Home Blog Page 331

BRICS: An alternative, not a competition

By
Editor
-
0

Dr Mohamed Hegazy, Advisor to the Ministry of Local Development and International Cooperation, Egypt, has said that the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) alliance is an alternative and not a competition to Western powers.

He said that contrary to claims that BRICS is a competitor to financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the alliance serves as an international alternative for Africa to break away from Western and American dependence.

“BRICS is not a competitor to financial institutions like the IMF or the World Bank, rather a political-economic alternative for African countries,” he said.

Dr Hegazy told young African Journalists during a training program in Cairo, Egypt, that the alliance represented a new world order for the empowerment of African economies.

He was speaking on the theme “Egypt – BRICS: a strategic framework for a new global economic and political development.”

Dr Hegazy said the BRICS economic system, which aims at strengthening political-economic cooperation between African countries, will break the monopoly of the West on African institutions.

According to him, BRICS will not only be a voice to compensate for the debts accumulated by African nations but also promote understanding between States and food production.

“This new economic system will put an end to the monopoly of the West on African institutions,” he noted.

Dr Hegazy stated that as an alternative, the BRICS alliance is reshaping the world order by shifting power from the Global North to the Global South and has become a significant forum for addressing critical global issues such as trade, finance, climate change, and energy security.

He stated that one of the advantages of the alliance was the prospect of supporting smaller economies without any ulterior political agenda or indirect manipulation of local economies.

Dr Hegazy said that six countries, including Egypt, Iran, Argentina, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the Arab Emirates, were in the process of joining the BRICS from January 1, 2024.

BRICS was founded on June 16, 2009, by Brazil, Russia, India and China originally as BRIC until South Africa joined the alliance in December 2010.

The alliance aims to promote political stability and increase, deepen, and broaden economic cooperation among its member countries to enhance sustainable growth.

Make the ongoing registration exercise rotational in Ketu South – Applicants appeal 

By
Editor
-
0

Some applicants in Ketu South have appealed to the Municipal office of the Electoral Commission (EC) to consider conducting the ongoing limited voter registration exercise on rotational basis. 

The EC had begun registering persons, who have turned 18 years and above since the last registration in 2020 onto the electoral roll, from September 12 to October 02, 2023, limiting it to its district offices across the country.  

The applicants, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency during a visit to the registration centre at Tokor, said the EC’s decision was unfortunate and appealed to the Municipal office to consider rotating the exercise, to benefit young people and persons with disabilities.  

They argued that limiting the registration exercise to Tokor meant a lot of young ones in the vast and second most populous constituency in the country, would abstain from the process. 

This was due to the high cost of transportation to and from their communities, riding on motorcycles (because of bad roads) and queuing for hours to await their turn to be captured. 

Ms Christiana, the mother of a four-month-old baby from Blekusu, a community in the district, said she fell sick waiting in the queue to register, saying if not for the free bus provided by the National Democratic Congress (NDC), she would not have participated in the process. 

“I came in the morning and was able to get the card around 1400 hours, which was very frustrating. I’m a lactating mother and I had to spend almost the entire day with my baby in the queue. At one point, I fell sick,” she said. 

She appealed to the EC boss that for the remaining days, he should zone Ketu South into about five and rotate the registration centre to other places before finally mopping up at Tokor, to make it accessible to all applicants.  

Mr Kofi Sakyi Boampong, the Municipal EC Officer for Ketu South, reacting to the concern, said it was impossible to rotate the centre as the machines being used for the registration were connected to a network in their office, “besides, conducting the exercise at the office was not specific to Ketu South, it is nationwide.” 

He, however, allayed fears of the public about disenfranchising people assuring them that he and his officials would do everything possible to register all eligible applicants who would show up. 

Mr Elliot Edem Agbenorwu, the former Municipal Chief Executive for Ketu South, who passed by the centre accompanied by some New Patriotic Party members to observe the exercise, advised political parties to resist the temptation to influence ineligible applicants like persons below 18 years to register because that would among other things affect their retirement age in future. 

Mr Bright Kwaku Kumordzie, the Constituency Chairman, Ketu South NDC, encouraged all eligible persons to participate in the exercise to be able to vote during the Elections 2024. 

He explained that the Party’s provision of a free bus to convey eligible persons to the registration centre should be considered as “helping deserving citizens to register,” and not an attempt to influence ineligible registrants. 

