Day: June 11, 2023

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Professor of Sociology urges graduands of FRANCO to embrace change

Professor Kwaku Obosu-Mensah, Professor of Sociology at the Lorain County Community College, USA, has called on the 2023 graduating class of the St. Francis College of Education (FRANCO), to embrace change for development.

He said without change, there would be no progress since change also meant curiosity and venturing into the unknown.

Prof. Obosu-Mensah, speaking at the 1st Congregation for the Bachelor of Education Degree Programme in Hohoe, said the graduands should not choose to stay in their comfort zones but be willing to move on when the opportunity knocked on their doors.

He said the graduands who were teachers and would impact knowledge in future generations, must be willing to embrace changes that would come along in their field of practice especially regarding Information, Communication and Technology (ICT).

Prof. Obosu-Mensah noted that being technologically knowledgeable in the field of ICT was not about mastering what one was taught but using the fundamentals acquired as a step or springboard into the future.

Prof Obosu-Mensah urged them to impact their society through their technological knowledge.

Prof Obosu-Mensah said the graduands must position themselves to influence decisions to bring development to the people wherever they may.

The ceremony was on the theme: ‘Embracing change and Lifelong Learning for Teachers, through I.C. T. for development.’

Dr Adwoa Kwegyiriba, Principal of the College commended the graduands for their dedication to learning, their quest for knowledge and passion for teaching in communities in Ghana.

She said in quest to improve the College’s housing situation, the government had made provision for a 300-bed capacity hostel, which was steadily under construction.

Dr Kwegyiriba said the College had equipped its computer laboratory with 50 ultra-modern computers, networking equipment and other accessories to support teaching and learning whiles the library had also been refurbished with modern furniture, books, and other facilities.

Mr John-Peter Amewu, Hohoe Constituency Member of Parliament and Minister of Railway Development, urged management and stakeholders to continue to put in efforts to make sure the College was transformed into a competitive University on its own.

He urged the graduands to become humble and dedicated professionals while commending the tutors and parents for their sacrificial works.

Mr Amewu noted that without the contributions of teachers to nation building, it would be difficult for any nation without a solid College of Education to achieve its goals.

Mr Amewu urged the graduands to impact the knowledge and wisdom they had acquired, demonstrate a life worthy of human capacity development and also live by the motto, vision and mission of the College.

Togbe Buami IX, Chief of Gbi Bla representing the Gbi Paramount Chief, Togbega Gabusu VII, calls for unity among citizens and urged them to have the foresight to embrace positive changes in making the country a beautiful place.

Out of a total 357 students graduating, Miss Erica Ama Tiokpoe, swept six awards and emerged overall best student.

A new signage for the College was also unveiled as part of the ceremony.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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Theosalt School of Ministry graduates 15 students in Ho

The Theosalt School of Ministry, a Ho-based Practical Theological Institute, has graduated it’s second batch of 15 students and presented them with certificates.

The students had a six-month intensive training in Ministerial Ethics, Christian Leadership, Christian Doctrine, Homiletic, Evangelism and Mission.

The rest are Hermeneutics, ICT, Marriage, Five Fold Ministry and Church Administration.

The first batch saw the graduation of 31 students.

Speaking at the Graduation Ceremony at Ho-Ahoe Assemblies of God Church, Ghana, Evangelical Central Chapel in the Ho Municipality, Rev. Godson Kwaku Bodza, the President of Theosalt School of Ministry, said sound Theological Education was essential for building the capacity of the present and future workforce for global evangelism.

He said Theological Education was the foundation for Christian mission and that sound Theological Education was important for building and equipping the capacity of the present and future ministerial workforce for global harvest.

Rev. Bodza, who is also the Lead Pastor of the Assemblies of God Church, Ghana, Evangelical Central Chapel, said Theological Education was important in the 21st Century as it helped equip the ministerial workforce for the eleventh-hour global harvest.

He said it was because of this that Theosalt School of Ministry existed to supplement other Theological Education Institutions in the building, training, and equipping of folks to assist the local church in its Mission Agenda in Fulfilling Mission Dei, the Mission of God.

The Man of God, advised the graduands to impact the generation by winning souls into the Kingdom of God, bringing healing and deliverance to those who are bound, bringing sight to those who are blinded by the kingdom of darkness and bringing joy and peace to those who are mourning.

