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Private sector has capacity to absorb youth job seekers – Oppong Nkrumah

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Minister for Information Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has reiterated that the private sector has the capacity to absorb the country’s teeming youth seeking for job opportunities.

According to him, even though a vibrant public sector can provide some number of employments, the main purpose of the government is to create an enabling environment for entrepreneurs to flourish in the private sector.

He argued that even the most efficient public service cannot be a substitute for the role that the private sector and entrepreneurship play in helping answer the questions of economic fortunes as a nation.

“Orienting our people, that it lies within our own hands to innovate, develop technologies and solutions that make our society better off, as against waiting for an expansion of the public sector to accommodate all our interests, is a challenge which however we have not met very well as a nation.

If entrepreneurship, private business, innovation and technology is what will be a most significant pillar in economic recovery, then our best energies, our best attention, must be directed there,” Mr. Nkrumah made this remark at the opening ceremony of Day-2 of the Ghana Economic Forum (GEF) in Accra organized by the B&FT.

He explained that entrepreneurship is the most significant instrument that can get the majority of the people, particularly the young, economically engaged and rewarded, thereby, calling for a renewal of the mindset and encouraging the youth to venture into it and take advantage of the good policies initiated by the government.

The information minister further said that entrepreneurship, when taken seriously, will enable the country build its own products and services, thereby, increasing exports to improve the balance of payment position of the economy.

Making some recommendations, Mr. Nkrumah said the conversations around entrepreneurship, its prospects, resolving its bottlenecks and highlighting its rewards must be mainstreamed as one of the most important conversations in this country.

He advised that public conversations on traditional media, digital media and all other platforms must reflect what citizens believe is the most important value driver for economic transformation.

“We cannot spend all our times discussing allegations and suspicions of one another. We cannot spend all our time comparing pastors, debating partisan political positions, and for the younger ones, we cannot spend all our time amplifying social media beefs and expect that entrepreneurship will gain its pride of place”.

He added that to stem entrepreneurship in the minds of the youth, the education system should include entrepreneurship in the curricular of every level of schooling.

“My point is that whatever we choose to include in academic curricular, one field of academic work which I believe should now be taught across all levels of education as a core subject just like literacy, numeracy and science, is entrepreneurship. So that no matter what else a Ghanaian child has studied, he / she is also equipped with the basic orientation to use that technical knowledge even in building on their own, a business out of it,” he said.

Mr. Oppong Nkrumah, however, stressed the need for government to step up its efforts in promoting entrepreneurship, despite programmes that are already in existence to achieve the purpose.

“I believe we all can agree that looking at the enormity of the challenge ahead, we need to quadruple our efforts as a country at the minimum. We need to provide avenues for more technical support, patient capital and paradigm orientation if truly we want to see more young people take up entrepreneurship. Government policy, must be bolder and larger and more focused in support of growing entrepreneurship in Ghana and indeed across the continent,” he said.

Brazil and Colombia say they will stand up for Amazon at COP26

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Colombian President Ivan Duque and Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro want to pull together on action to fight climate change and protect the Amazon at the COP26 world climate conference.

“For sure, we will arrive united in Glasgow to address a very important issue that we all care about: our beloved, rich and coveted Amazon,” Bolsonaro said on Tuesday after meeting with Duque in Brasilia.

The Brazilian Amazon is experiencing the worst deforestation and fires in years. Bolsonaro is accused of having created a mood that increasingly encourages farmers to use the area for agricultural purposes – which means burning down areas of forest.

Bolsonaro and his Colombian counterpart on Tuesday insisted on the sovereignty of the Amazon and its neighbours.

They said they were committed not only to the energy transition and reducing emissions, but also to achieving carbon neutrality, Bolsonaro said.

The Amazon basin spans nine countries in South America and a distance the equivalent of Berlin to Baghdad.

A large part of the area, which is considered a CO2 reservoir, is in Brazil. The country therefore has a key role in climate protection.

Bolsonaro, however, sees the Amazon mainly for its untapped economic potential.

The COP26 UN Climate Change Conference, considered crucial to the fight against global warming, is scheduled from October 31 to November 12.

Two suspects picked up over bullion van robbery at Tarkwa

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Two persons have been arrested in connection with the robbery of a bullion van at the Ransbet Supermarket in Tarkwa on Monday morning.

The suspects, identified as Charles Enning and Dorcas Akosua Amankwah, are assisting in the investigation.

