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Participatory Development Associates (PDA)
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  • ABOUT US
    • Who we are
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      • PROCESS FACILITATION AND CONSULTATION
      • FACILITATION AND MODERATION OF WORKSHOPS
      • PROJECT MANAGEMENT
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12. Blog list – side overlap

Dec192022
NEWS GHANANEWS PDA

Understanding Vulnerability and Exclusion in Ghana

December 19, 2022Leave a comment

Understanding the key features of vulnerability and exclusion in Ghana is central to adapting social policy and social protection responses to address the root causes, rather than symptoms, of shock and exclusion. In this study we document and assess the distinct experiences of vulnerability to shock and exclusion in three illustrative areas of Ghana to…

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Nov202022
PDA ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

PDA Ghana tries out causal mapping!

November 20, 2022Leave a comment

PDA Ghana tries out causal mapping! By PDA Ghana | 15 November 2022 | News Participatory Development Associates (PDA) has collaborated with Bath SDR since 2016 to implement several QuIPs (evaluations using the Qualitative Impact Protocol) and other research projects across Ghana and in the Democratic Republic of Congo, undertaking hundreds of in-depth interviews, FGDs,…

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Nov152022
Child Abuse Tracker UpdatesNEWS PDA

Child abuse cases recorded in the third quarter of 2022

November 15, 2022Leave a comment

In the third quarter of 2022, a total of 23 child abuse cases were recorded on the PDA Child Abuse Tracker. 76 percent of the total recorded cases were sexual abuse. The data further indicates that a whopping 36 percent of the child abuse cases were perpetrated by guardians and relatives.     Click here for more…

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Oct212022
PDA ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) Programmes – 2022 Quarter 3 Updates

October 21, 2022Leave a comment

VSLA-CHILD (Ivory Coast) Introduction The VSLA-CHILD project in Ivory Coast is a financial inclusion and child labour remediation scheme that aims to improve the savings culture, provide access to micro-credit, increase the gender awareness and provide a platform for child labour sensitization among cocoa farmers. Update on Activities The 29 VSLA groups formed under the…

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Oct212022
PDA ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

Child Labour Remediation (CLR) Programmes – 2022 Quarter 3 Updates

October 21, 2022Leave a comment

CHILD LABOR REMEDIATION Below is an update on the Nyonkopa Child Labor Remediation Project.   ENDING OF PHASE I OF THE PROJECT During the third quarter of the year 2022, the Phase I of the Nyonkopa Child Labor Remediation Project came to an end. Between 2017 and 2019, PDA successfully remediated 4088 out of the…

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Oct212022
PDA ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

Research, Evaluation and Learning (REL) Unit – 2022 Quarter 3 Updates

October 21, 2022Leave a comment

The Research, Evaluation and Learning (REL) unit has completed and submitted a number of project reports to clients over the past few months. While the unit has ongoing projects, it continues to scout for new business opportunities. Below is a summary of completed projects, ongoing projects and submitted proposals for new opportunities.   Completed Projects…

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Oct212022
PDA ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

Advocacy & Communications Unit (ACU) – 2022 Quarter 3 Updates

October 21, 2022Leave a comment

The third quarter of 2022 has been an interesting one for the Advocacy and Communications Unit. Below is an update on our activities:   Facilitation Material for WEE-NORTH Funded by Global Affairs Canada, WEE-NORTH helps women join the workforce as welders, agricultural mechanics, small engine repair technicians and electricians. These opportunities increase productivity, profitability and…

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Aug222022
CURRENT PROJECTS

FINEDEV Endline Evaluation

August 22, 2022Leave a comment

PDA and Bath SDR are evaluating Global Affairs Canada’s five-year multi-million funding to Sinapi Aba Savings and Loans (SASL) for enterprise growth and development. Dubbed Financial Inclusion for Enterprise Development (FINEDEV), the project was expected to strengthen SASL’s capacity to provide enterprise loans to small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) that are unable to access credit…

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Aug222022
CURRENT PROJECTS

Midline Impact Evaluation of Babator Irrigated Farming Hub, Ghana – AgDevCo

August 22, 2022Leave a comment

PDA and Bath Social Development Research (Bath SDR) are working on a midline impact assessment for AgDevCo’s Irrigated Farming Hub at Babator in the Bole Bamboi area of the Savannah region. The evaluation combines both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. PDA is leading entirely on the quantitative assessment as well as leading the data collection phase…

