Ministry of Industry Inks MoU with JICA to Support ‘Let Ethiopia Produce’ Movement


Addis Ababa: The Ministry of Industry and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have signed today a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the ‘Let Ethiopia Produce,’ national movement.

The MoU was signed by Minister of Industry Melaku Alebel and Chief Representative of JICA Ethiopia Office, Oshima Kensuke, it was learned.

The project focused on enhancing manufacturing industry competitiveness through the implementation of the ‘Let Ethiopia Produce’ (Ethiopia Tamrt movement) that will span the next four years. And it will include technical, policy, and capacity building support.

Recall ‘Let Ethiopia Produce’ launched last year with the aim to enhance the competitiveness of the country’s manufacturing sector and achieve tangible advancements in the industrial landscape.

Speaking at the signing ceremony of the MoU, Industry Minister Melaku emphasized that the accord is instrumental to receive support from JICA not only in terms of financial assistance from JICA but also for knowledge, skills,
and technology transfer.

Most importantly, knowledge and technology transfer would have a vital importance in bringing about significant transformations in development and competitiveness of the Ethiopian manufacturing industry.

The Chief Representative of JICA Ethiopia Office, Oshima Kensuke, stated that Japan will provide backing to ‘Let Ethiopia Produce’, a key national movement to revolutionize the manufacturing industry sector of the nation.

The representative also reaffirmed that support will include knowledge and technology transfer, along with capacity building initiatives.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Finance Minister Ahmed Shide Meets with UK State Minister for Development, Africa


Addis Ababa: The Ethiopian delegation led by Finance Minister Ahmed Shide met with UK State Minister for Development and Africa Andrew Mitchell on the sidelines of the 2024 WB-IMF Spring Meetings.

The discussions focused on Ethiopia’s economic prospects and resilience amidst local and evolving global challenges, according to Ethiopian Embassy in Washington D.C., USA.

It also noted UK’s investment interests in Ethiopia, as well as its support to regional stability and integration in the Horn of Africa.

The finance finister expressed appreciation for UK’s continued support to Ethiopia’s humanitarian needs and development agenda, including on economic reforms, infrastructure, human development, and private sector investment.

The UK Minister on his part reiterated his country’s commitment and advocacy for an ambitious IDA21 replenishment.

The two sides also agreed on ways of deepening bilateral cooperation in strategic and priority sectors in Ethiopia.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Ethiopia Securing 50 Million USD Annually from Marines Deployed in Different Countries


Addis Ababa: Ethiopia has been earning 50 million US dollars on average per annum from the marines it trains and gets hired in different countries, Ethiopian Maritime Authority Director-General Abdulber Shemsu disclosed.

Ethiopia has been executing training projects for seafarers in a public-private partnership arrangement for the purpose of employment at international shipping companies.

Having a long history in maritime transport, Ethiopia is a member state of the International Maritime Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations.

The director-general told ENA that Ethiopia’s membership of the International Maritime Organization is enabling it to train marines for manning agencies and earn foreign currency.

Foreign currency has been obtained in a form of remittances from the marines, it was learned.

According to Abdulber, 36 million USD was earned during the first eight months of this Ethiopian fiscal year.

There is still untapped economic potential in this sphere, the director-general st
ated, adding that the nation will undertake a concerted effort to maximize the revenue.

Ethiopia has 7,500 qualified marines, and the plan is to raise this figure to 40,000 in the coming five years.

Abdulber further revealed that the Ethiopian Maritime Authority is working in collaboration with Ministry of Defense to train additional marines.

Moreover, the authority is also providing the necessary cooperation and support for Arba Minch, Adama Science and Technology as well as Hawassa universities to teach and train marines.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Finance Minister Ahmed Reiterates Ethiopia’s Appreciation for Creditors, Partners to Improve Debt Treatment Process


Addis Ababa: Ethiopia’s Finance Minister Ahmed Shide reiterated Ethiopia’s appreciation of the Framework and efforts by creditors and partners to improve the debt treatment process, including the advocacy for automatic debt service suspension.

Ahmed Shide represented Ethiopia at the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable/GSDR co-chaired by the IMF, WB, and Brazil as the G20 Presidency, during the 2024 Spring Meetings, according to Ethiopian Embassy in Washington D.C., USA.

The meeting was attended by Paris Club and non-Paris Club creditors, debtor countries, and representatives of the private sector.

The discussion focused on progress on debt relief processes to date and measures that can be taken to accelerate debt restructuring and make them more efficient, including under the G20 Common Framework, it was learnt.