According to police, preliminary investigations indicate that Charles Enning, a driver, and Dorcas Akosua Amankwah, a teller, “went to Ransbet Supermarket for proceeds made over the weekend to be deposited at the bank but failed to pick the Police Officer detailed to provide security for them.”

“In the process of putting the money into the bullion van, the suspects were attacked by a masked armed man who fired at the front tyre and windscreen of the vehicle and bolted with the money on a waiting motorbike,” the police added in a statement.

According to earlier reports by Nana Esi Brew Monney of Space FM in Tarkwa, the robbers made away with GHS 107,000 after the attack, which took place around 9:00 am.

There were no casualties as the robbers faced no resistance during the attack. Nana Esi reports that some staff members of the Supermarket sought refuge in deep freezers at the shop.

Twin blasts in Damascus kill at least 14

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Twin blasts hit a Syrian military bus in Damascus on Wednesday, killing 14 people, state media reported, the deadliest such attack in the city in more than four years.

The Syrian state news agency SANA, citing a military source, said that “around 6:45 this morning (0345 GMT) and as the military bus was passing on the President Bridge it was subjected to a terrorist attack by twin explosive devices that were previously attached to the bus, resulting in 14 martyrs and a number of wounded.”

The agency earlier reported that the army’s engineering units had dismantled a third bomb planted in the same area.

So far, there has been no claim of responsibility.

Images on Syrian television showed charred parts of the bombed bus and rescuers putting out a resulting blaze as well as removing body parts from inside the vehicle.

The dead were mostly Syrian soldiers, according to a Syrian military source, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk to the media.

The bus usually seats 30 people, the source added.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, reported earlier that the blast had killed 14 people and that the toll was likely to increase.

“The dead were all military personnel including soldiers and officers,” Rami Abdel-Rahman, head of the British-based observatory, told dpa.

Residents in Damascus told dpa the twin blasts caused loud bangs, which echoed across the city and triggered panic.

Residents added that Syrian security forces had imposed tight measures around the area where the blast took place and started checking the identity cards of passers-by in the area.

Blasts targeting army personnel and civilians in Damascus have decreased since forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad took control of rebel-held areas on the outskirts of the capital.

Wednesday’s attack is the worst to have hit Damaascus since March 15, 2017, when more than 40 civilians died after a suicide bomber blew up his explosive belt in central Damascus, the observatory said.

Elsewhere in the war-torn country, shelling by Syrian government forces on a rebel-held area on Wednesday killed at least 13 civilians including three children, the observatory said.

The shelling took place in the area of Ariha in Syria’s north-western province of Idlib as children were on their way to school, local activists said.

At least 24 others were also injured in the shelling.

Activists in the area posted online pictures showing bodies lying in the streets.

Idlib is the last rebel stronghold in Syria. Russian-supported Syrian government forces launched a major offensive in the region in 2019, raising UN concerns over the safety of the civilians there.

Russia and Turkey agreed on a ceasefire for the long-disputed area in March of last year, but in recent months Syrian government forces backed by their Russian allies have resumed heavy shelling on some areas in Idlib.

Russia and Iran back al-Assad, while Turkey has been supporting opposition forces since an uprising started against him in 2011.

Telecommunications Giant Vodafone Ghana partners with HR Focus Africa to organize the Vodafone HR Forum 2021

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The venue was the Omanye Hall of the plush Labadi Beach Hotel, Accra on Thursday, 14th October 2021, which witnessed over three hundred HR Practitioners, Business Leaders and students congregate to share thoughts, exchange ideas and learn from each other under this year’s Vodafone HR Forum organized by HR Focus Africa bearing the theme – “Global Changes: Preparing People and Culture for the Next Decade”, a subject matter which could not have been more apt for deep-diving especially as the world continues to pick up what is left of the general monumental transformation the Covid-19 pandemic has brought upon us.

Seasoned Business Leaders and HR Practitioners alike who took turns to lead panel discussions and speak concurrently at this year’s event include Henry Baye, CEO, Standard Chartered Bank, Jersey, UK, Kenneth Antwi, National Head of HR, Olam Ghana, Awo Quaison-Sackey, Regional VP of HR, Newmont, Daniel Boi Addo, MD of Hollard Insurance, Hannah Ashiokai Akrong, HR Director, Vodafone Ghana, James Laar, Executive Director, L’AINE Services Ltd and William Easmon, Director of People & Culture, ABSA Bank.