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Aug222022
CURRENT PROJECTS

IPO Baseline Assessment – Inception Phase

August 22, 2022Leave a comment

PDA has been contracted by the Mastercard Foundation as the Impact Partner Organisation (IPO) for its Young Africa Works (YAW) strategy implementation in Ghana. As IPO, PDA is working to track the Foundation’s impact in agriculture, innovations and across the entire Ghanaian economy, particularly job creation and entrepreneurial opportunities for young people. Currently, PDA is…

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Jul202022
Child Abuse Tracker UpdatesNEWS PDA

Child abuse cases recorded in the second quarter of 2022

July 20, 2022Leave a comment

The PDA Child Abuse Tracker is an online platform deployed by PDA to track cases of child abuse in Ghana. Data is sourced from selected online and print media outlets in Ghana. In the second quarter of 2022, 22 out of the 26 cases of child abuse were sexual abuse. About 90 percent of the…

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Jul152022
PDA ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

ACU – 2022 Quarter 2 Updates

July 15, 2022Leave a comment

The Advocacy and Communications Unit has had a fruitful second quarter of the year. Below is an update on our activities:   Job Readiness Training The ACU carried out a project under WEE-NORTH with the Alinéa Foundation. The goal of the project was to provide a curriculum, content and facilitation strategies for Job Readiness training…

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Jul152022
PDA ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

CHILD LABOR REMEDIATION PROJECT – 2022 Quarter 2 Updates

July 15, 2022Leave a comment

INTRODUCTION During the quarter under review, the Child Labor Remediation team carried out new activities and managed some ongoing activities. Key amongst them were conducting a needs assessment, distribution of educational materials, community sensitization, procurement and distribution of birth certificates, phonics by phone training, and the formation of VSLA groups. Over the past three months,…

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Jul152022
ACTIVITIES AND EVENTSPDA ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

VSLA – 2022 Quarter 2 Updates

July 15, 2022Leave a comment

Here are the updates from the second quarter of our VSLA initiatives:   VSLA-CHILD PROJECT The VSLA-CHILD Project is in partnership with Beyond Beans and is a child labour remediation initiative that aims to tackle child labour in cocoa-producing communities through a community-driven approach. It also seeks to increase farmers’ access to microcredit, improve their…

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Jul152022
NEWS PDAPDA ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

PDA LAUNCHES YOUNG IMPACT ASSOCIATES PROGRAM TO RAISE AFRICA’S FUTURE M&E EXPERTS

July 15, 2022Leave a comment

  The growing prominence of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) in Africa’s development sector stems not only from the need to assure accountability and learning but also from the “political recognition of the utility of evaluation to good governance” (Basheka, 2015). Indeed, M&E is recognized as the main instrument for assessing the extent to which the…

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Research, Evaluation and Learning (REL) Unit -2022 Quarter 2 Updates

July 15, 2022Leave a comment

  The REL Unit is currently involved in a number of on-going projects while gearing up for some projects that will begin soon. Here is an overview of our on-going projects:   IPO Baseline Assessment – Inception Phase PDA has been contracted by the Mastercard Foundation as the Impact Partner Organisation (IPO) for its Young…

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Jun212022
CURRENT PROJECTS

Participatory Development Associates Collaborating Against Child Abuse In Ghana

June 21, 2022Leave a comment

Children in Ghana still experience frequent and multiple forms of physical, emotional, and verbal abuse. The 2013 UNICEF Child Protection baseline research report indicates that when children were asked about their experiences of physical discipline, over 57% of respondents (aged 14-17 years) said they were beaten at home “all the time” or “sometimes”, while 34% …

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June 3, 2022Leave a comment

https://pdaghana.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Report-for-2022-PDA-Annual-Staff-Retreat.pdf

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May132022
PDA ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

In Ghana, VSLA-CHILD Member Mary Frimpong Has Become a Community Leader

May 13, 2022Leave a comment

Mary Frimpong, a Ghanaian smallholder farmer, tells AMAKA how a community-driven group saving project has changed her and her family’s lives.   “It was an adventure”, Mary Frimpong shares on a scheduled call from her home in Enchi, Ghana. She has taken time out of her workday selling weedicides and plantain at a local market.…

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Apr52022
Child Abuse Tracker UpdatesNEWS PDA

