Day: June 25, 2023

Posted on

Dormaa West District NCCE engages youth on violent extremism

Mr. Emmanuel Attah, Dormaah West District Director of National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has advised the youth in the area against violent extremism and terrorism.

He urged them to believe in themselves and work hard rather than engage in activities that would affect their future.

Mr Attah said this during a forum to mark the 30th anniversary of the Constitution on the theme: ’30 years of Celebration of Consolidating Constitutional Democracy: Building National Cohesion through Civic Education and Participating in Local Governance ‘

The District Director explained that the engagement was to sensitize the youth to be security conscious and act as informants to help curb violent extremism.

The Dormaa West District Police Commander, Mr Godwin Takyi, speaking on the theme, admonished the youth to be hardworking and responsible citizens and avoid acts that would put them into trouble.

He urged the citizens to always be alert, vigilant and security conscious in all their activities and to report suspicious characters to the police to help stem criminal acts in the area.

Reverend Oheneba K. Jonas, Pastor in charge of the Temple of Praise Church, urged the youth to respect and tolerate the rights of others, adding that was a critical factor for National Cohesion and Peace Building.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Posted on

AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine organises media learning tour for journalists

AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine has organized a day’s tour for some selected journalists on projects under its 10-year Socioeconomic Development Plan (SEDP) within the Obuasi Municipality and the Obuasi East District.

The SEDP Media Learning Tour forms part of the SEDP Engagement and Communications Strategy.

Participants toured facilities such as the AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Enterprise and Skills Development Centre, AngloGold Ashanti Schools, AngloGold Ashanti Health Foundation and the Obuasi Government Hospital Maternity Block donated by the AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Community Trust Fund.

The rest are MAC Partners Training Institute, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Obuasi Campus and the AngloGold Ashanti Malaria Control Programme.

Mr Emmanuel Baidoo, Senior Manager Sustainability, AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi Mine, said the objectives of the SEDP Media Learning Tour was to provide a direct platform for Ghanaian journalists to obtain first-hand information on the contributions of AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine towards Ghana’s socioeconomic development.

He noted that SEDP, which was launched in 2022, was a blueprint for the Mine’s community and social investment towards building resilient and socioeconomically self-sustaining communities.

He said SEDP was in line with Local Development Plans of the Obuasi Municipal and Obuasi East District Assemblies, national development priorities and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He said AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi Mine was scaling-up infrastructural development within its operational areas as part of its 10-year SEDP.

Touching on the AngloGold Ashanti Health Foundation, Mr Baidoo said the facility, which employs over 200 Ghanaians, was the second largest referral hospital in the Ashanti Region.

He said the over 150-bed capacity Facility accounted for 60 per cent of all Out Patients Department (OPD) visits in the Obuasi East District.

With regard to skills and enterprise development, Mr Baidoo said the AngloGold Ashanti Engineering School in operation with Macpartners Mining and Construction Limited was offering skills training for the youth.

He said over 230 youth had graduated from the Youth Apprenticeship Programme.

Mr Baidoo reiterated that AngloGold Ashanti would continue to pursue business sustainable and growth.

‘We seek to enhance the impact our benefit-sharing programmes, recognizing that value of mining can benefit our communities through our socioeconomic contribution,’ the Sustainability Manager stated.

‘We are committed to continually engaging and partnering with stakeholders on the development and implementation of our socioeconomic development plan.’

Dr Kwadwo Asamoah Nyarko-Jectey, Medical Superintendent at the Obuasi Government Hospital in a media interview, expressed gratitude to the AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Community Trust Fund for putting up the ultramodern Maternity Block with state-of-the art equipment for the Hospital.

He said since the commissioning of the facility, over the past two years, the Hospital had not recorded maternal deaths.

Mr Emmanuel Buabeng, a beneficiary of the AngloGold Ashanti Skills and Enterprise Development Programme, speaking to the Ghana News Agency, commended the Company for empowering the youth in the area with entrepreneurial skills to help them create their own jobs.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Posted on

Akatsi Murder: Desist from inciting public against Traditional leaders, others

Togbe Dorglo Anumah VI, Paramount Chief of Avenor and the President of the Avenor Traditional Council, has urged members of the general public and radio presenters to embrace accurate reportage instead of inciting the public against the chiefs and other public figures in the area.

He said all efforts should be geared towards providing the Police with credible information in solving issues rather than attacking public figures.

