Category: General

In the morning of March 29, the Information Office of the State Council of China held a series of press conferences on the theme of ‘Promoting High-quality Development’. Wang Weizhong, Governor of Guangdong Province, introduced the economic and social development of Guangdong around the theme of ‘Promoting High-quality Development of Guangdong and Advancing Modernization with Chinese Characteristics’.

Wang Weizhong said that Guangdong has actively advanced the construction of modernization with Chinese characteristics around the primary task of high-quality development as well as the strategic task of building a new development pattern. Guangdong held the provincial high-quality development conference on the first workday after the Spring Festival Holidays for two consecutive years, seizing the major opportunities of a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, and taking accelerating the mutual promotion and reinforcement of industries and technology as well as the d
evelopment of productivity of new quality as a strategic move.

Guangdong is a province with an enormous economy, a large population and a huge foreign trade. The regional GDP has reached 13.57 trillion yuan in 2023, accounting for about 1/10 in China, ranking first in the country for 35 consecutive years. The total number of business entities has exceeded 18 million, of which 7.8 million are enterprises, accounting for 1/7 of the country.

Guangdong has joined hands with Hong Kong and Macao to accelerate the construction of a world-class Greater Bay Area. On March 1, the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin has realized the branch line management, taking a key step towards the integration of Hengqin and Macao. The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Tunnel and Huangmao Sea Cross-Sea Corridor will be opened to traffic this year, making the major cities in the Greater Bay Area reachable within one hour.

Guangdong relies on productivity of new quality to inject strong vitality into high-quality development. Gua
ngdong has 71,000 industrial enterprises above designated size and 75,000 high-tech enterprises, ranking first in the country. The cumulative application volume of PCT international patents, the regional development index of intellectual property rights, the effective registered trademark volume, and the effective amount of invention patents all rank first in the country, and the regional innovation capacity has taken the first place nationwide for seven consecutive years.

Guangdong has comprehensively enhanced the comprehensive economic strength of the county, gathered efforts to improve the capacity level of urban construction, promoted the orderly transfer of domestic and foreign industries, especially those from the Pearl River Delta, to the east, west and north regions in Guangdong, and accelerated the transformation of disadvantages into ‘potential advantages’.

In 2023, the excellence rate of air quality in Guangdong was 94.8%, and the forest coverage rate amounted to 53%, so that a ‘greening-up’ has
been basically achieved. Now it is the time for ‘beautification’. Guangdong strives to optimize the forest diversification and improve the forest facies, actively and steadily promote carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, making the ecological environment of Guangdong better.

Guangdong has optimized the public service system and social security network to solve the urgent and worrying problems of the masses and promote common prosperity. Guangdong will spare no effort to ensure the employment of key groups.

Wang Weizhong and Zhang Hu, executive vice governor of Guangdong Province, responded to reporters’ questions on economic construction, coordinated development of urban and rural areas, foreign investment and foreign trade, business environment reform, ecological construction and other issues of concern to Chinese and foreign media.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Paediatric Society of Ghana (PSG) has called on stakeholders to ramp up efforts at eliminating child marriages in Ghana.

The call comes at the back of the betrothal of a 12-year-old girl to a senior member of the Ga traditional community, which has irked the Ghanaians and the international community.

Dr Hilda Mantebea Boye, the President of the Paediatric Society, in a release copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), raised concerns over the breath of support towards the act by some sections of the Ghanaian community.

She shared the Society’s stance against the practice and called for unity against the growing acceptance, as the practice could significantly retrogress the progress made in pushing back child marriages in the country.

Dr Boye said with more than two million girls and women in Ghana caught up in underage marriage unions, the latest incident should spur stakeholders to act urgently to halt the situation.

‘The PSG strongly condemns any act or perception or facilitation of child marriage. As
a country, we have made good progress towards eliminating this unpopular practice of child marriage, however, accelerated actions are needed.’

The statement said the perceived acceptance of child marriages and the open brazen approval or defence of the practice by influential leaders of the community, had the potential to embolden certain deviant behaviours like paedophilia.

‘Child marriages are dangerous. Both real and so called arranged informal unions where the child is supposedly a symbolic wife and not expected to perform any marital duties including conjugal duties are dangerous,’ Dr Boye said.

She said the preventable damage to the child’s development, reproduction and mental health and education could be irreversible and generational,’ and said, ‘collectively, we must remove the shroud of deception which portrays these cultural practices as harmless and protect our children.