Rev. Bodza said they also ought to change attitudes, behaviours and mindsets leading to transformation of the masses; leading souls into heaven and bringing glory to God.

Bishop Dr. Joe Olley, the Head Pastor of the Life Celebration Assembly Church, said every Christian must be an amateur theologian to know more about God and that was the foundation for Christianity.

Bishop Dr. Olley, who was the Guest Speaker and spoke under the theme: ‘Service, the Key to the Top,’ said ‘we are in an era where titles are overtaking service and that is an error.’

He said though titles were good, that should be replaced by service as service is the key to the top.

Bishop Dr Olley said if one serves his father and the father prays for him, then he prospers.

He charged the graduands to be committed to the service of God, avoid chasing material things and it shall be well with them.

He said as they ventured into ministerial works, opportunities would abound, so they should utilize it to support God’s work.

Bishop Olley urged them to be holy as holiness sustains and protects.

He also advised them to make good friends, share notes and envy no one during ministration.

Mrs Charlotte Bodza, the Vice-President of Theosalt School of Ministry, giving background to the school, said it started as an off shoot of Theosalt Agape Centre, now Theosalt Ministries International at Salaga in the Savanna Region in the year 2018.

She said it was birthed out of a burden for Church growth through capacity building.

Mrs Bodza said it has trained over 80 people in that region since its birth.

The Vice President said when they were transferred to Ho, they sold the idea, and it was accepted, and the school started in January 2022.

She said the school has come to stay to impact Ho community and beyond.

Mrs Bodza said society needed leaders, who are aware of critical world issues that challenge our faith and are ready and willing to confront these issues with Biblical Principles and the Power of the Holy Spirit and as well expand the Kingdom of God.

The graduands were awarded Certificates with the Most Punctual Award going to Mr. Wisdom Kordzoga, while Ms Jacqueline Bam and Madam Vivian Coffie took the Best Performing and Best Behave students Awards.

Mr. Kordzoga, who is visually impaired person, expressed gratitude to the management of the school for recognising him and pledged to encourage other Persons with Disabilities to follow-suit.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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Graduands urged to be repositioned for government’s support for entrepreneurship

Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister of Education, has urged the 2022 batch of graduands of the St. Teresa’s College of Education (TERESCO), Hohoe, to reposition themselves to take advantage of government’s supportive environment for entrepreneurship.

He urged them to also reposition for development of creative minds for innovation.

Dr Adutwum in a speech read on his behalf by Prof. Yayra Dzakadzie, Director for Tertiary Education, on the 14th annual Congregation and the first of the Bachelor of Education programme, said government had prioritised the professional development of teachers and recognised their crucial role in shaping the future of the nation.

‘With the introduction of professional development allowance for teachers and investing in training programmes and continuous professional development opportunities,

‘The government ensures that teachers are equipped with the latest teaching methodologies, pedagogical skills, and subject knowledge.’

Dr Adutwum noted that teaching was not merely a job but a calling which required a commitment to lifelong learning, a dedication to cultivating young minds and unwavering belief in the power of education to shape the world.

He said tasked the graduation class to embrace their passion for teaching and let it guide their everyday endeavour.

Dr Adutwum called on them to embrace challenges since they were opportunities for growth, embrace diversity of learners to enrich their educational experience and embrace the power of education to transform lives, for it was a privilege and a responsibility they held in their hands.

He called on them to work together to create a future where every child had access to quality education, where no dream was out of reach and where every young mind could blossom and thrive.

Dr Adutwum noted that government had released the sum of GHS241,913,000 for payment of teacher trainee allowance across the country.

He revealed that the government had earmarked some Colleges of Education to be converted into full-fledged Universities, adding that work was also in progress at all 46 Colleges benefiting from a 300-bed capacity hostels project.

The ceremony on the theme: ‘Social Emotional Learning: An essential skill for the 21st century teacher.’

Mr Freeman Gobah, Country Director, Pencils of Promise, said through Social Emotional Learning (SEL), a teacher was able to acquire skills that would enable them to become self-aware of who they were socially.

Mr Gobah said through SEL, teachers were able to take good decisions and become responsible to their communities and school environments.