The centre in the first week of the exercise registered a total of 1,153 eligible voters, made up of 616 males and 537 females, with, 40 others being challenged, but the process was incident-free. 

BoG suggested that I simplify the Menzgold processes – NAM 1.

By
Editor
-
0

Nana Appiah Mensah, the founder of the defunct Menzgold company, who is on trial for allegedly defrauding over 16,000 people of GH¢1.6 billion, has denied circumventing the laws of Ghana to operate an illegal gold deposit-taking business.

On Tuesday, September 19, his attorney, Kwame Akuffo, testified before the High Court that Appiah Mensah, also known as NAM 1, did not violate the Banking and Specialized Deposit-Taking Institutions Act, 2016 (Act 930), as the prosecution claimed.

Instead, Akuffo said that Bank of Ghana (BoG) representatives urged Mensah to rename his firm from Menzbank to Menzbanc and to establish a third company, Brew Marketing Consult, in order to keep the gold marketing business separate from the operations of Menzgold.

“Indeed, in meetings with the BoG, it was the BoG that recommended that a third accused company ( Brew Marketing Consult) be set up in order to ensure that the gold marketing business was kept distinct from the business of Menzgold,” counsel said, reports Graphic Online’s Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson from the court.

Mr Akuffo said he would not mention the names of the BoG officials who gave the advice to his client, but at the appropriate time during the trial, he would subpoena them to testify to aid the defence of his client.

“I will skip the names because the court may take evidence from them in camera,” counsel said.

Not guilty

Meanwhile, NAM 1 has pleaded not guilty to 39 counts, ranging from violating Act 930, defrauding by false pretence, fraudulent breach of trust and money laundering.

The court, presided over by Dr Ernest Owusu-Dapaa, a Justice of the Court of Appeal, sitting as an additional High Court judge, admitted NAM 1 to bail in the sum of GH¢500million, with four sureties.

As part of the bail conditions, Justice Owusu-Dapaa, also ordered NAM 1 to deposit his passport with the Registrar of the Court, and also report to the headquarters of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) every Thursday.

Source: Graphic.com.gh

Adwoa Safo’s apology in order – Stephen Ntim

By
Editor
-
0

Stephen Ntim, the national chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has backed Adwoa Safo’s recent apologies and emphasised that it is an important milestone in her political career.

Ntim emphasised that Adwoa Safo is making the right decision by apologising as a party member.

“Adwoa Safo’s apology is due; I firmly back her goal since she is aware that the NPP is the only party to which she is a member. So, she is acting what was expected of her, including making the apology, according to Chairman Ntim.

He did, however, make it clear that the party delegates had the last say on Adwoa Safo’s bid for the parliamentary seat and her future return to the chamber.

“If the constituents accept her to be an MP once again despite all that has gone on, I as Chairman and the rest of the party leadership will back her with our spirits to become an MP. So, her fate rests in the hands of Dome-Kwabenya delegates, from polling station to the constituency level,” Chairman Ntim affirmed.

Adwoa Safo, the incumbent Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya, on Thursday, September 14, rendered a public apology to the leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), especially the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and other party officials.

She explained that she was struggling with both personal and family issues during her extended absence from Parliament.

Adwoa Safo was absent from her post for over a year after travelling to the United States. Her seat became vacant, with some MPs calling for her seat to be declared vacant.

She was dragged to the Privileges Committee of Parliament in 2022 and invited on several occasions but failed to appear before the committee.

Kagame: In 2024, I’ll seek reelection for a fourth term.

By
Editor
-
0

Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has said he will run for a fourth term in next year’s presidential election.

“Yes, I am indeed a candidate,” Mr Kagame told French-language magazine Jeune Afrique on Tuesday.

Asked about what the West would think about his decision to run again, Mr Kagame said, “I’m sorry for the West, but what the West thinks is not my problem”.

“I am happy with the confidence that the Rwandans have in me. I will always serve them, as much when I can.”

Mr Kagame had joked in April that he was looking forward to retiring and handing over power after 23 years in office.

The country’s ruling party, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi), retained Mr Kagame as its chairman in April. He has led the party since 1998.

Mr Kagame has been president of the East African nation since 2000. A controversial referendum in 2015 removed a two-term constitutional limit for presidents.