‘We cannot openly endorse such unions and still expect the child to be able to report any abuse perpetrated by these same ad
ults who watched on as the child was being married off to their abusers.’

The Society commended stakeholders for their efforts over the years and said a committed resolve at addressing the new emergence should reassure the nation’s children.

‘The PSG calls on all agents and agencies with the mandate to protect children from such harmful socio-cultural practices to respond swiftly and save the children already traumatised by child marriage practices.

‘We will support the efforts of the government and all partners to protect the best interest of every child everywhere in Ghana.

It said this called for strong national commitment at the highest-level of the political, traditional, health, educational, judicial, and media landscape, with unwavering support from international partners like UNICEF and the WHO.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Nkwatia Royals, a benevolent group, have donated assorted items to the aged, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and widows at Kwahu Nkwatia in the Kwahu East District.

The Royals, who are the descendants of the late Nkwatiahene, Nana Atuobi Yiadom IV, presented bags of rice, canned fish, and bottles of oil valued at GHS30,000.00 to the vulnerable groups.

The intention was to bring joy to widows, PWDs, and the elderly in the community during the Easter festivities.

Nana Gyimah Darko Ampim II, the Adehyiehene of Kwahu Nkwatia, facilitated the donation under the distinguished patronage of Mr Christian Kofi Adu Vanlare, the group’s president and co-founder, who made the kind gesture.

At a short ceremony to present the items, Nana Darko Ampem, representing the group, said the gesture formed part of their social responsibility of giving back to society.

He said the group deemed it important to support the needy, widows, elderly, and PWDs in the community, considering their unstable economic situations and r
egression from their families.

He said 80 per cent of the population in the community were mostly older people and must be supported to improve their livelihoods.

Nana Darko Ampem said the Association, had since its inception in 2016, contributed to the development of the community in areas of education, health, and other social intervention programmes.

He mentioned the donation of laptops to the St. Peters Senior High School and the provision of jerseys, reading materials, printers, and laptops to Nkwatia Nkwatia Junior High School as a few of its support to ensure development in the area.

He said the yearly affair was organised in remembrance of the late chief of Kwahu Nkwatia while ensuring unity and togetherness among the royal family.

He pledged the association’s continuous support to the people of Kwahu Nkwatia through frequent donations and supporting the youth to acquire technical education and improve sporting activities in the area.

Mr Daniel Otchere, the former Assembly Member for the Bronoso
-Denteso Electoral Area, who received the items on behalf of the beneficiaries, thanked the group for their assistance and entreated them to sustain their support.

Some beneficiaries who spoke with the Ghana News Agency expressed their appreciation to the group for putting smiles on their faces during the Easter festivities.

The ‘Nkwatia Royals Food Drive,’ is a programme introduced by the Nkwatia Royals of Kwahu, home and abroad, and it is geared towards uniting family members and the community.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Rev Dr Worlanyo Mensah, Economist and Independent Presidential Candidate, has called for an end to pronouncements on the case before the Supreme Court about legality or otherwise of the LGBTQ+ law enacted by Parliament.

He said such utterances and comments from the public, especially politically exposed persons, had the tendencies to influence and gag the Justices from their learned and law positions.

‘Some pronouncements like what President Akufo-Addo said that he will make his decision on the anti-LGBTQ bill after the supreme court rules on its constitutionality and the finance ministry’s warning on lost of billions of dollars in World Bank funding can cage the Justices of the Apex Court indirectly,’ Rev Dr Mensah said.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), he said the Justices were learned people and full of wisdom, adding that ‘let’s stop these pronouncements, allow the Justices to apply wisdom and adjudicate within the remit of the law.’

The Independent Presidential Candidate said all we
need on the ‘Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values bill’ was to allow the arms of government to take action within the remit of the law as Parliament had done.

‘We are a sovereign country and must take decisions that help us as citizens and country. I am encouraging the Supreme Court to be steadfast and not be persuaded by internal and external forces,’ he said.

Ghana’s Parliament passed the LGBTQ+ bill, imposing a prison sentence of up to five years for the ‘wilful promotion, sponsorship, or support of LGBTQ+ activities.’

Gay sex is already punishable by up to three years in prison.

The new legislation was backed by the two main political parties, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Eastwood Anaba Ministries (EAM), a non-denominational organization in Bolgatanga, Upper East Region, has commissioned the first phase of a multi-purpose facility at Damolg-Tindongo in the Nabdam District.

