L' Observateur Burundi

Ms Momoko Suzuki, Chief Representative, Japan International Cooperation (JICA), has expressed confidence in Ghana’s Civil Service Training Centre (CSTC) becoming the Centre of excellence in human resource capacity development in the West Africa sub-region.

She believed the Centre was well-positioned to train staff in the civil and public service and also provide support for neighboring countries in human capital development.

Ms Suzuki was speaking at a media engagement in Accra on JICA’s collaboration with CSTC over the past 15 years, which among other things, had culminated in the establishment of an ultra-modern e-learning platform called the ‘Learning Management System’ (LMS) at the Centre.

The platform, formed part of JICA’s technical cooperation projects implemented at the CSTC over the years.

It will help deliver online courses to personnel in the civil service as the Centre continued its in-person capacity development and career advancement mission.

The well-equipped Centre, provided by JICA, has
hybrid training rooms, studios, laptops, video cameras, and other learning essentials for trainees and facilitators.

Ms Suzuki was impressed with the cordial working relationship between JICA and CSTC, as it continued to extend support to the Centre through the provision of physical infrastructure and logistics.

She highlighted the importance of human resource development stressing that ‘a highly motivated civil service’ contributed to a stable State and enabled citizens to ‘have trust in the government’.

Ms Suzuki said a part of JICA’s global agenda was to ‘strengthen good governance and institutions’, adding that capacity building and improvement in ‘administrative practices and systems’ were essential to the mission.

‘Our collaboration has grown from strength to strength…I’m very proud to see this evolvement of CSTC and how the Centre has brought herself to this level and its high ownership and the enthusiasm to become more better.

‘We see CSTC as the Centre of excellence not only in Ghana but in the
sub-region. We believe that Ghana can support the neigbouring countries in the capacity development of the civil service.

‘CSTC is now one of the leading institutions to provide support to other countries, which would also enable the stability of the neighbouring regions,’ she noted.

Ms Suzuki expressed JICA’s commitment to work with the government of Ghana to develop the country’s human resources and achieve economic growth.

Mrs Dora Dei-Tumi, Principal, Civil Service Training Center, described JICA as ‘a beacon and catalyst of CSTCS phenomenal change’.

The said the myriad of support received from JICA had led to the grooming of high level facilitators, who in turn offered technical expertise to trainees.

Apart from training low and middle level civil service personnel, Mrs Dei-Tumi said the Institution also accommodated high level staff in both the civil and public service.

She noted that the new e-learning facility would augment the in-person training offered by CSTC, and called for more collaboratio
n from other institutions.

Mr. Masashi Yamanaka, JICA Expert, also touched on the importance of training and investing in people.

He praised the interactive and well-designed interface of the e-learning system, which would allow trainees to assess online courses on their phones and computers.

He highlighted other benefits of the system and expressed confidence in its effectiveness and efficiency.

The Ghana News Agency was told that four new e-learning courses had been run on the platform with positive feedback from participants.

Subsequently, JICA and CSTC would develop courses for practicing ‘Kaizen’ – the Japanese concept of ‘Continuous Improvement Learning’ in the public sector.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Francis Asenso-Boakye, Minister for Roads and Highways, has held bilateral discussions with Mochizuki Hisanobu, Japanese Ambassador to Ghana, on the completion of road infrastructure projects in Ghana.

Mr Asenso-Boakye said the bilateral meeting underscored the Ghanaian government’s appreciation for Japan’s consistent support in driving socio-economic development, particularly in the infrastructure sector.?

‘I wish to express the appreciation of the government of Ghana to the Prime Minister and the people of Japan for their contributions to the development of our country, particularly in the provision of infrastructure’, he said.?

The Minister urged the Ambassador to expedite the process of securing additional funding for the Volivo Bridge project, highlighting its importance for enhancing connectivity and facilitating economic activities in the area.

Mr Hisanobu assured that efforts were underway to facilitate the necessary funding arrangements for the Volivo Bridge project, affirming Japan’s commitme
nt to fostering continued collaboration with Ghana.?

He reiterated his government’s commitment to supporting Ghana in its endeavours within the roads and highways sector.

The discussions were on the progress of key projects such as the Kumasi Inner Ring Road, Asokwa to Santansi Roundabout, and the Tema-Motorway Interchange Phase Two.

Meanwhile, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has agreed to provide additional grant funding to cover the increased costs incurred during the construction of the Assin Praso-Assin Foso Road Project.?

The extra expenses, totalling about 30.5 million Yen, were primarily due to factors such as fuel price hikes, material escalation, and challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Officials of the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE), in the Ayawaso West Municipality, say basic school children have shown confidence and love for their mother tongue.