The call was made during a press briefing at Akatsi on Friday on the sidelines of a robbery incident which took the life of Mr Zanu Mandela, a popular commercial motor rider and owner of ‘Nezu Yayra Ventures’ a mobile money vendor who was shot and killed by some unknown assailants on Tuesday, June 20.

Togbe Dorglo further called for calm in the current difficult times of recurrent incidents of loss of civilian lives and consequent Police-civilian tension.

‘All persons including personnel of media houses should desist from inciting the populace against Chiefs, the MP and the MCE as has been the case in the aftermath of the incident. All efforts should be geared towards providing the Police with credible information to solve the murder rather than attacking public figures in the name of condoling with the deceased.’

The engagement, which also saw members of the Traditional Council in attendance, including Chiefs and queen mothers, had extended commendations to all key actors in their quest to help arrest and provide justice for the miscreants who engaged in the heinous crime.

A resolution, which was arrived at prior to the press briefing, stated that the murder of Mandela Zanu although painful and difficult to accept, remained a criminal within the remit of the duties of personnel of the Ghana Police Service.

‘The Council wishes to urge of sons and daughters of Avenor to allow and support the Police to fully discharge their duties in the matter. The youth and all other persons who have information should give them to the Police to help expedite their resolution of the murder.’

Togbe Dorglo said the Akatsi South Police Command must ensure the confidentiality of their informants.

‘Often times natives complain that there has been leakage of their identity following providing information to the Police on a particular matter.’

Togbe Dorglo also called on those, who have strangers in their houses, to endeavour to be the ‘ears and eyes of safety and security.’

‘We also want to assure the Police that the Avenor Traditional Council is solidly behind them, so they should endeavour to go to all the drug dens and root out all criminals,’ the statement further reads.’

Mr Zanu’s recent death added up to some recent cases which involved Louis Agbogli, another motor rider from Atidzive who was alleged to have been murdered between Nyatsive and Kpetoe.

The Traditional Council has since announced an amount of GHC 10, 000 for any person who would provide credible information leading to the arrest of the murderers of the deceased.

Notable youth groups such as the Akatsi Community Youth Group (ACOYOG), the Akatsi South Youth Parliament, and others have since expressed their displeasure on the rising pace of crime within the Akatsi South Municipality.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Posted on

Security of our Municipality is collective responsibility – NCCE Director

The Kassena-Nankana Municipal Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in the Upper East Region says the security of the Municipality is a collective responsibility of all residents.

It called on the citizenry, especially the youth, to be cautious of their personal security and be on the lookout for suspicious characters within their respective communities and report the same to the security personnel for action.

‘I urge the youth of the Municipality to assist in reporting suspicious characters. The security of the Municipality is the responsibility of all,’ Madam Felicia Ajongbah, the Kassena-Nankana Municipal Director of the Commission, said.

The Director, who was speaking at a programme to prevent and contain violent extremism among the youth in the area, noted that violence and radicalization among the youth had become a major menace to the global community.

The programme, with funding from the European Union (EU), brought together stakeholders, including the clergy, security personnel and various youth groups in the Municipality and was intended to ensure that the youth understood the negative consequences of joining violent extremist groups.

It was also to ensure that the youth appreciated the legal framework that barred the activities of violent extremists and terrorist groups in the country.

Madam Ajongbah said, ‘Despite the fact that anyone can become an extremist, young people who are in quest of a sense of identity, purpose or belonging may be more susceptible to recruitment into violent extremist groups.

‘Various things, including religious convictions, political ideologies, and prejudices against specific ethnic groups, might serve as its drivers,’ Madam Ajongbah added.

She said young people, who were often influenced by extremist groups, were usually not aware of the intentions of extremists as the radicalization process was gradual and stressed the need for civic engagement to foster a sense of unity and patriotism in the youth.

Madam Ajongbah said a study conducted by the NCCE in 2021 under the Preventing Electoral Violence and Providing Security to the Northern Border Regions of Ghana (NORPREVSEC) project, identified the youth as the most vulnerable to violent extremism.

‘In light of the above, the Commission has undertaken engagement with youth groups as part of planned activities under the EU-supported PCVE project on non-violence and radicalisation in 75 operational Districts of the project,’ she said.

The Divisional Police Commander of the area, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Yahaya Muchiraru, highlighted the need for community surveillance, awareness creation at worship centres, neighbourhood watchdog committees and community patrols.