The two-phase facility, known as ‘Gibeath Ha-Elohim’ which means the ‘Hill of God’ in the Hebrew language, was constructed for educational, Christian worship and development purposes.

The completed first phase of the facility comprised an 800-seater air-conditioned auditorium known as ‘Naab Naam Tent’, four syndicate rooms, a three-bedroom residential accommodation, a baptismal pond with changing rooms, outdoor event centre and two gazebos.

The phase two of the project, still under construction comprises of a 100-seater library complex, children’s playground, guest accommodation, administrative block, and a clinic facility, with both phases of the project positioned on 11-acre piece of land on a hill.

The ‘Naab Naam Tent’ was constructed on the farmland of the late Mr Pantia Kolog Naab, father of Rev
erend Eastwood Anaba, the President of EAM, whilst the adjoining edifices sat on other acquired pieces of land around the farmland.

Reverend Anaba and his wife, Reverend Mrs Rosemond Anaba, built the property in honour of their late parents, and a way to give back to the village which gave them life and opportunity to serve humankind.

Speaking at a ceremony to dedicate the facility to God, Reverend Anaba noted that some people had forgotten the significant contributions of their parents in their lives and said such people did not honour their parents.

‘Many of us have forgotten about our fathers and mothers. The Bible said honour thy father and thy mother. This is the first command with a promise,’ he said.

The renowned preacher of the gospel urged Christians to honour their parents despite all odds and give back to society as a form of appreciation.

He said the facility was opened to the District Assembly, Chiefs, the Regional Coordinating Council, the Ghana Police Service, and other stakeholders who ma
y wish to hold meetings or conferences in the district.

He said there would be storerooms for food and clothing for less privileged people in the community, and educational scholarship for needy children in the area, ‘The dream is so deep. It is the most important thing my wife and I can ever do in life.’

Reverend Anaba, also the Founder of Fountain Gate Chapel (FGC) and Senior Pastor of Desert Pastures, a branch of the FGC, said there was a seven-member Management Board in place to manage the facility.

He expressed gratitude to his stepmother, his brothers and sisters, his wife’s family members, the partners of EAM, members and leadership of the FGC, and friends worldwide for the support.

Pastor Mensa Otabil, the Founder and General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), who dedicated the first phase of the project as the Special Guest of Honour, said some people abandoned their villages and never wanted to associate with them due to painful memories.

He said even though Reverend An
aba faced rejection, abandonment, poverty, and hunger and had painful memories, he never neglected his village, ‘For him to come back here, shows his true character.’

He described Reverend Anaba as ‘A man of remembrance, honour and gratitude. It is a heart that God delights in. It is that singular reason David was called the man after God’s heart, because he did not forget.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

Reverend Monica A. Achana, a Reverend Minister of the Methodist Church of Ghana in Wa, says a person’s value of life is not dependent on his or her material possessions or the number of years spent on earth.

She said some people, for that matter Christians, thought that the amount of material possessions they had determined the value of their life and, thus, struggled at all costs to get rich at the expense of the pursuit of eternal life and ended up frustrated and in serious agony.

Rev. Achana said this in sermon in Wa at the weekend to mark the celebration of Easter in commemoration of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

She said a person’s value of life depended on one’s impact on society and mankind during his or her passage through the earth as Jesus Christ did during His short stay on earth.

‘Jesus Christ according to the scripture lived for 33 years but his short life on earth brought mankind deliverance, salvation, reconciliation, restoration of the broken relationship between man
and God in the Garden of Eden and many more,’ she observed.

She explained that Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead so that man could have life and that Christians all over the world celebrated the risen Lord because of the benefits of life gained through his death.

Rev. Achana reminded Christians of the admonishment of the Lord Jesus Christ to all men to labour for things that have eternal value as that is the only way their labour and life will have value and meaning.

The Rev. Minister said Jesus Christ had accomplished every assignment for mankind to enjoy the life that they had to live on earth.

She prayed for continued grace from God for all to walk in righteousness and the light of the world since Jesus is light so that ‘people who are living in darkness can be part of this sacrifice of this benefits that the Lord has made for you and I.’

She appealed to Ghanaians to pray without seizing to ensure that the December elections became peaceful.

She said Ghana was one and that all those seeking po
litical power must let peace be their utmost priority to protect life and property.

