L' Observateur Burundi

Mr Abu Kansangbata, a former Deputy Upper West regional Minister has called on the government to fulfill its promises of providing quality roads to the people of Savannah and Upper West regions.

‘In the wake of the declaration of the ‘Year of Roads,’ the state of the Wa-Bamboi to Kumasi roads stands as a testament to governmental neglect.

‘Traveling from Accra to Wa has become a grueling ordeal, with the journey stretching to an agonizing 17 to 18 hours.

In a statement signed and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, he said the prolonged travel time was not only inconveniencing passengers but also endangered their lives on what had become an hazardous route.

‘The Wa-Kumasi Highway, a crucial road for Trans-Ecowas trade connecting Ghana and Burkina Faso, along with other Sahelian communities in West Africa, has deteriorated into a perilous condition’.

Mr Kansangbata said the neglect had sparked outrage among citizens of the Upper West and Savannah Regions, who were demanding immediate action from th
e government to address the crumbling infrastructure.

‘The failure to fulfill promises of development adds insult to injury for the neglected communities. The pledge to transform the Kparigu Dam into a large-scale irrigation and hydro-power system held the promise of substantial benefits for the region’.

He said during the 2016 election campaign and subsequent years, the current government promised to usher in development for Northern communities, but the communities were yet to receive such projects.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Albert Antwi-Boasiako, the Director-General, Cyber Security Authority (CSA), says the Authority is committed to working with stakeholders to embark on some major policy initiatives geared towards child online protection.

He said ongoing was the development of a Legislative Instrument to support the implementation of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038), with which United Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and other partners were greatly involved.

The Director-General said this at the launch of the 2024 edition of the National Cybersecurity Challenge (NCC) in Accra, which marks a milestone of an event that has imparted the third knowledge to thousands of school children across the country.

The theme for this year’s edition is ‘Empowering young minds, creating opportunities, promoting a safer digital Ghana.’

This initiative is aimed at promoting cyber safety and awareness among high school students by providing them with first-hand experiences in identifying, preventing, and mitigating digital threats
, especially online child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Dr Antwi-Boasiako said the development of the National Child Online Protection (COP) Framework, was currently before Cabinet, and the development of guidelines to support child online protection initiatives, the annual Africa Safer Internet Day (ASID) in February, among others.

He said over the last 10 years, children and young adults had consistently been the two groups found most likely to go online.

‘According to Statista, a global research platform, as of January 2024, an estimated 24.06 million Ghanaians were connected to the internet, with 7.60 million active on social media,’ he added.

He said currently, Ghana was ranked eighth globally on daily time spent on social media with online child sexual exploitation and abuse among the top 10 cybercrimes in the world, and that this figure was expected to increase in the coming years if attention was not given to child online safety.

The Director-General said UNICEF and the National Centre for Missi
ng and Exploited Children (NCMEC), had reported that almost 22,000 reports of child sexual abuse material that were accessed, shared, or produced in 2022 were from Ghana.

‘In that same year, the Child Online Protection Division of the CSA conducted a survey in selected senior high schools in the Greater Accra region, aiming to collect information about the online habits, risks, and vulnerabilities of students using the internet’

‘The key findings of the survey established that about 64.35 per cent reported receiving pornographic materials in various forms, including images, words, and videos,’ he added.

He said another concerning statistic established that 55.90 per cent of students admitted to interacting with strangers they met online, highlighting the potential dangers of online meetings.

Dr Antwi-Boasiako said as a flagship programme of the Authority, it had been decided that the Challenge was run by a National Steering Committee to give it a national character and the needed impetus.

He urged their
partners to be part of the Committee when called upon to support this exercise, calling civil societies, the media, businesses, and stakeholders across the country to support the event to empower children and to help keep them safe online.

Madam Joyce Odame, a Representative from UNICEF, expressed excitement for the innovative approach employed by the CSA to enhance the knowledge of all and sundry to stay smart in the online space.

She called on other relevant stakeholders to join the journey by supporting to equipping the next generation to know how to use the digital space to their advantage.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The ECOWAS Court will organize a training programme for lawyers and law students from Sierra Leone on the margins of its 2024 international conference to deepen their knowledge of the Court for improved practice, the President of the Court, Justice Edward Amoako Asante, has said.

The president said during a meeting with the executive of the Sierra Leone Bar Association (SLBA) in Freetown on Tuesday, 16th April 2024, that the resource persons for the training would be drawn from senior lawyers from the Court, who will be attending the conference.

He said the training should hopefully close the lacuna in the knowledge of the Court among legal practitioners from the country based on the realisation that most of the lawyers appearing before the Court for cases from Sierra Leone were from outside the country.

Justice Asante urged the leadership of the SLBA to help with the process for the successful conduct of the training, working in collaboration with other relevant bodies in the country, including the leade
rship of the law school to streamline the participation and other elements of the training.

