L' Observateur Burundi

Mr Karimu Kusubari, West Gonja Municipal Chief Executive, has handed over a site for the construction of a one-storey shopping mall at Damongo, the Savannah Regional capital.

The project, when completed, will facilitate commercial activities and boost the local economy.

Mr Kusubari, speaking at the handing over ceremony, reiterated the government’s commitment towards the development of the municipality to improve the quality of lives of the people.

He said it was the government’s priority to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (one), which sought to eradicate extreme poverty.

He said the project was one of the key projects he desired to witness its commencement and completion.

The project is being funded by the Ghana Secondary Cities Support Programme, a World Bank Loan Facility, aimed at improving road network among others in the area.

The contractor is expected to commence work in two weeks and the project duration is six months.

Mr Kusubari inspected a completed drainage system at Ngbaripe, a
suburb of Damongo, which is aimed at preventing flooding in the area.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Vulnerable girls from rural communities in the Upper East Region enrolled onto various vocational and technical training by the Advocacy for Social Inclusion and Girls Education (ASIGE), a non-government organisation, has reached 100 within five years.

This follows the latest admission of 20 selected young vulnerable girls to undergo a three-year practical training in various trades such as hairdressing, smock weaving, dressmaking, and welding, among others.

With funding from the Amplify Action based in the United Kingdom, the beneficiaries were also provided with learning materials and equipment as well as payment for the entire training duration.

Since 2019, ASIGE has been working with various stakeholders to help reduce unemployment in the region through the support of young vulnerable girls, particularly out of schoolgirls and teenage mothers, to learn various trades in vocation skills.

It has also been advocating for policy directions for African countries to prioritise technical and vocational train
ing as means to reduce unemployment, reduce poverty and strengthen efforts towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Ms Dorcas Apoore, Executive Director, ASIGE, told the Ghana News Agency that apart from the training, the beneficiaries would also be given entrepreneurship and digital training to enable them to establish their businesses, attract and retain customers.

She said so far about 33 girls had successfully graduated from the training and five had already started their own businesses, earning income and employing other young girls.

‘Majority of these girls were on the streets of Accra, Kumasi and other parts of Ghana but since we brought in this programme, these so many girls are engaged and we believe in five years-time, should they all graduate, they will support other vulnerable girls,’ she said.

The Executive Director explained that technical and vocational skills training was key to reducing unemployment and boosting socioeconomic growth and development.

However, e
ducational systems of Ghana and other African countries were mostly based on theories.

The situation, she indicated, had contributed significantly to the high rate of unemployment and limited graduates from establishing their own businesses and contributing to solving social problems.

Ms Apoore underscored the urgent need to align policy framework that prioritised handwork for young people, adding ‘we have so many graduates on the streets, but they don’t have the practical skills.’

Madam Rita Abamah, Bongo District Girl Child Officer, Ghana Education Service, indicated that most of the young girls enrolled had missed out on the formal education and the support would go a long way to build their capacity to live dignified lives.

She advised the beneficiaries to humble themselves and learn so that they would acquire the needed skills that would enable them to establish their own business and become economically independent.

Ms Martha Asaane, one of the Master Trainers, said they were willing to train the g
irls at reduced fees and urged the parents of the beneficiaries to support their wards.

Ms Matilda Adombire, one of the beneficiaries, expressed gratitude to ASIGE and its partners for the intervention and noted that the support would enable her make up for the formal education she missed and become responsible in society.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Aida Opoku-Mensah, the Managing Director of the Centric Digital Ghana on Wednesday, asked stakeholders and actors to harness a transformative power of digital technology to create a better society for all.

That could be done if stakeholders embraced diversity of thoughts, perspectives and remained steadfast in their commitment to advancing digital rights and inclusion.

Dr Opoku-Mensah, who is also the Board Vice Chair, Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a Pan African organisation, threw the challenge at the 11th Digital Rights and Inclusive Forum 2024 (DRIF24), underway in Accra.

The three-day conference is being organised by the Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a Pan African organisation and other partners on the theme: ‘Fostering rights and inclusion in the digital age’.