‘Our politicians should be more interested in safeguarding the peace of the country because some of them have valuable properties and businesses that must be protected,’ she said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has announced an upward review of fees and charges for all services it provides for the public, effective, Monday, April 01.

The Ministry in an announcement, which was made available to the Ghana News Agency said in accordance with the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous and Provisions) Regulations 2023, (LI 2481) there would be an upward adjustment of Fees and Charges for all services provided by the Ministry.

It said the adjustment would take effect from Monday, April 01.

According to the announcement, the new processing fees for various types of passport documents include Expedited Application 48 pages GHS 800.00, Expedites Application 32 pages GHS 700.00, Standard Application 32 pages GHS 500.00, Standard Application 48 pages GHS 644.00.

Source: Ghana News Agency

By Charity Nginyu

On the evening of Sunday, March 31, 2024, tragedy struck the community of Loum Chantier as a young motorcycle rider fell victim to a brutal stabbing during an attempted robbery.

Eyewitness Miranda Luciol, still recovering from the horrific scene, expressed her disbelief, saying, ‘My God! I saw the body in the hospital; it was really unbearable. Courage to the family.’

According to residents, the assailants targeted the young man in an attempt to rob him of his bike. Despite their efforts, they were unable to make away with the motorcycle.

‘We were able to recover the motorbike. It is currently parked at their house. The tire was exhausted so the thieves were unable to take it away,’ explained Josiane Lowe, a resident of Loum.

Lynaress, a resident of Loum voiced his concerns, lamenting the recent surge in assaults on motorcycles in the area. ‘I was there yesterday and I saw with my own eyes from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. that we patrolled. In just three days, how many assaults on motorcycles? Le
t the authorities do something because we are in danger,’ urged New.

The plea highlights the urgent need for action to address the underlying issues contributing to the rise in criminal activity in the town of Loum.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has announced an upward review of fees and charges for all services it provides for the public, effective, Monday, April 01.

The Ministry in an announcement, which was made available to the Ghana News Agency said in accordance with the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous and Provisions) Regulations 2023, (LI 2481) there would be an upward adjustment of Fees and Charges for all services provided by the Ministry.

It said the adjustment would take effect from Monday, April 01.

According to the announcement, the new processing fees for various types of passport documents include Expedited Application 48 pages GHS 800.00, Expedites Application 32 pages GHS 700.00, Standard Application 32 pages GHS 500.00, Standard Application 48 pages GHS 644.00.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has commissioned 15 transformer injections in the Ashanti West Region as part of efforts to improve power supply to customers in the region.

The completion of the project comes after the company identified some 630 transformers that were reaching full capacity across the country of which 46 of them were in the Ashanti West region.

The company has also intensified day and night transformer inspections to check the integrity of existing transformers and pick load readings as part of efforts to improve power supply in the region.

The commissioned transformers which included upgrading of some lines and transformers that had reached full capacity, are located in towns across the Ahinsan, Abuakwa, Bibiani, Suame and Offinso districts of the Ashanti West region.

Mr Maxwell Dapaah, General Manager, Ashanti West Region, told the Ghana News Agency, after inspecting the transformers that, the mission of the company was to provide quality, reliable and safe electricity supply se
rvices to support the socio-economic development and growth of Ghana.

He said the management decision to complete the projects was to provide convenience for its customers.

He said prior to the completion of the projects, the transformers at those locations were reaching full capacity which resulted in localized outages like low voltage, phase offs, among others.

‘Every transformer has a capacity of electricity it can carry, so if the capacity is 200 KVA, the electricity should not exceed that capacity.

Once we identified transformers reaching full capacity, we upgraded from 200 KVA to 315 KVA and in some locations, 500 KVA transformers were commissioned to take care of the increasing demand’, he stated.

Mr Dapaah said the project had several benefits, some of which were reduction of system losses, improve reliability and stable power supply within the enclave to enhance customer satisfaction as well as operation efficiency and flexibility since the company could now meet the growing demand of customers
within the area.

Mr Emmanuel Osei Amoako, the Regional Engineer, underscored the importance of the completion of the projects and said it was in the right direction in providing reliable and quality power supply to attract and sustain businesses in the region.

He said ECG was also embarking on other projects in the region to enhance service delivery and provide convenience for customers.

‘We are constructing a sub-station at Agogo. We are also upgrading other transformers and distribution lines that we have identified to be reaching full capacity to augment power supply in the region,’ Mr Amoako stated.