Mr Edem Afeeva, NCCE Municipal Director, stated that after engaging some schoolchildren in Ga language reading sessions at the Abelemkpe ‘2’ JHS, children gained strong self-esteem and felt like they belonged in their classes.

The reading sessions were held in commemoration of International Mother Language Day, which is observed every year on February 21 after being declared by UNESCO and later adopted by the United Nations General Assembly.

The Day highlights the importance of languages in promoting inclusivity and attaining the Sustainable Development Goals.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr Afeeva said that learning and speaking local dialects promotes culture and values while also instilling logical reasoning and intelligence in children.

‘So, language is what defines us as a people and so it gives us our
identity. The framers of the 1992 constitution were right when they mention in the constitution that the state shall promote our local languages and culture. The state has a role to play,’ he said.

Mr Afeeva said that residents had a responsibility to promote local languages in their homes, churches, and workplaces to shift the narrative of Ghanaian languages becoming extinct.

In Ghana, it has been reported that the Ga-Dangbe language is fast reaching extinction, as observation used as a tool to collect data and studied qualitatively found that the language is ‘endangered’ because it is utilized primarily by few speakers of the older generation.

The United Nations has said that 40 per cent of the global population currently lacks access to education in their native language, a figure that exceeds 90 per cent in certain regions.

The Day, as encouraged by the UNESCO, is to let children read and speak in their country’s capital language, and in the case of Ghana, the Ga language.

At the Abelemkpe ‘2’ JHS, t
he children read the Ga book titled ‘Nileegbe,’ meaning the path of knowledge in classes 1, 4 and 6.

Mr Dominic Sarpong, Head of Programmes at the Ayawaso West NCCE Municipal Directorate, stated that local languages serve as conduits for traditional knowledge and cultural heritage; however, linguistic diversity faces threat as more languages disappear.

He stated that research highlights the benefits of employing learners’ native languages in school, which promotes higher learning outcomes and critical thinking skills.

‘There are certain things we know in our local language but very difficult to say in English. Our local languages promote understanding, tolerance, and cohesion for economic, social, and cultural benefits,’ Mr. Sarpong said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Parliament on Thursday began debating the President’s 2024 State of the Nation Address (SONA) where members of the House; the Majority and Minority, are taking turns to express their agreement or disagreement with the message.

In line with Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution, the SONA was presented to the House by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Tuesday, February 27.

The weeklong debate was opened by Mrs Abena Osei-Asare, a Deputy Finance Minister and New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Atiwa East, and seconded by Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for North Tongu.

Mrs Osei-Asare expressed gratitude to the President for his message on the State of the Nation.

‘Mr Speaker, as I listened to the President, I felt a great sense of pride. Mr Speaker, his address showed that in a world fraught with challenges, Ghana continues to show resilience and advance in hope.’

Touching on the economy, Mrs Osei-Asare said the Government was restoring fiscal a
nd debt sustainability.

That, she said, the Government did by going to Parliament to enable them to use both administrative and new measures to raise more revenue for the State and cut down on borrowing to address the economic issues.

Mrs Osei-Asare said Parliament assisted the Government in cutting down on its expenditure and helped them to fit within the Appropriated Budget that they were given.

Part of the administrative measures had to do with the digitisation being championed by the Vice President, which bore some fruits for the nation.

The digitisation and the new tax revenue measures, in 2023, have enabled the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to meet its revenue generation target and even go above it.

‘Mr Speaker, under the debt sustainability, we had to go through a painful but necessary process to help bring our debt level onto a sustainable path,’ she said.

‘This, we did by undertaking a comprehensive debt structuring programme of both our domestic and external debts.’

She said the Ministry comp
leted the domestic debts exchange in February, which saw about 95 per cent participation rates; declaring that ‘so far, so good, Mr Speaker’.

Mrs Osei-Asare said the Government had managed to pay all its coupons after some hitches at the beginning of the programme.

‘In August 2023, we paid the first tranche of the coupons, which was GHS2.36 billion; another coupon was paid in September of GHS2.00 billion.’

‘Mr Speaker, just last week, the 20th of February, we saw a huge chunk of our coupons being paid up to GHS5.80 billion.’

‘This is the largest in the history of our nation. And this is telling us that, yes, we are bringing back the confidence in the secondary matters.’

She encouraged Ghanaians to participate in the long end of the matters and not the short ends because the Government had brought back confidence in the secondary matter.

Certain global factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war had had negative impacts on Ghana’s economy, she said.

With regard to the health sector,
Mrs Osei-Asare underscored the Government’s commitment to completing the La General Hospital construction project.

Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the NDC MP of North Tongu, expressed unhappiness about the President not mentioning the Akosombo and Kpong dams spillage, which affected many communities such as Mepe and Battor in the Volta Region.

He criticised the President for being silent on the issue of fighting illegal mining (galamsey) in his address, which used to be one of his (the President’s) flagship projects.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A 20-year-old Nigerian Abdul Abubakari Sadiq has been convicted by a Weija Circuit Court for stealing a water meter.

Sadiq, charged with intentionally and unlawfully causing damage to a meter belonging to Ghana Water Limited, pleaded guilty.

Sadiq, however, denied the charge of stealing.

The Court, presided by Mr James Kojo Botah, convicted the accused person on his plea on 27th February 2024.

Mr Abubakari Sadiq was sentenced to pay a fine of GH?2,400.00 or face a six-month imprisonment.

The Management of Ghana Water Limited (GWL), Accra West Region, had caused his arrest and subsequent conviction.

Sadiq is expected to be in court on April 11, 2024, in respect of the charge of stealing.

On February 23, 2024, Sadiq was caught by a resident of Kasoa Amanfrom Toptown with a water meter and a standpipe tap in his sack.

Sadiq, who was earlier seen strolling in the area with his scrap dealer’s truck, entered a compound and broke the meter there, thinking there was no one at home.

The noise of the breakage
woke an occupant of the house up and Sadiq was arrested and sent to the Amanfrom Police Station.

He was subsequently arraigned before the Weija Circuit Court and convicted on 27th February 2024.

In September 2023, Mr Marvin Godwin, also a Nigerian, was arrested in Kasoa Nyanyano for meter theft and was convicted by Ms Linda Amissah at the Ofaakor Circuit Court.

He is still serving his sentence in jail.

The Ghana Water Limited in a statement signed by its Accra West Region Communication Manager, Mrs Solace A. M. Akomeah, said stealing of meters was one of the challenges the GWL faced in its operations.

She said the Kasoa/Nyanyano area in the Accra West Region was notorious for such acts and that no day passes without its district offices in those communities receiving reports of missing meters.

This challenge, she said, impeded greatly on GWL’s objective of achieving a 100 per cent metering ratio nationwide.

‘It is important to note that without water meters, our customers are billed on estimates, a sit
uation which usually generates undue tension between them (customers) and our commercial officers,’ she said.

‘As we seek to win the battle against meter stealing, we will bring all culprits to book and ensure they receive the appropriate punishments,’ the statement said.

GWL, therefore, urged the public to be on the lookout for such miscreants and report them to the police for redress.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Abdel-Fatau Musah, the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), says West African leaders must focus on creating enabling infrastructure for youth development.

He said such an infrastructure would be the panacea to curbing youth migration and insecurity in the sub-region.

Abdel-Fatau Musah, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, ECOWAS.

Mr Musah said this at the 3rd Kofi Annan Peace and Security Forum (KAPS Forum) held at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center (KAIPTC) under the theme: ‘Migration and Societal Resilience in a Multipolar World Order: Addressing Conflicts and Building Peace in Africa’.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), he said the limited availability of enabling infrastructure and environments in West African countries, had caused an increase in migration of the youth from the subregion towards the more prosperous global north.

‘The quest to migrate has
been exacerbated by the increasing insecurities in the region and coupled with climate change challenges,’ the Commissioner said.

He said the developed countries had made infrastructure a primary need and a necessity where they had 24-hour electricity supply, and meaningful and productive education for young people to thrive.

‘We are not talking about just learning to read and write but to transform knowledge into productivity. We need to improve these so that the natural tendency for people to move from places of scarcity to places of abundance is curbed,’ Mr Musah explained.

He called for inclusive development in the governance systems to prevent the feeling of remoteness which also triggered migration.

‘If you do not promote inclusive development, governance becomes a winner takes all; people do not take part in governance because they feel alienated and marginalised, a tendency for them to escape’, he added.

The 3rd Kofi Annan Peace and Security Forum serves as a platform to discuss how best the cont
inent and the sub-region could effectively address issues of climate change, conflicts, transnational crimes, and their impacts on migration trends.

It also brought to the fore how the continent’s leadership could devise solutions and coping mechanisms to deal with them.

The forum was established in 2019 to honour the memory of the late Kofi Annan, a former Secretary-General of the United Nations, who used his office and position to promote peace globally.

The conference had in attendance diplomats, Former Heads of State, Continental, and regional block leaders.

They included Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, African Union Representative for Silencing the Guns, Yayi Boni, a Former President of Benin and Hailemariam Dessalegn Boshe, a Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia.

Source: Ghana News Agency