Child abuse cases recorded in the first quarter of 2022

April 5, 2022Leave a comment

PDA continues to demonstrate its commitment towards protecting the Ghanaian child from all forms of abuses, through advocacy. The PDA child abuse tracker has been one of the many avenues the organization is leveraging in this advocacy drive. In the first quarter of 2022, the tracker recorded a total number of 27 child abuse cases,…

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Apr42022
CURRENT PROJECTS

PDA Child Abuse Tracker

April 4, 2022Leave a comment

The PDA child abuse tracker continues to record cases of child abuse in Ghana. In 2021, the platform recorded over 80 child abuse cases reported in predominantly-online publications of selected media outlets. The specifics of the reports from Quarter 2, Quarter 3 and Quarter 4 of 2021 can be found here, along with accompanying infographics which can…

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Apr42022
CURRENT PROJECTS

Nyonkopa Child Labour Remediation VSLA

April 4, 2022Leave a comment

The Nyonkopa Child Labor Remediation Project is a 2-year contractual engagement between Barry-Callebaut (Parent Company of Nyonkopa Cocoa) and Participatory Development Associates as the service provider. The entire remediation intervention was built on PDA’s participatory Child Labor Remediation Module developed through years of implementing child labor remediation in the cocoa sector in multiple countries including…

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Apr42022
CURRENT PROJECTS

VSLA-CHILD (Ivory Coast)

April 4, 2022Leave a comment

The VSLA-CHILD project in Ivory Coast is also a child labour remediation initiative with the same methodology as the VSLA-CHILD project which is being implemented in Ghana. Under the Ivory Coast Project, 25 groups are expected to be formed. Existing cocoa farmer cooperatives are the main target for the formation of the VSLA groups. Initial…

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Apr42022
CURRENT PROJECTS

VSLA-GALS (Cameroon)

April 4, 2022Leave a comment

Participatory Development Associates (PDA), in partnership with Beyond Beans and SOCAM 5C, are implementing the Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) and Gender Action Learning Systems (GALS) [VSLA-GALS] project in 7 selected cocoa growing communities in Cameroon. The seven project communities are Mbele, Ekekom, Bilon, Ekoumdouma, Nkole Ekui, Minkama, Endama. The VSLA-GALS project aims to…

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Apr42022
CURRENT PROJECTS

VSLA-CHILD (Ghana)

April 4, 2022Leave a comment

The VSLA-CHILD Project is a Beyond Beans-funded child labour remediation initiative that aims to tackle child labour in cocoa producing communities through a community-driven approach. Participatory Development Associates is the lead implementer of this project in 57 cocoa growing communities. The project seeks to increase the access of 2500 farmers to microcredit, improve their savings…

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Apr42022
CURRENT PROJECTS

District Level Needs Assessment for AfriKids in Northern Regions of Ghana.

April 4, 2022Leave a comment

Afrikids is a human-centred organization with operations in northern Ghana which seeks to build the capacity of local people, institutions and organizations to be independent, and to provide sustainable solutions to keep vulnerable children healthy, safe and in school – presently and in the future. PDA is providing research and learning services through empirical reviews,…

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Apr42022
CURRENT PROJECTS

Formative Research on Neglected Tropical Diseases in Northern Ghana for Sesame Workshop

April 4, 2022Leave a comment

The Wash Up! Programme was designed by Sesame Workshop in collaboration with World Vision International as part of a broader Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) intervention to teach primary school children and the wider society good practices, and improve knowledge and behaviour changes in water sanitation and hygiene, with the aim of preventing neglected tropical…

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Apr42022
CURRENT PROJECTS

Community Needs Assessment for Beyond Beans

April 4, 2022Leave a comment

PDA and Beyond Beans have been working together in cocoa communities to implement livelihood and financial inclusion interventions to cushion cocoa farmers that the Beyond Beans works with. The latest of such collaborations is a study to understand the immediate (pressing) needs and long term (future) needs of cocoa farmers in Beyond Beans’ operational communities.…

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Apr42022
CURRENT PROJECTS

Vulnerability and Exclusion Assessment for UNICEF Ghana and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection

April 4, 2022Leave a comment

PDA in partnership with Overseas Development Institute (ODI) is conducting a Vulnerability and Exclusion assessment study to assist the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) and UNICEF Ghana to adopt a suitable working definition of vulnerability and exclusion for the Ghanaian context. This will promote a consistent understanding of the terms across state…

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Apr42022
CURRENT PROJECTS

Endline Assessment of Women Economic Empowerment Through Rural Financing in Ghana and DRC Using Qualitative Impact Assessment Protocol (QuIP) Methodology