Ms Sophia A. Micah, Principal of the College, said the College was the only female College among the seven high performing Colleges of Education in Ghana based on the Fidelity of Implementation of the B. Ed Programme Report.

She said although the College was proud of its achievements, there was more room for improvement, adding that the support of stakeholders had brought the College thus far.

She said the College was a beneficiary of government’s 300-bed capacity hostels which was timely because it would enable the College accommodate students comfortably.

Ms Micah said the College was unable to recruit more staff since they did not have financial clearance, which was affecting some departments of the College.

The College, she said, needed a Home Economics complex block with equipment and Science laboratory to help the College effectively teach the subjects.

Ms Micah advised the graduands to engage in continuous professional development to equip themselves adequately to meet the demands of the changing trends in education.

Togbega Gabusu VII, Paramount Chief of Gbi Traditional Area, noted that education was a key factor in bringing about socio-economic transformation and urged the graduands to make significant and everlasting impact in the lives of individuals and communities they found themselves.

A total of 230 students graduated from the Early Childhood, Primary and Junior High School Education Bachelor of Education (B. Ed) programmes offered by the College.

Ms Christine Duphey, emerged as the overall best student.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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Malaria deaths reduce in Eastern Region

The Eastern Region recorded a total of 14 deaths from malaria in 2022 as against 29 deaths recorded in 2021

There was a total of 31,489 admissions at the various health facilities across the districts in the region due to malaria in 2021 and 36,285 admissions of malaria in 2022.

Ms Naomi Hagan, Eastern Regional Focal Person for malaria told GNA there was a significant improvement in malaria control in the region including deaths due to several factors.

There is improvement in case management, social and behavioural change communication, usage of the Insecticide Treated Bed nets (ITNs) as well as other activities to improve malaria situation in the region.

The point of mass distribution of the ITNs has been very successful in all the districts as well as the continuous distribution of the ITNs at Ante natal clinics and Child Welfare Clinics to ensure every household owed a bed net to prevent mosquito bites.

As part of activities to further reduce the malaria burden in the region, she indicated that 10 districts in the region had been identified for Larvae Source Management (LSM) as well as environmental management to reduce malaria infections in those areas.

The districts are, New Juaben North and South, Abuakwa South, Akuapem South, Asuogyaman, Lower-Manya Krobo, Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Suhum, West-Akim and Yilo Krobo.

In collaboration with the Zoomlion company Limited, 100 spraying operatives had been trained for the LSM exercise to get rid of mosquitoes scheduled from June this month until the end of the year.

She noted that that all other activities such as the Intermittent Preventive Treatment (IPT) for pregnant women was steadily ongoing and appealed to people to sleep under the treated bed nets in addition to keeping their environments clean to complement efforts of the Ghana health Service to be able to eliminate malaria.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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Utilization of ITNs, an effective way to prevent malaria, some other infectious diseases

The use of Insecticide-Treated Net (ITN) has been proven to be an effective preventive intervention in the control of malaria.

Malaria is an infectious disease, transmitted from person to person by an infected female mosquito, known as the anopheles and is a leading cause of child deaths in many parts of Africa.

To prevent malaria or control its prevalence, countries such as Ghana have instituted bodies such as the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) now elimination programme to spearhead and coordinate effort to eliminate or reduce infections to the barest minimum.

Interventions such as the Indoor Residual Spraying, vector control, distribution of the ITNs, IPT for pregnant women and lately roll out of the malaria vaccination for children under five on piloting in some districts, has been deployed.

The Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) are designed to block mosquitoes physically and has been treated with safe, residual insecticide for the purpose of killing and repelling mosquitoes which carry the malaria parasite, to be used by households as a measure to prevent mosquito bites, which are transmitters of the malaria parasite.

As at the end of 2022, the ITNs distribution to pregnant women and children under five at health facilities stood at 1,809,866 whiles distribution to class two and six pupils in 29,509 schools across the country is 1,446,296.

However, in spite of the high ownership and distribution of the ITNs, non-use and misuse of the nets due to several factors remains a challenge whiles some attribute the non-usage to discomfort due to heat others also use it to fence their gardens to protect animals from intruding.