The minister further expressed Ethiopia’s position on the ongoing debt restructuring discussions under the Common Framework.

He reiterated Ethiopia’s appreciation of the Framework and efforts by cre
ditors and partners to improve the debt treatment process, including the advocacy for automatic debt service suspension.

The finance minister underscored that the actions that can be taken now should provide timely debt relief for countries under debt distress, including alignment of interest between official creditors and private creditors/bondholders.

He also stressed the need to shorten the timeline for debt treatment and avoid protracted negotiations on debt restructuring.

The meeting agreed the GSDR will continue to work closely together and with other partners to further support the international response to current debt challenges.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

CAF Cup: RS Berkane banned from entering Algeria


Algerian authorities have prohibited the entry into its territory of the delegation of the Moroccan Club Berkane Sports Renaissance.

Traveling to Algiers, to play the semi-final first leg of the African Football Confederation Cup (CAF) against the club of the Algiers Medina Sports Union (USMA), scheduled for Sunday April 21, the Renaissance sportive from Berkane was banned from entering Algerian territory.

The Algerian authorities must have had difficulty appreciating that the Moroccan players wore outfits bearing the map of the Kingdom, with its Sahara.

The players and the delegation accompanying them were therefore detained at Houari Boumédiène international airport in Algiers.

Algerian authorities blocked Berkane’s team at the airport for hours, even seizing their football equipment and uniforms.

The delegation had obtained authorization to travel to Algiers on a Spanish plane, thus circumventing the access restrictions imposed by Algeria on Moroccan flights.

Once again, this incident highlights Alge
ria’s persistent tensions towards Morocco, in particular Algeria’s ban on Moroccan flights since September 2021, which creates recurring problems during sporting events and other meetings between the two countries.

Source: Ghana News Agency

John Bosco Nchindo gets playoffs scoring title as YOSA misses league crown

Yong Sport Academy captain Nchindo John Bosco, ended the 2024 Elite One playoffs UP as the top scorer with six goals.

His consistency enabled YOSA to get to the verge of winning their first championship title, before the sanction involving deduction of three points by the homologation commission dashed their hopes.

Before the deduction, YOSA were just three points behind leaders Victoria United on 12 points, and had a glimmer of hope with the final playing day still at hand.

John Bosco scored the first hat trick of the playoffs in Yong Sport’s second game against Dynamo of Douala, which ended 3-2.

The club went unbeaten for three games from kickoff, before the 0-1 defeat to Stade Renard on day four.

Nchindo finished ahead of other prolific scorers in the championship playoffs such as Nji Richmond of Victoria United who had five goals, Nathan Doualla with three goals and Debi Ze Manga and Sindjo Brice of Stade Renard with two goals each.

The golden boot of the season is being contested by Jules Armand Ko
oh of Astres FC in the relegation playoffs, and Victoria United’s Nji Richmond. They each count 17 goals scored this season.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

COVID-19: Public asked to get vaccinated as health facilities record new infections


Dr Emmanuel Addipa-Adapoe, a Senior Medical Officer at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, has urged persons who are yet to receive a COVID-19 vaccine to do so to prevent them from contracting the disease.

He said although COVID-19 was no longer a public health threat, it was not completely eradicated, with people still getting infected and the virus manifesting with different symptoms.

Speaking at a workshop on vaccine uptake for journalists in Accra, Dr Addipa-Adapoe said the symptoms of COVID-19 were now similar to that of malaria.

The workshop was organised by the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN) with support from the World Health Organization and the Ghana Health Service (GHS).

‘With the new infections, it is difficult to tell if it’s a COVID infection without testing, now you may experience headaches, cough, fever and sometimes sore throat, the likelihood of a loss of sense of taste and smell are no longer the case, persons infected may sometimes experience muscle weakness,’ he s
aid.

The medical doctor said with the onset of the rains, Coronavirus was manifesting as influenza like infections and that the public needed to be alert and report to hospitals when they experienced coughs and sore throats.

Dr Addipa-Adapoe said COVID-19 was now like any other disease with the symptoms close to that of malaria and encouraged persons who experienced or suspected a COVID-19 infection to report to a health facility for treatment.

He said the vaccine was safe and an effective form of protection against the virus as it prevented the severity of the illness and deaths.

Data from the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) at the Ghana Health Service (GHS) show that presently, there are 8, 306,400 doses of COVID-19 vaccines available.

As of March 2024, 14,935,381 persons, representing 45 point five per cent of the total population have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Similarly, 11,850,978 persons representing 46.5 per cent of 36 point nine per cent of total population are
fully vaccinated while 6,889,700 have received a booster dose.

Mr. Naziru Tanko Mohammed, Deputy Programme Manager, EPI, said persons who were yet to be vaccinated could visit any of the vaccination centres to receive their jabs.

He said vaccination had conquered many childhood vaccine-preventable diseases in the country.

It helped with the elimination of Neonatal tetanus in 2011, no Wild Polio Virus reported in Ghana since 2008, no Measles death in Ghana between 2003 and 2021.

Mr. Mohammed said vaccination had contributed to a drastic reduction in pneumonia and diarrhea in children, strengthened health systems and contributed to the reduction of Under Five Mortality from 111 per 1000 live births in 2003 to 40 per 1000 live births in 2022.

A vaccine, according to the WHO, is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious or malignant disease prevention.

Vaccination is a simple, safe, and effective way of protecting against harmful diseases before contact with
them, it uses the body’s natural defenses to build resistance to specific infections, making immune systems stronger.

Source: Ghana News Agency

We don’t add sugars to infant formulas in Ghana – Nestle


Nestle Ghana Limited says it does not add sugars (sucrose and glucose) to infant formulas for children in the country.

‘Like everywhere in the world, in Ghana, we do not add sugars (sucrose and glucose) to Infant Formulas for children aged 0-12 months.

‘In Ghana, all our growing up milks have no added sugars except NIDO1+ which we add honey, in compliance with strict international and local regulations’, the Company said in a press release.

It is in response to criticisms that the Company was adding sugar to its baby food in some countries, according to analysis by an organisation, which campaigns for the observance of human rights by Swiss-based companies.

The release said Baby Food and Infant Formula were highly regulated categories and that Neetle applied the same nutrition, health, and wellness principles everywhere in the world aligned with both international and local guidelines and regulations.

‘This includes compliance with labeling requirements and thresholds on carbohydrate content that encompa
sses sugars.’

It said regarding cereals, there may be slight variations in recipes around the world.

‘In Europe, Nestlé’s range of cereals comes with and without added sugars.

‘Our milks and cereals for young children are fortified with vitamins and minerals such as iron to help tackle malnutrition in Central and West Africa,’ it said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Renel Ghana Foundation assists female farmers to live healthy lifestyles


With a health screening and education on nutrition and preventing lifestyle diseases, Renel Ghana Foundation has marked World Health Day with women-led farming groups at Walewale in the West Mamprusi Municipal Assembly.

Under the theme: ‘My Health, My Right’, the Foundation collaborated with the Municipal Health Directorate to empower the women with the health information that would also benefit their families and communities.

A total of 60 women from the Sungataba and Sakintihi farming groups benefited from the event, held at the Assembly, a press release issued to the Ghana News Agency, on Friday, said.

‘The focus of the event was to empower women-led farming groups with essential knowledge about maintaining good health and ensuring access to healthcare services, as women are at the centre of sustainable development,’ the release said.

They were educated on their rights to health and the importance of a balanced-diet for overall well-being.

‘Participants were encouraged to assert their rights to health
care services and prioritise their health needs, especially in preventing anaemia, the most common health issue in the Municipality.’

They were thus advised on locally accessible iron-rich foods and how to plan their families for a healthy lifestyle.

They shared their experiences and concerns regarding health-related issues and expressed their appreciation for the knowledge imparted to them.

The screening covered their blood pressure and sugar levels, body temperature, and body mass index, among other issues.

It also identified underlying health issues and provided the necessary guidance for further medical intervention.

Representatives from the Walewale Chief”s Palace, the Chief Imam of Walewale, and the Office of the Municipal Chief Executive attended the event, demonstrating their support for the cause.

Their participation, according to the release, underscored the collaborative efforts towards promoting community health and well-being.

‘Such initiatives are essential for fostering a culture of goo
d health and well-being (SDG 3) within communities, ultimately contributing to sustainable development and livelihoods,’ it said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Quality healthcare requires highest professionalism, positive attitude – Maj. Gen Ewusi


Major General Raymond Ewusi, the Deputy Chief of Staff (Medical Services), Ghana Armed Forces, has challenged the staff of the 37 Military Hospital to deliver on their mandate to spur on benevolent groups and individuals to offer more to support the hospital.

He said quality healthcare required the highest level of professionalism, compassion, and positive attitude to complete the ‘healthcare equation.’

Maj. Gen. Ewusi was speaking at the commissioning of a GHC700,000 refurbished Simango Ward at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra, by Women Empowerment Foundation International (WEFI), a non-governmental organization.

The WEFI, led by its founder Lady Sonia Agyei Kyem, mobilised funds for the renovation of the Simango Ward, one of the oldest wards at the hospital.

Apart from the structural refurbishment, the WEFI provided 20 beds, 36 mattresses and 72 bed sheets, 17 Television sets, 17 air conditioners, 16 water heaters, three office tables and four chairs, two fridges and two microwaves.

The WEFI has adopt
ed the ward and pledges to assist it whenever the need arises.

Maj. Gen. Ewusi appealed to philanthropic individuals to appreciate the need to be the driving force in lifting the image of healthcare facilities to the desired standards.

‘What we witness today is a testament of what we can all contribute as stakeholders to serve Mother Ghana,’ he said, and that the renovation had brought relief and smiles to many people.

‘Like warriors that you are, your resilience and dedication manifested when some challenges threatened the completion of the project. You have proven to us that you face your battles to the end, and this is exemplary and inspiring to us all,’ he told the WEFI.

Maj. Gen. Ewusi said the refurbished ward had been configured and expanded to cater for the in-patient requirements of the Internal Medicine Division and the Genitourinary Department.

‘The relief this brings to the Ghana Armed Forces Medical is unimaginable.’

He assured the WEFI that the hospital would ensure high maintenance cultur
e at the ward.

Brigadier General Prosper Ayibor, the Commander, 37 Military Hospital, said hospitals served as sanctuaries of healing, where individuals entrusted their well-being to capable hands of medical professionals.

‘Within these hospitals, the ward emerges as a critical component, which offers patients many advantages,’ he said.

Unfortunately, many of those wards were saddled with high cost of maintenance, which affected their smooth operations and meeting patients’ expectations, he noted.

He said through the acts of generosity, compassion and solidarity philanthropists and donors have the power to shape the future of healthcare, improve patients’ outcomes as well as create healthier communities.

Mrs Joyce Acquaye, the WEFI President, was elated by the collaboration between the Foundation and the Hospital and urged members not to rest on their achievements but work even harder.

‘Let’s continue to work together towards building a healthier, more resilient community where access to quality healthc
are is not a privilege but a fundamental right for all.’

The 37 Military Hospital began operating as the 37th General Hospital within the British Empire. One of the wards that came with its birth and commencement of operations is the Simango Ward. It was known as Ward Six.

The Ward, however, was later named after Dr. Simango in recognition of his meritorious service to the hospital and to Ghana.

It admitted Ghana’s first cases of COVID-19 patients.

The WEFI seeks to bring together women in business and in various professions.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Parents urged to complete vaccination packages, welfare services of children


Parents, especially nursing mothers, have been advised to ensure the completion of their children’s immunisation packages and child welfare services by age five.

Dr Naziru Tanko, the Deputy Programme Manager, Ghana’s Expanded Programmes on Immunization, made the call during a two-day training workshop to equip media professionals with the tools and knowledge to effectively communicate the importance of vaccination.

It was organised by the African Media and Malaria (AMMREN) in partnership with Ghana Health Service and the World Health Organization, on vaccines uptake in Ghana for selected journalists across the country.

He said it was unfortunate that some nursing mothers stopped attending postnatal services when their babies were about nine to 10 months old.

It was imperative to send babies to be weighed regularly from birth and continue till age five to enable them to receive all the recommended vaccines.

Dr Tanko noted that the risk in unvaccinated children, particularly in urban areas, posed a signifi
cant threat to the health and well-being of the population.

He said parents played a crucial role in ensuring their children received all the recommended vaccinations by age five to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and protect children from serious illnesses.

Dr Tanko urged parents to put in place measures in safeguarding their children’s health by adhering to vaccination schedules recommended by healthcare givers.

Vaccination not only protected individuals but also contributed to the overall health of the community by preventing outbreaks of vaccine- preventable diseases, he noted.

Ghana, like many African countries, faced the challenge in achieving optimal vaccination coverage, partly because of fear, myths, misinformation and misconception about vaccines and stressed the need for continuous education and awareness campaigns to address those issues and encourage vaccine uptake, the Deputy Programme Manager said.

‘Vaccines are safe, effective and crucial for the health and wellbeing of children
. By vaccinating our children, we are investing in a healthier future for our nation,’ he said.