April 4, 2022Leave a comment

The PDA REL team and the Bath Social Development Research (Bath SDR) have been working to provide longitudinal evaluation and learning support to Opportunity International UK over the last three years, on a project titled ‘Economic Empowerment of Women through Rural Financing’ in Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The endline evaluation has…

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Mar222022
Child Abuse Tracker UpdatesNEWS PDA

4th Quarter Child Abuse Cases In 2021

March 22, 2022Leave a comment

In the last quarter of 2021, the PDA child abuse tracker recorded a total of 26 cases of child abuse cases in Ghana. Out of this number, 23 were sexual abuse cases, and the remaining 3 were of physical abuse. As depicted in the infographic, more than 90% of the victims of sexual abuse were…

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Mar222022
NEWS PDA

End of Year Message – MD

March 22, 2022Leave a comment

Dear Partners and Colleagues,   What a year it has been! Learning to navigate the uncertainties of another COVID year as an organization has been a humbling but fruitful experience. While many other institutions in the development space in Ghana have unfortunately witnessed a decline and have even been forced to shut down, PDA is…

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Mar222022
PDA ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

VSLA PROJECTS – 2022 Updates

March 22, 2022Leave a comment

UPDATES: VSLA-CHILD PROJECT The VSLA-CHILD Project is in partnership with Beyond Beans and is a child labour remediation initiative that aims to tackle child labour in cocoa-producing communities through a community-driven approach. It also seeks to increase farmers’ access to microcredit, improve their savings culture and income diversity, as well as increase their gender awareness and…

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Mar222022
PDA ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

CHILD LABOR REMEDIATION -2022

March 22, 2022Leave a comment

  NYONKOPA CHILD LABOR REMEDIATION PROJECT This is a summary report on the activities carried out this quarter. KEY ACTIVITIES Community Sensitization  VSLA  Phonics by Phone Training  Update on Nyonkopa VSLA App Vocation Enrolment and Items Distribution Birth certificate distribution  Community Action Plan  Community Sensitization The team has made community sensitization a very important addition…

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Mar222022
Child Abuse Tracker UpdatesNEWS GHANA

Child Abuse Cases Recorded In The 3rd Quarter Of 2021

March 22, 2022Leave a comment

In the third quarter of 2021, the PDA Child Abuse Tracker recorded a total of 23 child abuse cases. Out of this number, 17 were cases of child sexual abuse, and while there was only 1 reported case of child abuse, there were 5 reported instances of physical abuse. The most affected victims of child…

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Mar222022
NEWS GHANA

March 22, 2022Leave a comment

The government and relevant stakeholders have made efforts to reduce the impact of Covid-19 on Ghana’s educational system. However, as with many education systems around the world, Ghana’s education system was not prepared for the Covid-19 pandemic and lacked the resilience needed to adjust to the crisis. This led to disruptions to learning, loss of…

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Mar222022
NEWS GHANA

NAVIGATING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: THE EXPERIENCES OF FEMALE-LED MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES IN GHANA

March 22, 2022Leave a comment

Female-led businesses represent the majority share of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Ghana and operate mainly in the informal sector. Informality is a key characteristic of the Ghanaian economy in general and is significant in areas such as manufacturing, agriculture/agribusiness and services (Mastercard Index for Women Entrepreneurs, 2020). Despite women’s contribution to business and economic growth in Ghana,…

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Mar222022
Child Abuse Tracker UpdatesNEWS PDA

Second Quarter Reported Cases of Child Abuse in Ghana, 2021

March 22, 2022Leave a comment

In the second quarter of 2021, the PDA Child Abuse Tracker recorded a total of 26 child abuse cases. Out of this number, 24 were cases of child sexual abuse. Physical abuse and child abduction recorded only 1 case each. In the second quarter of 2021, the PDA Child Abuse Tracker recorded a total of 26…

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Mar222022
NEWS PDA

Evaluating How Root Capital’s Client Businesses Impact Smallholder Livelihoods: Oil Palm In Ghana

March 22, 2022Leave a comment

This evaluation analyzes the extent to which affiliation with an agriculture business supported by Root Capital’s lending and advisory services—in this case, an oil palm aggregator in Ghana called Serendipalm—improves the wellbeing of smallholder farmers. With insights directly from the business’ supplying producers, the report highlights the impacts of affiliation with Serendipalm on farmer livelihoods,…

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May32021
NEWS PDA

The State of Youth Health in Ghana’s Construction Industry

May 3, 2021Leave a comment

Construction work ranks among the three most dangerous occupations in the world (Safe Work Australia 2012). The rapid and dynamic pace of work, high-risk nature of tasks, use of harmful materials and dangerous equipment, and other issues such as personality conflicts and heavy workload expose the construction workforce to significant physical and psychosocial risks (Gunasekaran…

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Feb242021
PDA PUBLICATIONS

Ghana’s education response during the COVID-19 crisis: EdTech to the rescue?