He urged the public to desist from unlawful entry into the network of ECG and illegal power connections.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Ouagadougou: The Pan-African Community of Eden delivered food and survival materials to the internally displaced populations of Rollo and Pabré, on the eve of Easter last Saturday.

These are the internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Bilgo in the commune of Pabré from Rollo that the Pan-African Community of Eden association has chosen to demonstrate its solidarity on March 30, 2024. For the coordinator of the association Mr. Ayité K Delali this act of solidarity is part of Captain Ibrahim Traoré’s call for patriotic commitment.

This action, according to Mr. Ayité, will extend over the following week.

During this period, ‘At least 350 people including 170 people will receive during the week food and other survival materials such as festive clothes, loincloths, mats, shoes and solar lamps worth at least one million francs. » said Mr. Ayité.

After thanking the donors, the beneficiaries submitted their needs for support for the schooling of their children, training and empowerment of women, access to water
on their sites in order to enable them to undertake activities. market gardeners.

Source: Burkina Information Agency

Panellists at the launch of PwC Ghana’s Gender Diversity Banking Report have called for deliberate effort and effective collaboration among stakeholders to ensure more women are represented at the top of the banking industry.

Dubbed ‘Changing Currency: Examining Trends and Challenges of Female Participation in Ghana’s Banking Sector,’ the comprehensive report, which is a culmination of responses from a survey conducted over four months, delves into the experiences and insights of women in Ghana’s banking sector.

The survey focuses on females in senior management positions, as well as female board members. Through interviews conducted across 13 banks in Ghana, PwC sought to identify the myriad issues hindering women’s career advancement as well as analyse the factors that propel them in the industry.

Among the key findings are that many female executives believe that banks regard diversity and inclusion as secondary considerations, overlooking the pivotal role they play in driving progress and strengthening
organizational resilience.

Also, establishing healthy work-life integration affects women across all levels within bank hierarchies, but is particularly pronounced at the upper echelons, where female representation is scarce, and the stakes are elevated.

Initiatives and partnerships spanning the industry are viewed as avenues to offer increased education and collaboration opportunities for women in banking

Andrea Dwamenah, a Manager at PwC who presented the key findings, said 26 people were interviewed, most of them women in senior management positions, and Human Resources Executives to fully understand the bank’s position on diversity, inclusion, and work-life integration, among others.

She said the report was to look deeper into what was leading to the disparity in the number of men at the top compared to women to help understand the financial services industry.

Dwamenah said,’ Many women in the industry would like the opportunity to have a network where they could share ideas from even outside of thei
r banks, so some would want to be mentored by women in other banks. So, I guess that makes them feel a bit more open to discussing certain things and also to build their networks and knowledge transfer as well.’

On other inhibitors to the representation of women in senior positions, Dwamenah mentioned women’s self-doubt about themselves, doubts from people they work with, family objections and societal expectations.

She said there was also the issue of sexual harassment and its handling within the Ghanaian banking sector, adding that some banks do take it seriously.

‘And we know that last year or so there were dismissals. But there’s still room to do more because it’s still happening. It’s still the elephant in the room in the banking sector and needs to be highlighted, and discussed and ways to see how it can be banished,’ she added.

Dwamena said she expected the report to trigger conversations, uncomfortable ones, because they needed to be heard.

‘And I expect it to be a long discourse. I don’t want it
to be spoken about once and then goes away,’ she said.

The Changing Currency report highlights the pivotal role women play in advancing Ghana’s banking sector and sheds light on the avenues they must go through to be fully engaged stakeholders in the industry,’ Clara Amarteifio-Taylor Partner and Inclusion and Diversity Leader, stated. ‘It is my hope that through the report, more women feel empowered to push themselves to excel within the sector.’

‘Conducting a study on female participation in Ghana’s banking sector was essential,’ Vish Ashiagbor, Country Senior Partner, remarked. ‘By gaining a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities women face in the financial services industry, we enhance our ability to provide tailored solutions that drive positive change.’

The launch event attracted a distinguished audience of senior executives from across Ghana’s banking sector. It featured insightful panel discussions with esteemed industry leaders, including Dr. Cynthia Forson, Board Member at Cal
Bank; John Awuah, CEO and President of the Ghana Association of Bankers, and Pearl Nkrumah, Executive Director at Access Bank.

Source: Ghana News Agency