Category: General

Addis Ababa: The Prime Minister of Uganda, Robinah Nabbanja, said that her country is keen to work in collaboration with Ethiopia in using industrialization experience accumulated in developing and managing industrial parks.

According to the Industrial Parks Development Corporation, the prime minister made the remark following her visit to Bole Lemi Industrial Park today.

‘We will work in cooperation using Ethiopia’s industrialization experience,’ Nabbanja is quoted as saying.

The Ugandan PM also expressed her excitement with the overall activity that she observed at the industrial park, indicating that there will be more communication to carry out further joint activities in the sector.

Industrial Parks Development Corporation CEO Aklilu Tadesse briefed Prime Minister Nabbanja about the corporation and the general activities of Bole Lemi Industrial Park.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Governments in Africa have been urged to combat women abuses and bullying in the cyber space proactively, as they advance in digital technology.

That, they can achieve if the Heads of States in the continent understand the dynamics and intricacies, accept the magnitude of cybercrime and thereby review and make existing laws punitive enough.

Participants, attending the 11th Digital Rights and Inclusive Forum 2024 (DRIF24), gave the advice during group sessions, and insisted on the need for governments on the continent to prioritise and help combat online violence against women.

Hundreds of delegates, civil society actors and organisations as well as NGOs and academia, drawn from 61 countries across the world are attending the three-day forum on the theme’ fostering rights and inclusion in the digital age’.

Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a Pan African organisation and its partners in Ghana, including E-Governance and Internet Governance Foundation for Africa (EGIGFA), University of Media, Arts and Communication
are organising the forum.

The other partners are the Media Foundation for West Africa, Inclusive Tech Group, Internet Society (ISOC) Ghana Chapter, and Human Security Research Centre (HSRC).

Wikimedia, African Digital Rights Network, Ford Foundation, Luminate, Google, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mott Foundation, Open Technology Fund (OTF), Internews and Small Media are the event sponsors.

Ndeye Fatuo Diouf, Digital Content Manager, Senegal-based Afric Tivistes, a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) regretted that though cybercrimes, especially women abuse, and bullying remained serious offences, some governments in Africa had not shown any political will to arrest the situation.

Women victims of digital abuses and bullying go through serious emotional and psychological trauma and that remain inimical to their growth and development, she said.

According to Ebere Ifendu, the President and Founder, Nigerian-based Women in Politics Forum (WIPF), urged young women in politics to also remain active on social medi
a.

That would enable them to identify and help enact realistic laws and policy frameworks that would guide or govern the use and thereby bring sanity to the internet space.

Ifendu noted that general effects of online violence on remained enormous and urged governments in Africa to prioritise sanctions and help bring the situation under the barest minimum.

However, Rokhaya Tine, Responsible for Communications, Patef Senegal, another CSO said women could do more for themselves in fighting the crime if platforms were provided for them to share their stories and learn lessons.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has urged the government to adopt alternative sources of energy, including solar, to reduce the country’s heavy reliance on hydro and thermal power.

The short-to-medium term measure, Dr Joseph Obeng, President, GUTA, said would ensure a more reliable and affordable energy mix to boost the growth of businesses, spur trade and augment Ghana’s economic stability drive.

Dr Obeng said this in an exclusive interview with the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday, April 24, in Accra, and called for the integration of solar energy into the national grid.

He said not doing so could worsen the erratic power supply, with far-reaching consequences – crippling of businesses, increasing noise pollution, and risk causing fire outbreaks in markets due to congestion amid high use of generators.

He said the call had become necessary because the power outages were becoming persistent with no clear information on what the government was doing, or any indication of the challenge being so
lved anytime soon.

‘Our over dependence on hydro and thermal is getting embarrassing, especially when we have alternative energy sources that abounds and all that we need is a clear policy to solve that,’ Dr Obeng said.

‘It [solar] is capital intensive and expensive at the initial stage, but if there’s a clear policy that your power will be credited to you, almost every household will have power and offload it to the national grid,’ he said.

He, therefore, encouraged the government to provide a policy support system ‘… and make sure that they compensate people who are ready to provide these alternative sources and put it on the national grid’.

He indicated that while some businesses had planned to procure generators, others had already done so to ensure productivity, but that would be an additional cost that consumers would have to pay.

‘People are using generators, but the noise alone does not create a good ambience for trading activities to go on. There’s also discomfort because we must trade under unb
earable heat, and this isn’t what we need,’ the Trade leader said.

He also stated that the recent power outage was negatively affecting digital trade, explaining that ‘each time the lights go off, it slows business because some of the platforms become inaccessible.’