February 24, 2021Leave a comment

Children in Ghana (including 9.2 million pre-tertiary and 500,000 tertiary students) are among more than 1.5 billion learners globally whose studies have been impacted by school closures. The Ghanaian Government indefinitely closed public and private schools within days of the country recording its first COVID-19 case on 12th March 2020, ultimately including final-year high school…

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Nov122020
Child Abuse Tracker UpdatesNEWS PDA Q3 1

STATISTICS OF CHILD ABUSE FOR QUARTER THREE, 2020

November 12, 2020Leave a comment

The PDA child abuse tracker continues to record cases of child abuse in Ghana. For the 3rd quarter of 2020, the platform recorded over 30 child abuse cases from selected media outlets. The PDA child abuse tracker continues to record cases of child abuse in Ghana. For the 3rd quarter of 2020, the platform recorded…

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Nov52020
NEWS PDA R4

Evidence-Based Programming – Updates from the Research

November 5, 2020Leave a comment

Evidence-Based Programming – Updates from the Research Evidence-informed programming is ever becoming important for the development industry as a tool to lift people out of poverty around the world. Consequently, the need for data and evidence is growing stronger as we race towards the attainment of the global development goals by 2030. PDA is committed…

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Nov32020
NEWS PDA

The Future of Work for Ghanaian Youth

November 3, 2020Leave a comment

On 28th and 29th October 2020, PDA hosted a 2-day dialogue on the Future of Work for Ghanaian Youth, as part of the Youth Forward Initiative funded by MasterCard Foundation. The discussions on the first day centred on the topic “Is any job a better job?”, while the second day featured the theme “Preparing young…

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Jul82020
Child Abuse Tracker UpdatesNEWS PDA 1st half 01

Analysis of Child Abuse Cases Recorded in First Half of 2020

July 8, 2020Leave a comment

The worrying trend of child abuse in Ghana continues to dent the country’s effort in addressing the perpetration of abuse against children. The PDA Child Abuse Tracker in the First Half of 2020, recorded 68 cases of child abuse reported in selected media outlets in Ghana. Out of this number, sexual abuse recorded 53 cases,…

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May282020
NEWS PDA young people africans tech covid 19 1024x576

This is how the youth is mobilising tech during COVID-19

May 28, 2020Leave a comment

During the crisis, young people are innovating and disrupting. These trends should be supported even after the pandemic. The Ndlovu Youth Choir is one of many groups of young people spreading information about COVID-19. Credit: @ChoirAfrica.   The world’s youngest continent has not been able to avoid the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Africa,…

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COVID-19; A THREAT TO FOOD SECURITY IN GHANA?

May 19, 2020Leave a comment

  Undoubtedly, the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to prompt fears of insecurity within and across countries. Though the virus has left no part of the world untouched, its impact will greatly be felt particularly in developing countries and in economies whose food needs are largely dependent on supplies from other countries…

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May192020
NEWS PDA

Pandemics and the Use of NonPharmaceutical Interventions: Lessons from the 1918 Pandemic and Covid-19

May 19, 2020Leave a comment

  By: Mohammed Zayan Imoro Late in August 1918, an American ship from Freetown, the SS Shonga, docked briefly in Cape Coast and proceeded to Accra by September 3rd. Onboard the vessel, the influenza virus made its way among the crewmen. Warnings from the Governor of Sierra Leone to the Governor of the Gold Coast…

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RETHINKING SOCIAL PROTECTION AND SAFETY NETS IN GHANA: WHAT THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS TAUGHT US

May 19, 2020Leave a comment

 By: Alexander Afram The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has taken the entire world by surprise, particularly in this era of enhanced economic, scientific, and technological advances. While the outbreak started in China’s city of Wuhan in late 2019, little did we think that the deadly virus will ravage the entire world so rapidly, to the extent…