He announced that the President of the SLBA, Eddinia Michaela Swallow Esq will deliver a goodwill message at the 2024 conference of the Court, which will be historic, being the first time the President of a country’s bar association will be allowed to deliver such a message since the inaugural conference in 2004.

Earlier, the President of the SLBA had thanked the Court for the ‘amazing opportunity,’ granted the country to host the conference, describing it as the fulfilment of a dream for her and members of the legal profession in the country.

She suggested that the Court work with the bar associations of Member States to sensitize lawyers on the specificities of the Court in order to improve their practice, particularly for those who might find themselves appearing before the Court.

Justice Asante is leading a 12-member delegation of the Court to discuss arrangements for the successful hosting of the 2024 internat
ional conference of the Court scheduled to take place between the 13th and 16th of May 2024.

The conference is on the theme: ‘Enhancing the role, relevance and effectiveness of the ECOWAS Court of Justice through the strengthening of synergies between the Court and national stakeholders.’

The President said the conference would provide a forum to generate constructive discussions around the strengths and weaknesses of the Court’s relationship with various national stakeholders and propose practical solutions for the enhancement of the role, relevance and effectiveness of the Court.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Wednesday launched its 75th anniversary celebrations and activities in Accra.

The event was held on the theme: ’75 years of Excellence in Journalism: Honouring the past, embracing the present, shaping the future’.

It was chaired by Nana Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng, a former Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), with Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Minister of Works and Housing, also the Caretaker, Information Minister, as Special Guest of Honour and Sir Sam Jonah (KBE), Executive Chairman of Jonah Capital, as the Keynote Speaker.

Mr Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, President of the GJA, speaking on the theme, said the Association had gone through various phases and was set to embrace the present and the future.

He bemoaned the increasing attacks on media freedom and the work of journalists and stated the commitment of the leadership of the Association to continue to defend media freedom and ensure that persons who attacked journalists were brought to book.

Mr Dwumfour appe
aled to Corporate Ghana to support the Association in its 75th anniversary celebrations and activities.

Sir Sam Jonah said the media landscape had become polarised threatening the essence of the profession and called on journalists to recommit themselves to the ethics of professionalism to ensure their actions were in national interest and development.

He said the media’s role as the fourth estate was a cornerstone to the country’s democracy.

‘As journalists, the times we live in beckons on you to give off your professional and ethical best. Let your pen and voices spread messages of peace,’ he said.

He lamented about the media’s silence on the ‘galamsey’ (illegal mining) menace, which was ravaging the environment.

He urged journalists to reignite the fight against galamsey.

He charged members of the GJA to uphold the principles of governance, justice and accountability in the discharge of their duties.

Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, a former Majority Leader of Parliament, urged journalists to bring their
conscience to bear in their line of duty.

Some individuals were honoured for their contributions to the GJA.

Among them were Sir Sam Jonah, Professor Kwame Karikari, Nana Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng, and Rev. Dr. Paul Kofi Fynn.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Rescue Para-Sports Group has petitioned the Parliamentary Select Committee on Youth and Sports to look into some issues affecting para-sports in the country.

Scores of para-athletes, officials, and disability sports enthusiasts marched to Parliament to address issues concerning the Sports Act, abuse of disabled athletes, and gloss disregards for the para sports constitution.?

The group also expressed discontent with how Para Sports was managed by officials of the National Paralympic Committee (NPC).

The demonstrators expressed disappointment in President of the NPC, Samson Deen, whom they claim has overstayed in office.

The Clerk to Parliament and Deputy Leader of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Youth and Sports received the petition and assured protesters that the leadership would look into the concerns raised and ensure the right actions are taken quickly to bring the para sports back on its feet.?

While this was ongoing, some top leaders of the Rescue Para-Sports group met with the Director
and leadership of the National Sports Authority of Ghana (NSA), submitting documents and discussing issues on the same subject.?

Source: Ghana News Agency

Apple Music, a renowned global streaming platform, has announced Ghanaian music sensation King Paluta as their ‘Next Up’ artiste for the month of April.

The monthly ‘Next Up’ programme by Apple Music, identifies global music talents and gives them the spotlight on their platform to promote their works and further grow their audience.

King Paluta, who was recently nominated for the New Artiste of the Year at the upcoming Telecel Ghana Music Awards, has dominated social media trends with his ‘Aseda’ song.

The motivational ‘Aseda, single, which is undoubtedly the biggest song in Ghana at the moment, has garnered millions of views across various social media platforms and also topped musical charts.

King Paluta recently headlined a concert in Dusseldorf, Germany, where he thrilled audiences with an amazing performance.

The Kumasi-based rapper and singer has made significant strides in his career and produced massive hits last year, which include ‘Yahitte,’ ‘Sika Aba Fie,’ and ‘Aha Ahye’.

Source: Ghana New
s Agency