Participants comprised of hundreds of delegates, civil society organisations and actors, NGOs and the academia drawn from 61 countries across the world.

Other partner organisations in Ghana collaborating with PIN include E-Governance and Internet
Governance Foundation for Africa (EGIGFA), University of Media, Arts and Communication, Media Foundation for West Africa, Inclusive Tech Group, Internet Society (ISOC) Ghana Chapter, and Human Security Research Centre (HSRC).

Event sponsors included Wikimedia, African Digital Rights Network, Ford Foundation, Luminate, Google, Kingdom of The Netherlands, Mott Foundation, Open Technology Fund (OTF), Internews, Small Media, among others.

Dr Opoku-Mensah said actors in the digital revolution agenda ought to embrace diversity and do more to deepen their understanding and inspire meaningful action.

Throwing more light on the forum, she said the event provided a rich selection of 80 sessions for the delegates to choose from, saying the DRIF24 focused Trust and Accountability, Data Protection, Privacy and Surveillance, Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies, Digital Inclusion and Marginalised Groups, all critical areas in the dynamic tech world.

Dr Opoku-Mensah, said the forum allowed for deepening col
laboration and knowledge-sharing, and he expressed the hope that the insights gained, and connections forged at the forum would inspire tangible action and positive change in the pursuit of a more equitable and just digital future.

‘At the end of the three days, we envisage that we would have all gained a deeper understanding of the challenges, opportunities and threats in the digital landscape as well as a renewed commitment to advancing digital rights and inclusion for all,’ she stated .

She said the forum’s agenda was also spot-on, reflecting the array of challenges and opportunities that accompany the digital revolution.

Dr Albert Antwi-Bosiako, the Director-General of the Cyber Security Authority, said Ghana had made significant strides to expand digital infrastructure and connectivity by constructing over a 1,000 new rural telephony sites in rural areas across.

He said the sites were geared towards expanding network coverage and internet access and underlined the need for the nation to tackle barrie
rs that hindered access to the internet and ensure they were adequately removed to uphold the digital rights of all citizens.

Digital inclusion, Dr Antwi-Bosiako said was not just about access to the internet but also about ensuring that all individuals had the skills and knowledge to fully participate in the digital economy.

That required investing in digital literacy and education initiatives to empower citizens with the skills they needed to navigate the digital landscape and take advantage of the opportunities presented by the internet, he said.

The forum would showcase a range of reports, toolkits, initiatives and platforms from various organisations, including the PIN’s Ripoti-a platform empowering individuals to report digital rights violations.

Additionally, Ayeta, a digital security platform will provide crucial support to human rights defenders, journalists and activists, while PIN’s annual report, would offer indispensable insights into digital rights and inclusion across 26 African countries.

T
hat would serve as a guiding roadmap for policymakers, civil society organisations, governments, members of the academia and other relevant stakeholders.

The forum would further premiere of PIN’s 4th Short Film, ‘Undersight,’ which highlights the transformative power of storytelling in driving social change.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Supreme Court says Parliament’s approval of payment of salaries and emoluments to First and Second Ladies from the Consolidated Fund is unconstitutional.

The seven-member panel presided over by Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo, which said this on Wednesday, held that presidential spouses did not fall under the public officeholders.

This was after the court granted three out of four reliefs sought by Kwame Baffoe, aka Abronye, the Bono Regional NPP Chairman, of Parliament’s approval of the payment of salaries to the First and Second ladies.

The apex court had before it Mr Baffoe (plaintiff’s ) writ seeking a declaration that, the approval by Parliament to pay salaries to First and Second Ladies was inconsistent with Article 71 clauses 1 and 2 of the 1992 Constitution and consequently prayed that same should be declared null and unenforceable.

Again, the plaintiff sought declaration that, per Article 71 (1) and (2): the positions of the First and Second Ladies of Ghana did not fall under the cate
gory of public office holders.