He won the last election in 2017 with 98.8% of the vote.

Rwanda under President Kagame has enjoyed relative political stability but critics and human rights groups accuse his government of limiting political freedoms and suppressing dissent.

Source: BBC

Self-medication kills – Pharmacist warns

By
Editor
-
0

Dr Robert Incoom, Director of Pharmacy at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH), has entreated the public to always consult the pharmacist before taking any medication.

He warned that taking drugs which were not duly prescribed by a qualified medical practitioner was extremely dangerous and could be fatal.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Dr Incoom explained that pharmacists per their training, played a lifesaving role in health care delivery and, therefore, should not be by-passed.

 He explained that many diseases might have similar symptoms but required completely different treatments and cautioning citizens to be wary.  

“When medicines are not prescribed or recommended by the pharmacist or any health care provider, you stand the risk of developing adverse drug reaction which could cause more illness and even death.

“So, we are encouraging the populace to consult their pharmacist or health care provider on any issue on medicine, so that we ensure that together the pharmacy and the entire health care team promote quality health care,” he said.

He added that CCTH had established a fully-fledged clinical pharmacy unit to ensure patients who were admitted went through medication therapy review to optimise drug therapy and improve the quality of care.

He said the hospital was determined to expand its pharmaceutical and clinical pharmacy services to give patients the best of health care and increase access.

Orbis International equips four facilities to improve access to eye care services 

By
Editor
-
0

Orbis International, a non-governmental organisation which focuses on the prevention of blindness and treatment of blinding eye diseases in developing countries, has donated eye care equipment to three hospitals and a polyclinic in Ashanti Region.     

Facilities benefiting from the donation includes, Mampong Government Hospital, Mankranso Government Hospital, Akropong Government Hospital and Asuofua Polyclinic. 

The equipment worth $ 55,326 included retinoscopes, auto focimeters, auto refractors, adjustable chairs, slit lamps with applanation, tonometers, ophthalmoscopes, pen touch, minor sets, and lensmeters, trolleys, gallipots, magnifying loops, cataract sets, trays, head lamps, kidney dishes, among others. 

The organisation, which has been working in the region since 2017, has also been training eye care professionals in primary eye care to ensure they have the right skills to attend to patients. 

Mr. Adolf Ollenu, Programme Director of Orbis International Ghana, at a brief ceremony to hand over the equipment to the Regional Health Directorate, said it was necessary to make available the corresponding equipment after providing training for eye care providers. 

“In line with what we have done, we make these equipment a key part of what we do in ensuring access and not just do we provide these services but we also have other offers to ensure that eye care services are accessible,” he noted. 

He said beyond the training and provision of equipment, Orbis also had a cybersight telemedicine platform that served as a tool for eye health education where eye health workers could gain additional information and knowledge to expand their scope. 

“We are very grateful that today we are able to present these equipment to the Regional Health Directorate to support eye care services in the three districts this year and it is our hope and expectation that this will go a long way to improve eye care services in the region,” Mr. Ollenu observed. 

The quality of service and access in beneficiary facilities of previous donations has improved significantly, he pointed out. 

“You can see over the past years that eye care services have improved in terms of service delivery, access and quality so we can definitely tell the impact from the results that we are seeing,” he said. 

Dr. Emmanuel Tinkorang, the Regional Director of Health Services, applauded Orbis for their continuous support to eye care services in the region over the years. 

He said the provision of training and equipment to selected facilities in the region had improved eye care services in those facilities. 

EC denies reports of violence at Agona West District office

By
Editor
-
0

The Electoral Commission (EC) has denied reports in sections of the media of a purported violence that occurred at its Agona West District office in the Central Region.

The Commission, in a statement signed and issued by Michael Boadu, Acting Head, Public Affairs of the EC, copied to the Ghana News Agency,  said no such thing happened which involved their officers as the reports sought to suggest.

 The statement said the EC conducted a thorough investigation into the matter, which revealed that a fight broke out between two gentlemen outside the District Office on Sunday, September 17, 2023, well after office hours when staff of the Commission had closed for the day.

“An eyewitness who observed the fight indicated that it occurred between the hours of 9pm and 9:30pm, four hours after the end of the registration exercise.