He advised members of the public to freely render credible information to the Police to assist them fight crime in the Municipality, adding that security was a shared responsibility.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Posted on

Ghanaian Leaders: Change Agents at the Black History Festival 2023

Stakeholders of the Black History Festival (BHF) have commemorated the heritage, arts, culture, trade, leadership, and innovation of Africa in the history of the United States of America at the just-ended Festival in Columbus Ohio, USA.

The Black History Festival is an initiative dedicated to the celebration of the strong ties between the Governments of the United States of America and the African Union member states.

The 2023 edition of the Festival was sponsored by the M and C Group in collaboration with COA Mixture.

This was in an official statement signed by Mr Lambert Donkor, the Media Liaison Officer of BHF and issued to GNA in Accra.

The statement quoted Mr Stephen Selasie Asuo, the Coordinator of the BHF, as saying that the Black History Festival platform was initiated to connect businesses, governments, private sector, and civil society in Africa and the United States.

He expressed the hope that the platform would become a strong bridge to bring people together to talk about commerce, trade, culture exchange, the strong diaspora and the future of Africa and the United States.

The former Minister and Senior Advisor to the President, Dr Yaw Osafo Maafo, said: ‘US and Africa relationship has gone through three major phases and there’s the need to bring on board the private sector businesses both in Ghana and the US.

‘This idea of giving it a private sector dimension brings it to the taste of Americans and the Ghanaians, and the rest of the continent,’ he explained.

He said some Africans in the diaspora also believed that if governments in power could create formal structures where the diaspora could invest without the fear of losing money, people would invest to make the African economy a strong one.

COP Maame Yaa Tiwa Addo-Danquah, the Executive Director of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), assuring the diaspora, hinted that EOCO was so much interested in ensuring that investments in Ghana were protected.

She noted that EOCO had a website where due diligence were being carried out on potential investors to ensure they run no loss.

Mr Carlos Ahenkorah, Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Trade, Industry, and Tourism, said: ‘The leadership of Ghana is aware of the desire of many people in the diaspora to come back to establish businesses in Ghana but they are left in doubt about how to safeguard their investments.

‘Those in the diaspora are our natives and if they decide to set up businesses in Ghana, it should be treated as domestic businesses,’ he added.

Mr. Nathaniel Adisi, the Chief Executive Officer of EIB Network, called on stakeholders to pay attention to the creative bank in the showbiz industry in Ghana.

He said until recently many media houses were not paying attention to the music and arts from Africa, but now many great Television Shows played afro beats on their programmes.

Mr Adisi said: ‘Many clubs, restaurants, and events around the world take delight in African music and that alone should tell Ghanaians that there’s a renaissance and we must take advantage to position our great potential’.

Head of Diaspora at the Office of the President, Mr. Kwasi Awuah, on his part called for building on the foundations of the ”Year of Return and Beyond the Return” to achieve the necessary gains.

He said though very challenging in organizing such events, he believed colleagues both in Ghana and the diaspora needed to harness the great potential that the Black History Festival offered for a collective gain.

Mr Awal Mohammed, Minister for Tourism, Creative Arts, noted that Africa wanted to build a new partnership, a partnership with the US and other allies.

‘A partnership that would add value to products on or from the continent. By our 70th Independence celebration, we should be able to lead the way with great innovations on the continent,’ he added.

President and Group CEO of M and C Group, Mr. Michael Leslie Bartlett-Vanderpuje also called on corporations to support initiatives like the Black History Festival to make more impact and build ties between Africa’s bilateral partners, especially the USA.

Mr Bartlett-Vanderpuje noted that M and C Group as a business with international offices in Asia, America and Africa, had placed premium on expanding its reach to capture the global market.

‘The conglomerate decided to support the festival because it carries the spirit of globalisation of industries, cultural heritage and digital transformation, which are the ideals needed for Africa to catch up with the rest of the trading blocs,’ he said.

Plans for the third edition are underway and promises to be a bigger and better experience according to the organizers, Bureau for International Development, Exchanges and Commerce (BIDEC) and partners.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Posted on

South Dayi NCCE engages students in citizens’ duties

The South Dayi District Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in the Volta Region, has sensitised Basic school students in the District on the duties of a Citizen.

The move was to awaken the students, who are the future leaders of the country, on their civic duties in Article 41 of the 1992 Constitution.

Speaking at one of such engagements at Peki Dzake E.P Basic A, B and C Primary schools, Mr Mathias Senam Segbefia, the NCCE District Director, told the students that the exercise and enjoyment of rights and freedoms were inseparable from the performance of duties and obligations, so they ought to contribute to the well-being of the communities where they live.