‘Already, businesses are in a state of stagnation because of the effects of the previous years’ economic crisis, and it’s important that we don’t add this [power outages] to our problems. So, the earlier they find a solution to this, the better,’ Dr Obeng said.

The recent power outages have been attributed largely to lack of funding as there is a US$1.9 billion financing gap, with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) also collecting less revenue for value chain players’ operations.

According to the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), ECG collects an average of GHS850 million on a monthly basis, instead of the GHS1.9 billion monthly revenue required.

Source: Ghana News Agency

By Stephen TADAHA with additional information from investiraucameroun

The Bank of Central African State (BEAC) has announced the injection of new coins into the CEMAC subregion between June and September 2024 in response to problems linked to coin shortages within the CEMAC zone. The announcement also stated that the FCFA 200 coin will also be in circulation. This will be the first time that the CEMAC zone will transact with 200 FCFA single coins.

The shortages have been resulting from the exportation of significant quantities of coins to Asian countries where they are used to manufacture other products, mostly pieces of jewelry. The exportation of these coins is carried out by illegal export organizations installed in the subregion. They acquire coins from game houses and other illegal networks, reports have confirmed.

According to reliable sources as revealed by the Investor au Cameroun, the new variety will be larger and will have new denominations, particularly, with the arrival of FCFA 200 coins.

The
new variety of coins will also have some slight blending modifications. The size of the new variety will be similar to the FCFA 50 coins of the 1960s.

The arrival of the new coins according to the same source, will not affect the existing ones. The two varieties will coexist as BEAC has no plans to demonetize the existing coins. To ensure its availability, BEAC also envisages passing the command of significant quantities that will resolve coin shortages in the subregion.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

By Charity Nginyu

Nouvelle Destinée Orphanage, located in the Lendi neighborhood within the Douala Five municipality has called out for help following an invasion of bedbugs on their facility.

According to reports the orphanage has since last year December been besieged by an unwelcome invasion of bed bugs, hindering comfort in the facility initially meant to provide solace and care for its residents.

Ms. Ndzana Solange, manager of the orphanage while talking to Griote shared the harrowing ordeal of their struggle.

She revealed that essential items such as beds, mattresses, and cribs were recently donated to the facility, but they were unfortunately tainted by the presence of bed bugs.

Even after efforts to sanitize and disinfect the donated goods, the resilient pests persisted.

The municipal authorities of Douala Five also at a certain point intervened, attempting to quell the infestation through a targeted spraying campaign. However, their efforts proved to be in vain as the bed bugs stubbornly endure
d.

In light of the said crisis, Ndzana revealed that she found herself compelled to make a difficult decision for the welfare of the orphanage’s 80 occupants, a majority of whom are children, including 12 vulnerable newborns.

With no alternative recourse in sight, she has issued a heartfelt plea to the community, calling on compassionate souls to come to their aid.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Regent Keteku III, the chief of Lofortoe within Adeheta Electoral Area in Akatsi South, has given a week’s ultimatum to the Fulani herdsmen to leave the area.

This, according to him, was necessary due to the large extent of destruction by cattle in the area.

Regent Keteku gave the warning in a statement signed by Mr Emmanuel Amenyedzi, a Youth Leader in the area.

The statement alleged that some known individuals and residents in the area were accommodating the herdsmen, whose cattle had destroyed farms belonging to residents in the various communities.

‘It could be recalled that last year, the destruction of farm produce as a result of the presence of these Herdsmen in the community made it urgent to drive them away.’

The statement also indicated that those secretly accommodating the herdsmen had violated the agreed directives, hence the need to act.

‘Despite all these activities and warnings, you are still secretly accommodating these people in your villages. You are given a week as a matter of urgency
to repatriate your clients,’ it added.

The statement also said failure to heed the directive would lead to another act of order.

When contacted by the Ghana News Agency, Mr Samuel Agbelorbu, the Assembly member for the area, urged residents in the communities to adhere to the directives for peaceful coexistence.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Emmanuel Kofi Agyemang, Dormaa East DIstrict Chief Executive in the Bono Region, has distributed 20,000 hybrid coconut seedlings to some farmers at Nsesresu in the district under the government’s Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) programme.

Already, the assembly had supported the nursing of 12,000 coconut seedlings at the Nsesresu nursing site and an additional 8,000 seedlings at the Merefrewuo nursery site in the district.

Making the presentation at a short ceremony, Mr Agyemang advised the beneficiary farmers not to sell the seedlings, but them to plant them.

He said the assembly and by extension the government was spending much on the PERD programme and entreated the farmers to help make value of the coconut seedlings, indicating that between 2018 and 2021 the assembly had distributed more than one million cashew seedlings to farmers in the area.