Additionally, the plaintiff sought the Supreme Court’s declaration that, per Article 71 of the 1992 Constitution, the Emolument Committee was limited to recommending the salaries and other benefits and privileges of only public office holders.

These declarations were granted by the apex Court.

However, the Supreme court turned down the plaintif’s prayer to declare that per Articles 108 and 178 of the 1992 Constitution, Parliament could not, on its own accord, initiate or approve payment of any such emoluments, which would necessarily be paid from the funds, without a bill to that effect emanating from and introduced by government and duly passed into law.

In a related development, the court has turned down six out of seven reliefs sought by Rockson-Nelson Dafeamakpor, NDC Member of Parliament for South Dayi Constituency in a similar writ before it.

The only relief granted the MP and two others (Dr Clement Apaak, Builsa South MP and one Frederick Nii Commey) was that spouses
of the President and the Vice President were not Article 71 office holders for the purposes of receipt of wages and emoluments.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Contractors working on the Kumasi International Airport has handed over the project to the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) through the Ministry of Transport.

This was during the inspection and testing of the terminal facilities by officials from the Ministry of Transport and the GACL, led by Mr Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, on Tuesday.

The visit was to test and assess whether the facilities conform to international standards.

Mr Asiamah, who was impressed with the work done by the contractors so far, expressed optimism that the airfields would also be completed within the short possible time by the contractor.

He said it was very necessary to get clear evidence on the functionality of the facility to enable them to synchronize them together for operations.

He explained that GACL was going to intensify maintenance culture to ensure durability since most facilities in the country faced maintenance deficits.

The Minister was hopeful that the facility would be commissioned before the end of May 2024.

Mrs Yvonn
e Nana Afriyie Opare, Managing Director of GACL, lauded the quality of work done after testing, and prayed that God continued to guide the sustainability of the facility.

With the completion of the facility, she noted, about 800,000 passengers could patronize it within a year since majority of travelers come from the Ashanti and the northern parts of the country.

She also thanked the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, for given them the site for operations.

Nana Ametepe, the Resident engineer/consultant for GACL took the team to various operational departments of the facility such as the information desk, profiling box, VVIP lounge, wrapping area, luggage scanning rooms and others.

In June 2018, President Akufo-Addo cut the sod for the commencement of work on Phase Two of the Kumasi Airport Project.

The scope of work included the extension of existing runway pavement from 1,981 metres to 2,320 meters, the construction of a new taxi link, and apron, two new apron parking stands, and aeronautical ground lig
hting systems.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Francis Asenso-Boakye, the Minster for Roads and Highways, has embarked on a tour of the Western Region to inspect progress of ongoing major road projects in the Region.

The projects include the Takoradi PTC interchange, Sekondi to Takoradi road dualisation, and sectional repair works on Nkroful Junction – Ketan to Kojokrom Junction-Kojokrom Market Road on the main Takoradi to Cape Coast highway.

The rest are proposed road construction at Mpohor, dualisation of Takoradi to Agona Nkwanta, and reconstruction of Agona to Tarkwa roads.

He was accompanied by Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, the Western Regional Minister, officials from the Ghana Highway Authority and Department of Urban Roads, and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives among others.

Briefing journalists after the inspection, the Minster expressed satisfaction at progress of the various projects and commended the contractors for the work done so far.

Mr Asenso-Boakye said the projects when completed would not only relief commu
ters the stress they went through when plying roads, but also boost economic activities in the respective project areas.

He charged the contractors on-site to ensure they worked assiduously to complete the projects on the specified timelines.

He acknowledged the poor state of some of the roads in the Western Region and expressed the government’s commitment to providing good roads and other infrastructural projects to improve the socio-economic well-being of the people.

Meanwhile, the Minster advised the public against encroaching and disposing of solid waste into drains along the roads.

Mr Asenso-Boakye stated that the act blocked free-flow of water in the drains, resulting in the spill of water onto the roads which caused damage to the roads, especially during the rainy seasons.

‘I am urging the people to stop encroaching the channels of the drains, and disposing of solid waste into them so that we can save our roads from damage of rain water,’ he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency