Day: April 22, 2024

Numerous events dedicated to Thracian culture are coming up in Kazanlak in 2024, Dr. Momchil Marinov, Director of the local Iskra Historical Museum, told BTA on Monday.

Most of the events will be dedicated to two important anniversaries: the 80th anniversary of the discovery of the Kazanlak Thracian tomb and the 20th anniversary of the discovery of the tomb of Seuthes III in what came to be known as Golyama Kosmatka mound near Shipka in central Bulgaria.

The tomb and cult complex Ostrusha, which has been completely restored, will be officially opened to visitors on April 29. On April 30, an exhibition dedicated to the Kazanlak Tomb will be opened in the Museum.

The purpose of the exhibition is to show new data about the conservation practices applied at the site over the decades. ‘Somehow, being engaged with day-to-day issues, we do not pay attention to the fact that this monument has been adequately protected over many decades and that it is one exemple of how Bulgaria should treat its cultural and histor
ical heritage,’ said Marinov.

The yearly scientific conference on thracology and archaeological research related to antiquity, will also be held on or around the anniversary, with the most prominent researchers in the field expected to take part. Lectures will be organized every month during the year and admission to all initiatives will be free, added Marinov.

Guest exhibitions from other museums are also planned in Kazanlak. ‘Original exhibits related to antiquity and, in particular, the Thracian heritage, which are owned by major Bulgarian museums, will be visiting Kazanlak,’ said Marinov. The programme for the upcoming exhibitions will be announced in the near future.

The celebrations will conclude in September with the 20th anniversary of the discovery of the tomb of Seuthes III in Golyama Kosmatka mound. The objective is to make these events as accessible as possible to the public, so that people can gain a deeper understanding of the region’s rich cultural and historical heritage.

Source: Ghana Ne
ws Agency

By Charity Nginyu

HRM Dr. Molive Molungu Otto of Batoke has assumed presidency of the Fako Chief’s Conference following a handover ceremony, held at Wovia Community Hall.

The event marked the beginning of his two-year mandate as the Limbe royal fathers had nominated him as president and Chief Woka Daniel as vice president.

During the handover ceremony, Chief Ekum Samuel Epupa emphasized the rotational nature of the presidency among Fako’s seven Sub Divisions.

HRM Dr. Otto, upon assuming office, expressed gratitude and a commitment to improving Fako. In Batoke, his chiefdom, jubilant crowds welcomed him, despite a brief encounter with Gendarmes attempting to halt the procession.

Chief Ilondo, the outgoing president, highlighted challenges during his tenure but expressed optimism for the future.

Chief Otto reassured unity and cooperation within Cameroon, promising to make Fako a better place for its population and future generations. His mandate extends to April 2026.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Farmers in the Bono East Region have accepted the phase II of the planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) initiative by the government to increase food production and to check food security in the area.

The farmers observed that the phase II of the programme entails a comprehensive package of getting easy access to inputs and chemicals to motivate and facilitate work of farmers to be able to produce in quantity.

The farmer’s expressed the sentiment at a day sensitization meeting at Techiman in the Bono East Regional organized by the Department of Agriculture to train farmers and other stakeholders to acquire all the necessary knowledge about the programme.

They noted that the programme was introduced at the right time that they were in the farming season and were ready to apply all the knowledge acquired to be able to produce quality food for both local consumption and export to generate foreign exchange for the country.

Mr. Bawa Amidu Bono, East Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of the Department of Ag
riculture, said the phase II of the progamme was intended to solve all the limitations and challenges of the PFJ Phase.

Mr. Amidu indicated that the key objectives of the programme included ensuring food security, increase productivity and production, promoting import substitution, exports, agro-processing, creating jobs and wealth, particularly for the youth.

Mr. James Adu, Bono East Regional Director for the Department of Agriculture, disclosed that 11 Priority commodity value chains were selected for the realization of the objectives of the PFJ Phase II which include Rice, Maize, and Soya bean, Sorghum, Tomato, Pepper, Onion, Cassava, Yam, and Plantain.

Mr. Adu said the PFJ phase II would move away from direct input subsidy to smart agricultural credit, which may come as Input Credit System, Quality Fertilizer, Improved Seeds, Support Services, Day-old chicks, Feed and vaccines, Secured Credit, Storage and Distribution Infrastructure as well as commodity trading to guarantee market and stabilize prices,
Digital Agricultural and Agribusiness Platform, line of sight management, monitoring, and coordination inclusive.

He called on all to support the implementation of the programme to help fight food insecurity to be able to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).

Source: Ghana News Agency

SInce Sunday April 21, 2024, thousands of Nigerians took to their social media accounts to call on the Federal Government to shut down a Chinese Super market accsued of not allowing Nigerians to shop inside.

This allegations was sparked by one man who said he was barred from entering the supermarket withe the security telling him that, no Nigerian is allowed to shop inside.

The security guard on duty simply told him to make a u-turn because Nigerian were not accepted into the building.

‘My dearies, it is not all about shopping. It is the audacious segregation and discrimination right on Nigerian soil! Why must anybody of Nigerian origin be excluded from entering a public building on Nigeria’s soil simply because it is run by another national?’ one person said on Facebook.

Anothe rperson blamed the government for what she describes as audacity of the Chinese, ‘Imagine the audacity of these Ch!nese people, in our country again they are still discriminating against us. I don’t blame them, it’s our government
that fa!led us and gave this people too much power. This is really embarrassing and sad.’

The Punch Newspaper reported that an investigations carried out confirmed that the Royal Choice supermarket was not welcoming any Nigerian or anyone of black color.

Nigeria’s price control agency, has been pressured to act fast.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Mr. Francis Asenso-Boakye, the Minister for Roads and Highways has expressed the government’s commitment to enhancing the condition of roads in Kumasi, and across the country.

He has therefore asked the people in the area to have faith in the government and support it to ensure speedy completion of the roads and other road networks within the Greater Kumasi metropolitan area.

Mr Boakye, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bantama, stated this, when he led a team to conduct an inspection of road infrastructure in the Kwadaso Municipality.

Among the roads inspected were Tanoso market to Pokukrom, Tanoso to Takyiman, Tanoso to Topre, Anhwiakwanta to Kessben, Lazab to Nwamase road, and the ongoing construction of Kwadaso to Trabuom, among others.

The purpose of the inspection was to assess the condition of the roads and identify the areas which need development.

Mr. Asenso-Boakye, speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after the inspection expressed satisfaction at the progress of work done by the
contractors so far.

The Minister said the roads, when completed, would ease the stress of drivers and passengers in the area passing through every day commuting from and to the area.

He said the massive road construction currently ongoing across the country was a clear manifestation of President Akufo-Addo’s commitment to improve road infrastructure and transportation systems in the country.

The Minister, therefore, entreated all contractors to expedite their work to ensure timely completion.

Prof. Kingsley Nyarko, the MP for Kwadaso, said the completion of the roads within the constituency would enhance economic development and make it one of the beautiful constituencies within Kumasi.

He appealed to the drivers and constituents to exercise patience and rally behind the government to develop the constituency.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Addis Ababa: Ministry of Planning and Development stated that Ethiopia has made significant strides in tackling climate change impacts.

Africa Climate Policy Center and Addis Ababa University in collaboration with various partners hosted the Fifth Africa Climate Talks at the UNECA Headquarters in Addis Ababa today.

In his opening remarks, Planning and Development State Minister Seyoum Mekonnen noted Ethiopia’s commitment to tackling climate change through effective actions.

He urged all signatories of the Paris Agreement to uphold their pledges to support developing nations in mitigating climate change impacts.

He underscored Ethiopia’s achievements in this area, saying “My country is working on climate change. We believe Ethiopia is truly walking the talk.”

Ethiopia’s 10-year development plan (2021-2030), a cornerstone of its Home Grown Economic Reform Agenda, prioritizes climate resilience and a green economy.

According to him, this plan positions these objectives as fundamental pillars for the nation
‘s development trajectory.

The state minister elaborated on Ethiopia’s long-term low emission and climate resilient strategy, which outlines a path towards achieving net-zero emissions and building a climate-resilient economy by 2050.

Ethiopia also envisions the creation of nearly 6,850 green jobs annually over the next three decades, he stated.

Noting that Ethiopia’s allocated significant financial investment on climate change actions, Seyoum stated that a national stocktake on climate change revealed that the nation invested over 82 billion USD in climate action initiatives between 2011 and 2019.

Most of the funds were mobilized from domestic investment, followed by institutional finance supporters.

Based on the stocktake’s recommendations, Ethiopia is now undertaking a comprehensive reform process, encompasses institutional policies, resource mobilization strategies, knowledge-sharing mechanisms, and robust stakeholder engagement and coordination.

As part of its Green Legacy Initiative, the country h
as planted several billions of seedlings and a target is set to reach 50 billion by 2026.

The country has also planned to link its Green Legacy initiative with other similar initiatives in the African continent, the state minister stated.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The police have arrested two persons in connection with the death of a United States of America national at Nyinasen near Cape Coast in the Central Region.

The two suspects, Wisdom Sete, a Togolese, and Yussif Afrim, were arrested on Friday 19th April 2024, at Assin Prasso for their involvement in the alleged murder of Naomi Jehubiyah.

A statement issued in Accra by Assistant Commissioner of Police Grace Ansah-Akrofi, Director Public Affairs, Ghana Police Service, said a preliminary police investigation indicated that Sete, believed to be the fiancée of the deceased, allegedly conspired with Afrim to kill Jehubiyah.

It said the body had been deposited at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital for preservation and autopsy.

The statement said the two vehicles belonging to the deceased had been retrieved from the suspects who were currently in custody assisting Police investigations.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Charles Teye Amoatey, Director, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Training and Consulting, says the World Bank has commended Ghana for mainstreaming environmental risk management in World Bank-funded projects.

He said the World Bank had made positive remarks about Ghana’s advancements in environmental and social risk management.

Prof Amoatey said the World Bank had allowed Ghana to use its own system to manage environmental and social risks on World Bank-funded projects.

That, he stressed, showed the level of maturity Ghana had achieved as a result of the impact of the environmental and social risk programme.

Prof Amoatey said this at the opening of the fourth session of a six-day training programme on the Essentials of Environmental and Social Risk Management (ESRM) in Accra.

The programme is organised by GIMPA in collaboration with the Regional Transport Research and Education Centre of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) funded by the World Bank Gro
up.

The training programme brought together 35 participants from the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, as well as local government and public service from the African continent, including Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Uganda.

The aim of the programme is to train participants to manage ESRM associated with projects being implemented on the continent for sustainable development.

Studies conducted on improving results in sub-Saharan Africa showed that financial institutions in the region did not achieve satisfactory environmental, social, health, and safety ratings.

Also, there is a lack of capacity among these institutions as well as member states to implement environmental and social risk management.

He urged African governments to prioritise  environmental and social risk management in every project at the inception stage to ensure that all environmental risk issues were properly managed.

The Professor said the World Bank had decided not to approve a project if there was no environment
al and social risk management report that came along with the feasibility studies.

He called for government support to actualize these initiatives, devoid of political interference in project implementation.

‘For example, if a project is coming up and we feel that due to the potential environmental impact, the project should not be approved, I think that the politicians should heed our advice and allow the technocrats to do their professional jobs,’ he said.

Professor Helen Essandoh, Director, Regional Transport Research and Education Centre, KNUST, said the course was launched in November 2022, to increase the capacity of environmental experts to manage development projects.

She said the participants would be taken through topics like regulations on the environment, land issues, gender issues, and labour issues, among others.

Sustainable development, she stressed, was hinged on the pillars of economic, social, and environmental sustainability.

Mr Jonathan Zinzi Aryitey, Representative of the World Bank
, said the programme was instituted due to gaps in human resources in the management of environmental and social risk.

All development projects, he stated, had humans at the core of their centres to ensure efficient and effective implementation, leading to positive outcomes.

‘For a project to have a true impact, then environmental and social risk management should be at the forefront to eradicate poverty and ensure the better living conditions of the citizens,’ he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Tropical Biology Association (TBA), together with the Institute of Nature and Environmental Conservation (INEC) Ghana, is running a practical restoration training programme on Ghana’s threatened tree species, for conservation practitioners and managers.

The 10-day training programme, funded by the Fondation Franklinia, aims to build the capacity of the participants to commit to conserve threatened tree species and restore their habitats.

About 20 participants who are undertaking mangrove restoration, natural regeneration, and other forms of forest reestablishments in the country, are taking part in the training programme.

It would cover topics such as Planning Impacts of Restoration Projects, Understanding the Links between Restoration and Ecology of Forests to achieve Long-term Conservation Outcomes, Different Restoration Approaches, and When to Apply them.

Again, participants would be exposed to Monitoring Impacts, as well as Communicating the Importance of Conserving Ghana’s threatened tree species
.

Dr. Rosie Trevelyan, Director, TBA, at the opening of the training programme in Kumasi, emphasized the need to take forest life seriously.

She said forests contributed to providing stable climate, clean water, protecting plants living in them, and fighting atmospheric greenhouse effect among others, adding that the TBA believed that education was an important tool for conservation.

‘We rely on and benefit from forests and if they are gone, we will suffer. We really have to conserve the forests that are left for the benefit of the people as well as our life, but because we have lost so many forests, we can do some action to restore them,’ she observed.

Dr. Trevelyan was optimistic that as the conservationists received knowledge on restoration, they could help in Ghana’s quest in addressing challenges of conserving threatened tree species.

Mr. David Kwarteng, Director, INEC-Ghana, said over 10 percent of Ghana’s native tree species were threatened and that formulating effective strategies to conserve, an
d restore these species in their natural environments were both critical and urgent.

Explaining the genesis of the training, he said Fondation Franklinia funded a workshop that gave birth to the threatened tree conservation action plan.

One of the key gaps that was identified by the action plan was the lack of capacity to undertake restoration using threatened trees (trees that need urgent conservation attention and are at the verge of extinction).

He said in response to that, the training workshop was put together to train Ghanaian conservation practitioners and managers who were directly undertaking restoration on the field.

Mr. Kwarteng mentioned that participants as part of the programme would visit the Bobiri Forest, INEC’s restoration sites, and KNUST Botanical Gardens to learn the different restoration approaches and silvicultural practices being used.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Caleb Gidisu, a 20-year-old resident of Adabakpo, a farming community in the Central Tongu District of the Volta Region, was electrocuted in the aftermath of a heavy rainstorm that ravaged the community in the early hours of Friday, April 19, 2024.

Eyewitnesses recounted the harrowing incident to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) and indicated that they rushed out to discover Caleb electrocuted on his farm after hearing a distressing noise.

Swift action from residents saw Caleb being rushed to the Adidome Government Hospital for immediate medical attention.

Mr Wisdom Tokpo, one of the eyewitnesses who took Caleb Gidisu to the hospital described the scene as extremely dire.

‘The doctors are working on him, and we thank God that he’s responding to treatment,’ he stated.

The tragedy, however, had raised serious concerns among residents regarding the response of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

Prior to the incident, the residents made numerous appeals through the local radio station in Adidome for the urg
ent intervention of the ECG after the storm toppled a high-tension electricity pole and cables. 

Despite these pleas, the Company allegedly failed to act promptly, leaving the community vulnerable to such a tragic outcome.

Madam Esenam Kaka, the Assembly Member of the area when contacted by the GNA, noted that she was not aware of the incident.

The residents of Adabakpo have called on the local leaders to ensure that similar incidents in the future are prevented.

They also advocated for improved emergency response protocols and enhanced communication channels with utility providers. 

Source: Ghana News Agency