The discussions and idea exchanges were super vibrant on how to leverage on People and Technology to drive business results from the bottom up, a relevant focal area shared by Henry Baye of Standard Chartered Bank, Jersey, UK which included global statistics on how a net increase of jobs will be created even though a lot more stood the chance of being wiped away due to the deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics for jobs which were hitherto done by humans.

The CE of L’AINE Services Ltd, Dr (Mrs) Ellen Hagan in her welcome address admonished participants to actively partake in the shared learning experience as well as seek ways to do things a lot more innovatively and differently bearing in mind the demands of the world of work today.

Hannah Ashiokai Akrong of Vodafone Ghana in her keynote speech during the second panel discussion equally challenged the seated participants with a quote from W. Edward Deming, an American Engineer and Author which said, “In God we trust. All others must bring data” – A truism which underscored the overarching need to back business conversations with sufficient data or just remain opinion bearers.

Other keynote speakers such as William Easmon of ABSA, Awo Quaison-Sackey of Newmont, Kenneth Antwi of Olam Ghana and Daniel Boi Addo took turns to speak about vital importance of making PEOPLE a deliberate fulcrum of every organization as well as to continue to champion people-centred strategies that serve as win-win situations for the entire organization.

The Vodafone HR Forum was an overall success and left participants with useful nuggets to take away.

The event was proudly sponsored by: Vodafone Ghana, Newmont Ghana, Standard Chartered Bank, GOIL, Labadi Beach Hotel, ABSA Bank, L’AINE Services, OLAM Ghana, VRA, Hollard Ghana, Akai House Clinic, Enterprise Group, Acacia, Petra Trust, Kasapreko, Enclave, Old Mutual, Opportunity International and Crystal Oasis. Media Partners include: CitiFM, Asaase Radio, TV3, Joy FM and Daily Graphic

Conference of ‘Major Superiors of Religious’ in Ghana Launches COVID-19 Response Project

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The Conference of major Superiors of Religious in Ghana has launched a project aimed at reducing the impact of the Coronavirus in Ghana.

The project, out-doored at a ceremony held at ‘Adom Fie’ in the Catholic Archdiocese of Kumasi on the theme, “Religious in Ghana Strengthening Covid-19 Response”, is aimed at reducing the impact of the Coronavirus on individuals and families in Ghana.

The initiative, sponsored by the Conrad Hilton Foundation follows earlier initiatives and the fear the public expressed around safety, side effects and usefulness of vaccines based on misinformation, lack of trust or the scientific establishment or sheer ignorance.

For a period of eight months, the Conference, as part of its pastoral concern and responsibilities will ensure that vaccines reach and were accepted by everyone, especially those on the margins of society who do not have the right to information and that there was an equitable and effective COVID-19 distribution within the country.

The project will ensure the comprehensive Vaccination Education and advocacy in partnership with private and governmental organizations and advocate equitable vaccine distribution within the country.

It will also facilitate key stakeholders’ engagement to address emerging issues impeding vaccine confidence, access, and uptake consistent, and factual communication strategies and campaigns using the Vatican toolkit to combat misinformation and disinformation related to COVID-19 to ensure accurate information was distributed about lifesaving vaccines.

It will ensure distribution of PPE to select Health Centres in vulnerable community’s psychosocial support and training for selected health workers.

Speaking at the launch, the President of the Conference, Sr. Mercy Boateng noted that the pandemic ignited the spirit of creativity in religious men and women who had to look for ways to help prevent its spread and more destruction.“Discerning the subtle gem of God’s message behind this global phenomenon, we as religious men and women were forced to pause, rethink, and be more creative in expressing our charisms today in the face of the pandemic,” she added.

She said: “Last year women religious in Ghana who hold a unique position in communities they serve as trusted, beloved, human-centred and critical providers- collaborated with the Conference of Major Superiors of Religious with financial support from Conrad Hilton Foundation to make various COVID-19 Response Interventions.”

She said many consecrated persons went out to distribute food packs to street dwellers, especially during the lockdown, gave stipend support to groups who lost income due to Covid-19, trained healthcare workers in the use of PPE and handling of COVID-19 patients in selected health sectors, undertook COVID-119 prevention education through the distribution of flyers and radio programme and distributed PPE in selected health centres, among other initiatives.