“It is therefore unfortunate that the Deputy Organizer of the NDC in the Constituency. Mr. Samuel Ametepey, sought to blame the EC, knowing well that the purported fight had nothing to do with the EC,” it noted.

The Commission described this as another calculated attempts by sections of the society to tarnish its image and credibility, adding that, this false allegation gave credence to this pattern.

“Our officers nationwide have been well trained and are carrying out their duties professionally. They will not act in a way as to cause confusion/violence,” the EC said.

It called on the public to ignore the news item and urged The Daily Guide and The Daily Graphic to retract what it termed as “erroneous” story.

Invest in smallholder farmers to ensure food security

By
Editor
-
0

Mr Changwe Kumalinga, Chief Financial Officer, Good Nature Agro, has underscored the importance that smallholder farmers could play in global food security.

He said that with the right technology, investment, and market access, smallholder farmers could feed the world.

According to him, providing farmers access to markets and ensuring they get sustainable incomes would motivate them to grow more and make farming more attractive to youths.

“This will increase food security because they will grow enough for themselves and the rest of the world,” Mr Kumalinga explained.

Mr Kumalinga said this at an Agribusiness session organised by the European Union on the topic “Towards a sustainable agribusiness sector in Ghana: Challenges and Opportunities.”

The event was part of the activities marking the Association of Ghana Industries’ (AGI) 2023 edition of the Ghana Industrial Summit and Exhibition (GISE) with the theme “Industrialisation through Sustainable and Efficient Supply Chains.”

In a presentation on innovative business models to support smallholder farmers, Mr Kumalinga shared the success story of Good Nature Agro, a legume seed company based in Zambia and Malawi.

He emphasized the adoption of the upside-down approach, which involves starting the value chain with the seed or commodity buyer.

Mr Kumalinga stressed the need to be intentional about the data collected on farmers since it creates many opportunities, such as attracting financial investments.

He emphasised that data should be collected not only on the farmer but also on the farm.

Also, the farm and farmer data should be customized and individualised to ensure increased output and income.

“For example, proper soil mapping using individualised data can prevent the application of wrong fertilizer on the wrong soil,” he stated.

Mr Kumalinga stated that it was essential to maintain the right team with the right training and support.

He stated that no investor would support a venture where one person handled all business obligations.

Ms Isabelle Antunès, a researcher, said unconventional foods, which are the foods for the future, have a huge market potential in Sub-Saharan Africa.

She said Africa’s food security must be redesigned by considering the cultural and biodiversity heritage to unleash Africa’s agricultural potential.

Meridian Ports Services acquires new gantry cranes for port expansion

By
Editor
-
0

The Meridian Ports Services (MPS) has invested over $50 million into Ghana’s maritime sector by acquiring additional gantry cranes for phase two of the Tema port expansion project at Terminal 3.

The equipment, procured from China’s ZPMC, a Chinese state-owned multinational engineering company, includes three ship-to-shore (STS) and 12 rubber-tyre gantry (RTGs) cranes.

Mr Frank Ebow Brown, the Head of Legal and Compliance at MPS, said the investment was a testament to MPS’ commitment to fostering international trade through the port, which would translate into Ghana’s economic growth.

Apart from the equipment, management was also strategising to ensure that the volumes continued to go into the port without challenges.

“You have been asking about West African Trade; we want to position Tema Port as a hub, and so we need to work with the shipping lines and attract trade, both gateway cargo, transit cargo, and trans-shipment cargo. So, the work has just begun,” he said.

Captain Francis Micah, the Harbour Master, Tema Port, said the investments were geared towards improving the port’s capacity in tandem with growing demands.

The Tema Port was, therefore, continually moving upwards as management put in measures to ensure it functioned in a way that could handle all types of cargo and vessels, irrespective of their sizes, he said.

The high-tech STS cranes, classified as Super-Post Panamax, the Ghana News Agency learns, have the capability to service the world’s largest vessels, as they have an outreach of 66 metres and the ability to handle containers up to the 23rd row of vessels.

The cranes also offer the unique ability to stack containers over 10 units high on deck, equipped with twin-lift spreaders capable of handling loads of up to 65 tonnes.

With this, it is expected that the investment would solidify Tema Port’s status as the premier commercial container hub in West Africa while positioning it to support increasing continental trade.

1...330331332...1,458Page 331 of 1,458