He reminded parents and healthcare givers to ensure children received the recommended vaccination not only to protect their health but also strengthen the resilience of the entire country against preventable diseases.

Touching on the country’s Expanded Programme on Immunisation, Dr Tanko said the EPI had significantly evolved over the past 20 years after its launch in 1978.

He said with its main mandate of contributing to poverty reduction by reducing the magnitude of vaccine-preventable diseases through immunization as an essential component of Primary Health Care, the programme had seen an increase in number of vaccines it delivered routinely to children and pregnant women.

From an initial six antigens against the six childhood killer diseases, the number has increased to 11-vaccines, including malaria vaccine that is being piloted in seven regions.

The programme now vaccinates against 14 vaccine -preventabl
e diseases, Dr Tanko said, and that plans were afoot to include the COVID-19 in the routine vaccines.

The journalists were taken through topics like Immunisation as a Global Tool for Public Health Intervention, and Ghana’s Expanded Programme on Immunisation: The journey so far.

Others were the development of Vaccines and How Vaccines Work in Disease Prevention, Vaccine Financing, The COVID-19 Pandemic and Vaccine Hesitancy: The Ghana Experience, and Media as Partners in Vaccine Uptake in Ghana.

Source: Ghana News Agency

NAP+Ghana, partners, call for urgent redress of persistent medicine stock-outs


The national and regional leadership of the Network of Persons Living with HIV (NAP+Ghana) and individuals receiving care, have issued a communique calling for urgent redress of the persistent medicine stock-outs that plague Ghana’s health system.

They said the inability of individuals to access essential Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) due to stock-outs in some facilities across the country, did not only jeopardize their health but also posed a significant barrier to achieving the national HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) targets.

The Network and its partners, therefore, urged the Government and relevant stakeholders to prioritise the development and implementation of robust and lasting policies and mechanisms that ensured consistent and uninterrupted access to life-saving HIV and AIDS medicines in all designated healthcare facilities nationwide.

‘This includes the meaningful involvement of NAP+Ghana in the planning and strengthening of supply chain management systems, enhancing forecasting and p
rocurement processes, and increasing involvement in local manufacturing capacity,’ they said in a communique issued on Friday.

The Communique was signed by the NAP+ President, Ms Elsie Ayeh, and all the 16 regional chairpersons, at the close of a special planned conference by the Ghana Health Service (GHS), as part of activities to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of introducing the Antiretroviral Therapy in Ghana.

It said as stakeholders deeply invested in the well-being of their community, they were committed to working collaboratively with the National AIDS and STI Control Programme (NACP) and other relevant stakeholders, to develop and implement sustainable solutions to address the challenges facing Persons Living with HIV (PLHIV).

The communique suggested that by embarking on community engagement, strengthening peer networks and improving community level healthcare service delivery, the impact of ‘lost to follow-up’ could be mitigated and ensure that every individual living with HIV received the care
and support they needed to thrive.

It drew the attention of stakeholders to the importance of engaging NAP+ members at every stage of national deliberations on HIV care delivery and related matters, to enable them to bring their expertise to bear in action that would positively impact their lives.

‘We are also aware that some PLHIV solicit funds before medications are administered to clients. These medications are given to us for free, so to turn it into an income generating venture is a crime,’ it said.

NAP+ Ghana had zero tolerance for such acts and would take action to cease those acts.

It reiterated the Network’s unwavering commitment to partnering with the Government through the Ghana AIDS Commission, NACP, GHS, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to address the challenges of ‘lost to follow-up’ and medicine stock-outs.

They could do that by working together to build a more resilient, sustainable and inclusive healthcare system that prioritised the needs and rights of all, including P
LHIV.

Panelists at the session admitted that in commemorating 20 years of progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS, it was imperative to engage recipients of care (PLHIV) and provide them an opportunity under the auspices of the National AIDS and STI Control Programme, to hear back from them regarding challenges and barriers to linkage and retention in ART services.

The event also seeks to provide firsthand perspectives and strategies by stakeholders towards improving Ghana’s Antiretroviral Therapy programme, towards achieving the 95-95-95 aspirational targets by 2025.

During the session NAP+ members showcased some success stories with the ART since its inception in 2003, while selected partners and the GHS-NACP highlighted new programmes intended to enhance the treatment, care and support for PLHIV.

Ms Ayeh encouraged PLHIV to stop self stigmatisation, embrace their ARTs, observe healthy dietary practices with appropriate exercises and urged those yet to enroll on the life-saving medicines to immediate
ly do so to live normal lives.

Source: Ghana News Agency