Ms Abbey is a mother of four children and altogether they have seven insecticide treated nets in the home, but they don’t sleep under even one ‘I don’t feel comfortable sleeping under the nets because it becomes too hot, again I don’t have the bed stands on which to hang the nets’

Mr Owusu, a father of three tells the GNA that he has about five ITNs in his house, but he has never used them citing inconveniences in hanging of the net as the reason.

Meanwhile, he admitted that his children had malaria often because there were mosquitoes in their area, and he often use mosquito coils.

Many households across the districts in Ghana have not less than three of the ITNs at every point due to the mass distribution at schools and at the health facilities, yet its usage has been very low.

But Dr Kofi Adomako-Mensah of the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) says the low utilization of the ITNs in spite of its high ownership was a challenge and appealed to the public to use the nets for the intended purpose since it was part of the control measures to stop malaria infections.

‘Now that we are moving towards elimination by the year 2030, we need commitment from all stakeholders including the public to adhering to all the measures for the elimination and one of it is the use of the ITNs.’

He refuted the notion that the bed nets generated heat saying, ‘we have heard people saying the bed nets generate a lot of heat, hence, their refusal to use but, that is not a fact.

He explained that the temperature under the bed nets is the same as the temperature of your room, therefore, if your room is hot so, will it be under the net and likewise if it’s cold.’

The distribution of the ITNs, larvae Source Management (LSM), Indoor Residual Spraying, IPT for pregnant women and all other clinical protocols for malaria treatment such as test before treatment are efforts geared towards control and now the elimination goal by 2030.

Over the years, Ghana has steadily made progress in the malaria control efforts by reducing malaria-related deaths at all ages by 53% from 333 in 2019 to 155 by the close of 2022 whiles under-five malaria case fatality rate also reduced by 50%. ‘With the significant successes made over the years, elimination is possible, hence, the need to adhere to all the efforts such as the ITNs use for optimum and realisation of the 2030 elimination goal,’ he added

Malaria is still a leading cause of Out Patients Department (OPD) attendance with 40.5 percent suspected, 19 percent confirmed in 2022 in Ghana and a major cause of hospital admissions in health facilities across the country.

According to experts, the use of the ITNs also prevents mosquito bites which transmits the lymphatic filariases infection commonly known as elephantiasis, which is one of the 20 infectious diseases under the Ghana Neglected Tropical Diseases programme.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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EPA trains healthcare service providers on biomedical waste management practices

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has trained healthcare service providers in the Tema Region on appropriate ways of segregating and managing biomedical waste to prevent the spread of harmful chemicals in the environment.

The training was also to help healthcare facilities in the country meet the EPA environmental permit, which required certain conditions to be implemented and empower the participants to educate their colleagues at their various workplaces.

Ms. Irene Opoku, Acting EPA Director, Greater Accra East Region, stated this at Tema during a two-day event organized to raise awareness and conscientize healthcare workers on the importance of managing waste appropriately and efficiently.

She said the Agency had plans to regularly hold such programmes for health facilities to upscale waste management practices.

Ms. Opoku cautioned health facilities to adhere to all steps spelled out in the EPA Guidelines for Management of Health and Veterinary Waste in Ghana (2002) to ensure that the highly infectious wastes were bagged separately and well-disposed of.

She mentioned that registration was required to acquire the EPA permit, urging people who needed the permit to go through all the necessary processes before obtaining it, and warned that the Agency would not relent in sanctioning anyone found operating without the permit.

Mr. Herbert Edem Kpodo, Principal Programme Officer, said there were various classifications of biomedical waste as well as non-healthcare waste, saying that although the wastes differ, they could all have a health impact when not managed well.

He said there was general waste, infection waste, sharp waste, patient waste, hazardous waste, and waste from heavy metals, among others.

He explained that when infectious heavy solid waste was mixed with general waste, it still became hazardous to human health.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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Residents in Ketu South besiege telcos offices to demand locked up funds in MoMo wallets

Scores of residents in the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta region have thronged the premises of the various telecom operators to demand monies locked up in their mobile money wallets.

This follows the deactivation of their SIM cards after the Ministry of Communications and the National Communications Authority (NCA) directed the telcos to deactivate all SIM cards not connected to the National Identification Card (Ghana Card).