The PERD programme, Mr Agyemang explained, was an initiative being implemented by the government to alleviate poverty and improve the socio-
economic livelihoods of the farmers and commended them for embracing the programme.

He said the cashew sector value chain had seen tremendous growth and development over the years, stressing cashew buyers in the area had increased from 20 in 2017 to more than 120 buyers in 2024, and thereby creating employment and stimulating economic growth.

Touching on the construction of a dam and canopy walk-way in the Nsesresu community, Mr Agyemang said work on the project was progressing, saying the contractor had assured to complete and handover within two weeks.

‘The contractor is now waiting for the pillars to dry so that concrete works to erect the canopy would also begin’, he explained.

Barimah Effiriti Sampon-Siaw, the Mawarehene of the Dormaa Traditional Area, appealed to the farmers to consider the process of adding value to their produce, instead of focusing only on producing raw materials. He urged the unemployed people in the area to take advantage of the PERD programme and

engage in cashew and coconut
production to better their lot. Mr Gordon Tuah, the Dormaa East District Director of Agriculture, took the farmers through the proper method of planting and urged them to seek the services of the Extension Officers to improve their farm work.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mrs Violet Obeng, the Wife of Mr Kwame Asare Obeng, the Independent Parliamentary Candidate for Gomoa Central Constituency, has organised a health screening exercise for the aged.

It was also to enable the aged to know their health status and seek prompt medical attention.

The health screening exercise was carried out by VEE Foundation with sponsorship from Mrs Obeng, its Executive Director.

More than 600 aged were checked for various ailments, including Blood Pleasure (BP), diabetes, dental issues, malaria, hepatitis B, cholesterol levels and others.

Majority of the aged were found to be suffering from various sicknesses, unknowingly.

Medicines were given to those requiring them and some referred to see medical doctors at various facilities in and around Gomoa Central for further diagnosis and treatment.

The beneficiaries were drawn from Gomoa Pomadze, Chapel Community, Gomoa Aseibu and Gomoa Ansaful in the Constituency.

Speaking to the media after the exercise, Mrs Obeng said she was in Ghana from th
e UK to celebrate her birthday with the aged at Gomoa Pomadze to assist them to receive medical attention.

She said some of the beneficiaries could not afford the cost of medical check-ups because it was highly expensive while others were immobile and could not get to hospitals easily to receive medical treatment.

Mrs Obeng said the aged in the Gomoa Central were dear to her heart and she would do her possible best to provide them with medical care at their doorstep.

She gave the assurance that her Foundation and sponsors were ready to provide medicines and equipment to clinics and Community Health Planning and Services (CHPS) Compound at Gomoa Pomadze and its enclave to support quality healthcare delivery.

The Executive Director of VEE Foundation appealed to the residents, especially the aged to do regular check-ups at health facilities to reduce untimely deaths and also detect unexpected sickness to enhance their wellbeing.

Mr Kwame Asare Obeng commended his wife, Mrs Obeng and her Foundation for the g
esture and reiterated calls on the people to avail themselves during such medical screenings and also regularly go for check-ups.

Mr Obeng said as an Independent Parliamentary candidate seeking to become Member of Parliament (MP) his main priority was to support health facilities in the Gomoa Central to be well equipped with modern equipment and medicines to promote quality healthcare.

He appealed to the constituents to vote massively for him in the forthcoming Parliamentary elections on December7, 2024.

Nana Apata Kofi I, Chief of Gomoa Pomadze, praised Mrs Obeng and her Foundation for the health screening for the aged in the area.

He pledged the support of the chiefs and people of Gomoa Pomadze to the team.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr George Yaw Ankama, the Bono Regional director of the Department of children has entreated parents to sacrifice for the wellbeing of their children to enable them to become responsible adults in future.

He stated that the well-being of children who were the country’s future have been neglected by the state and that it was time for parents to take it upon themselves to ensure a brighter future for them.

He was Speaking at a child protection durbar jointly organised by the compassion International Ghana and Bishop Brown AME Zion Child and Youth Development Center at Fiapre in the Sunyani West Municipality.

It was under the theme ‘Safe childhood, bright future to empower the community’

Mr Ankamah therefore called on mothers to take it upon themselves to train the children in the love of God and give them the best education to make them useful to family, society, and the nation in general.

He urged parents to always study and know the true character of their children so that they may know the kind of train
ing necessary for the child to fulfil their God given abilities on earth to benefit others in the society.

The Bono Regional director observed that no child was hopeless in life since they were perfect gift from God to mankind and therefore called on parents who insult their children to put a stop to that to prevent them from becoming timid which could affect children psychologically.

He advised parents to control their children on the use of mobile phones and watching cartoons adding that most of the children addicted to cartoons have now become violent in their communities because they try to exhibit the behavior of their favourite characters.

Mr Ankaamah advised the children to stop going to the game centers but cultivate the habit of reading so that they could excel academically.

He urged parents not to make demands from their children, particularly the girls, knowing very well that they were not working but to be concerned about the source of their wealth to protect them from future challenges.

Rev.
Alfred Kumi Fobil, the pastor incharge of the centre said the development centre was focused on protecting children in the Municipality as most of the children in the country were subjected to all forms of abuses and violence.

He stated that such abuses manifest in neglect, child labor, corporal punishment, sexual abuse which put the children at risk in life.

Rev. Fobil mentioned that the centre had been supporting children in several ways by organising special classes for them, providing them with uniforms, learning material, school fees and other personal needs.

Source: Ghana News Agency

It was a cocktail of traditions at the Manyhia Palace, where the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, hosted various tribal chiefs and their people living in the Ashanti Region on Wednesday.

The gathering was one of the rare occasions at the seat of the Asante Kingdom, where traditions of the Asantes gave way to a mixture of cultural displays of other tribes.

Dubbed ‘Ahohoo Dubar’, the event was reserved for Chiefs of various tribes domiciled in the Ashanti Region to pay homage to the Occupant of the Golden Stool as part of activities marking the 25th anniversary of his enstoolment.

Kumasi being a cosmopolitan city is home to virtually all tribes in the country as well other neighbouring countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Niger, Nigeria, Benin and Ivory Coast.

Notable among the tribes that were present were Frafras, Kusases, Gonjas, Kasenas, Dagombas, Walas, Kwahus, Nzemas, Ewes, Fantis, Kantoses, Gas, Moshies and Gurmas.

Others from neighbouring countries including Igbos, Yurobas, as well as Songh
ai were also represented.

Dressed in their colourful traditional costumes, the various chiefs entered the premises of the Palace led by their subjects who displayed their unique traditional dance to announce their presence.

Their arrivals were the centre of attractions to many of the people present at the gathering most of whom were seeing such beautiful cultural diversity for the first time.

The Chiefs who took turns to pay homage to the Asantehene, applauded him for being a generous and accommodating host to them over the years.

They prayed for God to continue to bless the King with infinite wisdom and long life and pledged to live in harmony and contribute to the development of Asanteman.

Other dignitaries who attended the historic occasion were the President of the National House of Chiefs, Ogyeahohoo Yaw Gyebi and the Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mr. Stephen Asamoah Boateng.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Odikro and residents of Abura Edumfa in the Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese (AAK) District of the Central Region have expressed deep concern over the absence of a healthcare facility in their community.

They have therefore appealed to the government to establish a community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound for better health service delivery in the community.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Nana Edumadze Kobina IX, Odikro of Abura Edumfa emphasised the urgency of the issue, stressing that the current situation placed undue hardship on the community members.

He said some women had to step in for the role of a midwife to ensure safe delivery of babies when the need arose, but that was not enough because of safe practices.

Nana Kobina, therefore called on the AAK District Assembly and the government to prioritise the establishment of a CHPS compound in the community to provide essential healthcare services and address minor health issues in the community.

In a related development, th
e Odikro also appealed for a portable drinking water, a community center and a bank in the community.

He urged the Member of Parliament, to promptly help address the issues to ensure the well-being of the people.

Source: Ghana News Agency

By Ande Nanja Rene.

The Population of Mbonge Subdivision has celebrated the sudden death of notorious Ambazonia commander, selfstyled General Mad Dog of the Ribbons of Ambazonia.

To the locals, Desmond Koa, popularly known as Mad Dog, has been a menace and terror to the population of Meme and Ndian Divisions.

He was murdered alongside four of his peers by elements of the Repid Intervention Battalion BIR, in Bombele, Mbonge Subdivision, following a Military Invasion of the area on Wednesday April 24, 2024.

Mad Dog recently banned Mondays farming in Meme and Ndian Divisions.

He also recently destroyed and burnt hundreds of National Identification documents of locals and was also accused killing repentant Amba fighter, Mbaku Jean of Kwakwa, late last January this year.

He also murdered a driver plus two passengers in Nganjo in mid-January.

In July last year, Mad Dog brutally murdered two inhabitants of Kombone Bakundu, Mukete Thaddeus and Obie Lyonga, labelling them ‘Blacklegs’.

His corpse will he displa
yed at the Kumba BICEC Junction where government forces have been displaying corpses of deceased Separatists.

Source: Cameroon News Agency