He said they also had to protect and preserve public property and expose and combat misuse and waste of public funds and property as it was a civic duty.

Mr Segbefia implored them to respect the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of others, and generally refrain from doing acts detrimental to the welfare of others person; adding ‘Do unto others what you want others to do unto you’.

The District Director charged the students to be tolerant as it helped foster a spirit of loyalty to Ghana that was above sectional, ethnic and other loyalties. He asked the students to help protect and safeguard the environment against degradation since it was a civic duty.

Mr Segbefia said activities such as bush burning, indiscriminate felling of trees and bad farming practices destroyed the vegetative cover, so they should educate their parents to stop them.

Mr Mawutor Atsutse, the Headteacher of Peki Dzake E.P A and B Primary School, commended the NCCE team for the programme.

He advised the pupils to take their studies seriously and be respectful to both parents and teachers.

Similar programmes were organised for Todome R.C. Basic School, Kpeve E.P Basic Primary School, Kpeve Model Basic School, and Peki Avetile D/A Basic Primary School, among others.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Posted on

Green Ghana Project: 75% of trees planted at Senya last year survived

More than 75% of the trees planted in 2022 by Compassion Ghana as part of the government’s ‘Green Ghana’ project at Senya in the Awutu Senya West District has survived.

Mr Nicholas Afful, Project Director Pentecost Child and Youth Development Centre, who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency, said 2000 seedlings, including acacia, moringa, royal palm and coconut seedlings, were planted in schools, churches, communities and individual homes.

The exercise was carried out by Pentecost Child and Youth Development Centre in collaboration with Compassion Ghana

He said despite the challenge of rain patterns in the year 2022, and the invasion of sheep and goats in the communities that destroyed some plants, the chunk of the project was successful through persistent monitoring.

He lauded the initiative, saying that the project if done consistently and monitored in Ghana could reduce the impact of climate change because of the loss of trees.

‘The project is a very good one that will help improve Ghana’s climate mitigation plan in the next few years if we all should join hands and support the government in this course. The loss of trees as a result of deforestation in the last few years could be reclaimed if we all support it.’

The government launched the ‘Green Ghana’ project in 2021, as a reforestation and afforestation plan to save the country’s lost forests and mitigate climate change.

This year, the organisation joined the exercise planning of more than 3000 tree seedlings with a promise to continue to monitor the trees to maturity.

Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, in a report to parliament, said, 80% of the trees planted in 2021 survived compared to 72% in 2022.

According to him, the ministry planted seven million trees in 2021 compared to a target of five million, whiles it planted 24 million in 2022 compared to a target of 20 million.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Posted on

Narcotics Control Commission holds health walk ahead of World Drug Day

The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) on Saturday organised a health walk from Ayi Mensah to Peduase Lodge to commemorate the 2023 World Drug Day.

NACOC, in partnership with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Mental Health Authority, held the walk to campaign against stigmatisation and discrimination of persons living with substance use disorder.

The campaign was on the theme: ‘People First, Stop Stigma and Discrimination, Strengthen Prevention.’

Mr Kenneth Adu-Amanfoh, Director-General of NACOC, Mr Francis Opoku-Amoah, Acting Director for Public Affairs and International Relations, NACOC, representatives from Pantang Hospital, Accra Psychiatric Hospital and other management of NACOC participated in the walk.

Officials held placards with inscriptions such as ‘Don’t let drug take control, ‘Get high on life not on drugs, ‘Don’t let your life go up in smoke’.

Others read, ‘Drugs are death trap, ‘Say No to drugs, ‘Drugs kill you slowly, ‘Be Smart Don’t Start, among other.

Mr Opoku-Amoah said the celebration was done globally and that as part of their activities, they held a health walk to sensitise and create awareness about dangers of drugs.

He added that it was also an opportunity for the staff to take time off their hectic office work to exercise.

‘The commission decided to hold the exercise to also give opportunity to our staff to exercise because sometimes it is very difficult from Monday to Friday and weekend to exercise, and also to say that there is hope for people who had substance disorders,’ he said.

Mr Amoah indicated that fighting drug trafficking was a continuous and a shared responsibility in making sure that the menace was minimised and if possible, eradicated.

He thanked the Ghana Police Service from the Ayi-Mensah District and the Headquarters, UNODC, Mental Health Authority, management and staff members present for gracing the occasion.

Source: Ghana News Agency