Dr. Peter K. Yeboah, the Executive Director of the Christian Health Association of Ghana, (CHAG) noted that religious men and women in Ghana played significant frontline roles at case management centres across the country.

“Indeed, of the 40 CHAG Health Facilities re-purposed for COVID-19 response actions, the Catholic Church-owned or operated, and continue to manage over 50 per cent of all COVID-19 cases recorded, amidst the continuity of essential routine healthcare services.

And most of these designated facilities serving as frontline Case Management Centres were, handled by Religious Sisters and Brothers,” he said.

The event was attended by the Apostolic Nuncio to Ghana, Most Rev. Henrynk. M. Jagodzinski, the Archbishop of the Kumasi Archdiocese, Most Rev. Gabriel Justice Anokye, Director of Health at the National Catholic Secretariat and the National Catholic Health Service, Lawyer George Adjei, Director of Public Health-Ghana Health Service, Dr. Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe, The Executive Director of the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) Dr. Peter K. Yeboah who gave Keynote Address as well as the Representative of Ashanti Regional Director of Health.

The Conference of Major Superiors of Religious, Ghana made up of both men and women leaders of the Catholic Religious Congregations in Ghana was established on August 23, 2013 when Rome recognised the group as a body in the Church in Ghana.

The Conference composed of about 70 members of both religious men and women is aimed at promoting deeper collaboration between the leaders of the congregations in Ghana.

Rotary Club of Hohoe donates to Hohoe Municipal Hospital

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Members of the Rotary Club of Hohoe have presented hospital consumables to the Hohoe Municipal Hospital.

The items, worth 10,000 US dollars included radiant warmer with a phototherapy, pulse oximeter, disposable overall gowns, shoe covers, ambu bags, audiometer for hearing assessment, diapers and syringes.

Dr Robert Doh, Past President of Rotary Club of Hohoe, acting on behalf of the current President Mr Johnson Pewudie and members, presented the items to the Hospital.
He said the donation was one of the charity activities of the Rotary Club in supporting health care.

Dr Doh said the Club had made donations recently to some health facilities as well as supporting school girls, which were things they did to support the communities in which they lived.

He said the donation came through the kind effort of “Sister Missions”, an international organisation in the United States, together with the Rotary Club.

The past President said the Club also received solidarity support from the Rotary Club of Ho.

Dr Felix Doe, Clinical Coordinator, Hohoe Municipal Hospital, received the items on behalf of the Hospital and expressed gratitude to the Club for their kind gesture.

He noted that the items received were quite expensive and very useful, which they could use to improve on services they delivered to clients.

Dr Doe called on other organisations who also cared about patients to also follow the example of the Rotary Club.

Torgbui Fiti leads Aflao chiefs to take COVID-19 jab

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Torgbui Adzonugaga Amenya Fiti V, Paramount Chief of Aflao Traditional Area has taken his first COVID-19 jab at his residence in Aflao, to convince chiefs and people of the Traditional Area to also take the shot.

The President of the Aflao Traditional Council who led members of the Council in taking their first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine would be expected to take the second dose after eight weeks.

At a brief meeting of the Council before the vaccination exercise, Torgbui Fiti said he declined an earlier opportunity to take the jab just because he wanted to lead the way for his chiefs and people, so that a lot more people could submit themselves to the exercise.

He urged every Aflao citizen and the people of Ketu South to get vaccinated to first, protect themselves from contracting the pandemic and its serious risks including death and hospitalisation and second, to help better push the demand for the opening of the land borders.

“Last Thursday, Togbe Tepre Hodo IV, President of Volta Regional House of Chiefs conveyed a meeting for us in Ho for all of us to take the COVID-19 vaccine. I left without taking it that day knowing very well that I needed to take it right here to encourage you and our people to also take it. A lot of people in Aflao and Ketu South are unwilling to take the vaccine but I’m urging everyone to accept it.

“Ignore all those stories you hear about the vaccine and be assured of its safety. At least, since Thursday, none of my colleague chiefs who took the jab complained about any adverse effects. It’s to protect us from COVID-19. For those of us in Ketu South and especially Aflao, it’s even a must for us so that we can formally push the demand for the opening of the border.”

Torgbui Fiti said unlike the people of Aflao who were hesitant of getting vaccinated, the majority of the population across the border in Lome had been vaccinated and noted that he hoped to see about 20,000 resident of Aflao being vaccinated by the end of November.

