAWE-GH and its partners for the training and noted that the knowledge acquired would be extended to many groups in her communities to help make maximum impact.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Association of Tourist Sites and Attractions Ghana (ATAS-GH) is set to embark on a sensitization drive targeted at uniting and empowering managers of tourist sites to enable them render quality tourism services.

Mandated by the Ghana Tourism Authority to develop tourist sites and unite the managers of tourist attractions in Ghana, the association is set to be inaugurated on March 20, 2024, at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra.

The association is expected to be the leading advocate and promoter of sustainable tourism development in Ghana through the promotion of practices that ensure the long-term viability of cultural and natural resources.

Mr. Sampson Donkoh, Executive Director of ATAS-GH, stated during a courtesy call to the Ambassador of Switzerland to Ghana, Togo, and Benin, Madam Simone Giger, that they sought collaboration with Switzerland in areas of offering training programmes for local tour guides.

‘We believe that Switzerland’s expertise and experience in tourism development can grea
tly contribute to our efforts, and we are eager to explore opportunities for collaboration with your esteemed embassy, ‘the Executive Director stated.

Mr. Donkoh added that, together with the Swiss government, they could create meaningful partnerships that benefit both nations and promote cultural exchange and economic prosperity.

Ambassador Simone Giger, in her remarks, lauded ATAS-GH for embarking on the project of ensuring better tourism service delivery across the country and giving tourists a wonderful experience.

She noted Ghana had a wonderful cultural heritage, and this sensitization drive to be embarked on by ATAS-GH was in the right direction to promote tourism and conserve its heritage.

Ambassador Simone Giger also stated that she would consider the appeal of offering exchange training programmes to help improve the skills of local tour managers and guides.

Mr. Gilbert Aggrey Abeiku Santana, Deputy Executive Director of ATAS-GH and the Secretary of ATAS-GH, Madam Patience Yaakai Adjei, were am
ong the dignitaries that paid a courtesy call on the Swiss Ambassador.

Ghana, a country steeped in cultural richness and natural splendor, offers a diverse tapestry of tourist attractions and sites that captivate visitors from around the globe.

From historical landmarks to pristine natural wonders, the nation stands as a treasure for those seeking immersive and unforgettable experiences.

Source: Ghana News Agency