Some of the residents, who poured out their frustrations to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at the forecourt of the MTN office in Aflao say, the development was taking a toll on their daily lives as most of them kept their entire life savings and business capitals in their mobile money wallets.

‘I don’t have a bank account and all my money is in my wallet – my entire life savings and even the capital I use for trading are all locked up in my wallet. I just don’t know what to do now,’ Ms Cynthia Henyo, a distraught resident lamented to the GNA.

Mr Anthony Akpaloo, another aggrieved resident said: ‘I wasn’t able to collect my Ghana Card even after going through the registration process several months ago. This situation has really affected my business operations. Even money to take care of my family’s needs is all locked up in the wallet.’

GNA checks revealed that those, who visited the various telcos offices were unable to get their service reactivated because the web application used for the biometric verification component of the re-registration process was always not stable as the crowd waited for hours only to be turned away in the evening.

‘Many people had to return home because the App has been down since morning. I have been trying to load the details of one person for about two hours now, but that has not gone through. The process takes less than five minutes, but the hold-up for reconnection has been due to the slow connection of our application,’ an agent of one of the telcos explained.

At the SIM re-registration exercise’s inception on October 1, 2021, there were about 42 million active SIM cards in the country.

They were made up of SIM cards registered with identity cards (IDs) such as the National Health Insurance Cards, Passport, and Driving License.

The NCA at whose behest the re-registration started said a lot of the IDs were not verified at the time they were used to register the SIMs, hence the re-registration.

According to the NCA, after the first phase of the exercise, there were about 36 million active SIM cards in circulation as of May 2023, out of which 25 million, representing 69.6 per cent, had been duly re-registered.

This means that over 25.4 million SIM cards had completed both stages one and two of the SIM re-registration, which was done with verified Ghana Cards.

The remaining 11 million, representing 30.4 per cent, include active SIM cards exempted based on various demographics and active SIM cards that had not been re-registered with the Ghana Card using the current process.

Already the NCA has deactivated about 6.1 million SIM cards, which belonged to subscribers that had completed only stage one of the current registration process.

The residents called on the Ministry of Communications, the NCA and Telcos to speed up the re-registration process to enable them to withdraw their locked up funds and to go about their normal lives.

Source: Ghana News Agency

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Let us empower the youth to secure Ghana’s future – Anloga DCE

Mr Seth Yormewu, District Chief Executive (DCE) of Anloga, has called for concerted efforts to empower the youth to secure Ghana’s future.

He said the youth, especially played a critical role in shaping the country’s destiny hence the need to commit to empowering them.

The DCE made the call in a speech during a civic forum at Anyanui E.P. Mission in the Anloga District to celebrate the 2023 Citizenship Week, which was graced by Miss Kathleen Addy, Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and had in attendance, heads of departments, traditional leaders, pupils in Anyanui-Dzita enclave and the public.

The forum, held in honour of the NCCE Chairperson, saw her and other dignitaries plant memorial trees at the school, had some presentations and, cultural performance and poetry recitals from the pupils.

Mr Yormewu said the youth had a lot to contribute towards the nation’s development – from their energy and enthusiasm, fresh perspectives, innovative ideas to their power to bridge divides, foster understanding and promote tolerance for peace, necessary for development.

‘As we celebrate this citizenship Week, we must recognise that the future of our nation lies in the hands of our youth. It is our responsibility to empower them with the necessary knowledge, skills and opportunities to actively participate in democratic processes to become responsible citizens, and to contribute meaningfully to our nation’s development.’

‘As we commemorate 30 years of consolidating constitutional democracy and building national cohesion, let us pay tribute to the invaluable role played by the youth in shaping our nation’s destiny. They are the torchbearers of our democracy, the architects of our future. Let us commit ourselves to empowering them, to listening to their aspirations, and to providing them with the platform they need to excel,’ he concluded.

Superintendent of Police Thomas Yao Agbanyo, Anloga District Police Commander, used excerpts of the counsel of Togbi Sri I, the late Awoamefia of the Anlos to advise Ghanaian youths to contribute to crime free communities in the interest of the nation.

‘My children, never forget that the evil doer is a community destroyer. Correct your children and discipline them in total righteousness. Theirs is the community/country … so that the community/nation will grow and develop in strength, love and bravery.’

Source: Ghana News Agency