Mama Agbeanyade II, Paramount Queen of Aflao Traditional Area in an interview with the Ghana News Agency after taking her jab said, “I didn’t feel anything when I took it” and encouraged everyone to take the vaccine assuring, “if we, your chiefs and queens have taken it, know that it’s safe that’s why we took it and there should be no need for you to have any fears”.

Torgbui Pasaku IV, Dufia of Hatsukope reiterated the need for everyone to get vaccinated to contain the pandemic necessary for relaxing restrictions it occasioned including that on the land borders in order for people in border communities whose livelihoods had been badly affected by the closure to have some respite.

Mr Joseph Kwami Degley, Municipal Director of Health Services for Ketu South, called on residents to visit the Municipal Hospital to take the shot to protect them from the virus noting, a time would come when possessing the COVID-19 vaccine card would be required to do a lot of things”.

Monday’s vaccination exercise saw chiefs of Aflao and some Traditional Areas vaccinated at their respective areas with the remaining Traditional Area of Klikor chiefs, expected to take theirs on Wednesday.

Kadjebi teachers receive government laptops

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Some 190 teachers in three Senior High Schools (SHSs) in the Kadjebi District of the Oti Region have received laptops under the government’s one teacher, one laptop initiative.

Mr. Nicholas Kudese, the Kadjebi District Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Co-ordinator of the Ghana Education Service (GES), urged the recipients to take advantage of the device provided to them to upgrade themselves in ICT.

He said the government was ambitious of transiting teachers onto the new digital system, so that they were not left out in the new digital world.

He said they needed to acquire 21st century teaching skills to be relevant to the teaching profession.

Mr. Kudese said computer had become very important nowadays since it was accurate, fast and could accomplish many tasks easily.

The ICT Co-ordinator said their knowledge in computers would make life easier for them, especially those of them who relied on it to input grades electronically and also for preparing lesson plans.

He said the laptops had one year insurance cover of GH₵100.00, two-year warranty and that 929 teachers in basic schools in the District would also benefit from the package.

Mr. Bernard Osei, Kadjebi Public Relations Officer (PRO) of GES, advised the teachers to be interested in learning ICT because when integrated into lessons, students became more engaged in their work. This is because technology provides different opportunities to make it more fun and enjoyable in terms of teaching the same things in different ways.

Mr. Osei said ICTs were also transformational tools which, when used appropriately, could promote the shift to a learner-centred environment.

He asked them to be critical thinkers, analytical, researchers and knowledgeable to teach the current generation students.

The PRO said a good teacher needed to possess listening skills, exhibit love for the job, be patient, must love learning and be dedicated to teaching.

Mr. Joy Mensah, a beneficiary, said the initiative was good, timely and beneficial because the device would help him in teaching the students.

Mr. Mensah, who teaches Financial Accounting at the Kadjebi-Asato Senior High School (KASEC), said the world had now become a global village, so they could not be left behind in ICT.

The cost of one laptop is GH₵1,750.00; the government would pay 70 per cent of the cost, while the beneficiary pays 30 per cent.

Training programme on new road construction technology opens in Koforidua

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A five-day training programme to equip engineers at the Roads and Highways Ministry with a new technology called ‘Road Stabilization’ has opened in Koforidua.

The new cost-effective technology is to improve road assets and durability and is developed by Anyways, an Israeli company and its local representative African Bagg.

Mrs Mavis Nkansah-Boadu, a deputy Minister of Roads and Highways in the opening remarks, said the new technology sought to cut cost by recycling existing materials for road construction among others.

She said in line with government’s year of roads agenda, such technology to ensure cost effectiveness and improved road assets was very critical.

Madam Shlomit Sufa, Israeli Ambassador designate for Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, said the move was another expression of the close bilateral relationship between Ghana and Israel.

She indicated that preserving the environment to mitigate climate change hazards required technologies and methods conforming to the demands of nations development.

Mr Daniel Asare, principal, Koforidua Training Centre who threw more light on the technology, explained that the technology was a new way to design and build roads with methods to last the test of time.

He said the technology when adopted would check the shoddy work of some contractors to ensure that roads could last for more than 10 years.

That way, he noted, there would be cost effectiveness at the roads sector.

He expressed the hope that the Ministry would adopt the technology to help solve challenges in the sector.

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