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GHANA’S CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM AND COVID-19 PANDEMIC

May 19, 2020Leave a comment

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a great deal of impact worldwide, Ghana inclusive. From the devastating impact on the economy due to the closure of borders and restrictions on human movement and trading activities to its resulting impact on education and socioeconomic life. Ghana’s response, according to the Ghana COVID-19 Emergency Preparation and Response Project…

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THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF COVID-19 IN AFRICA

May 19, 2020Leave a comment

The COVID-19 pandemic has created chaos, panic, and hopelessness for people across the world. For the first time in recent years, with few exceptions, infectious disease has ravaged the global north more than the south, defying modern stereotyping of contagious diseases. Since there is no known cure or vaccine for the disease that started in…

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Absorbing the Shocks or Irreversible Damage? The Impact of Covid-19 on Africa’s Political Economy

April 27, 2020Leave a comment

In Summary In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, countries have adopted lockdowns, virus testing regimes and social distancing measures. African countries have followed suit, mostly with ‘copy and paste’ versions of these actions, resulting in profound social and economic stresses on their people. What is immediately evident is that without creativity, contextualisation and civil participation…

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Apr162020
Child Abuse Tracker UpdatesNEWS PDA 1 01

STATISTICS OF CHILD ABUSE FOR QUARTER ONE, 2020

April 16, 2020Leave a comment

The PDA child abuse tracker continues to record cases of child abuse in Ghana. For the 1st quarter of 2020, the platform recorded over 40 child abuse cases from selected media outlets. Find the infographics of the cases below.    

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Mar272020
Child Abuse Tracker UpdatesNEWS PDA 1 27

Second half of 2019- Child Abuse Tracker

March 27, 2020Leave a comment

In the second half of 2019 alone, the PDA child abuse tracker recorded over 70 cases of child abuse. Find the infographics below:      

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Mar182020
NEWS PDA image1

Evidence Based Programming – Updates from the Research Evaluation and Learning Unit

March 18, 2020Leave a comment

Evidence-informed programming is ever becoming important for the development industry as a tool to lift people out of poverty around the world. Consequently, the need for data and evidence is growing stronger as we race towards the attainment of the global development goals by 2030. PDA is committed to contributing to meeting this ever-growing need…

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CMAC/PDA LAUNCH GOVERNMENT SERVICES ACCOUNTABILITY APP (GSAAPP)

March 12, 2020Leave a comment

CMAC/PDA LAUNCH GOVERNMENT SERVICES ACCOUNTABILITY APP (GSAAPP) On Thursday, February 27, 2020, the Citizen’s Movement against Corruption (CMaC) in partnership with Participatory Development Associates (PDA) launched the Government Services Accountability App (GSAAPP), a mobile application designed to receive feedback on the services of state agencies in order to help improve service delivery of public sector…

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Feb282020
EXTERNAL PUBLICATIONS R1

What We’ve Learned About Evaluating Impact in Rural Communities

February 28, 2020Leave a comment

Note: This blog post is the third in a four-part series exploring how Root Capital measures and manages the impact of our lending. Read parts one and two.  Several years ago, a mango farmer in Burkina Faso told us something that forever changed our approach to impact evaluation. “I don’t want to answer any questions,” the farmer said as…

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Dec162019
NEWS PDA WhatsApp Image 2019 12 16 at 11.11.13 AM

COMMUNIQUE-Protecting the Ghanaian School Child Improving Effective Partnerships between State and Non-state Actors

December 16, 2019Leave a comment

THIRD ANNUALTHIRD ANNUALKNOWLEDGE SHARING WORKSHOP ON CHILD PROTECTION26th November 2019British Council Auditorium Accra Theme:Protecting the Ghanaian School Child:Improving EffectivePartnerships between State and Non-state Actors The 3rd Annual Knowledge Sharing Workshop on Child Protection was held on the 26th of November 2019 at the British Council Auditorium in Accra. This workshop was in partnership between Participatory…

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WHY GHANAIANS SHOULD VOTE NO ON 17TH DECEMBER

November 18, 2019Leave a comment

Where I stand on the 17th December Referendum I am going to vote NO to political parties sponsoring candidates for elections at the local government level in Ghana. This is because there is an urgent need for constitutional, legislative and administrative reforms in the governance architecture of the country. Such reforms are necessary to strengthen…

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Aug152019
Child Abuse Tracker UpdatesNEWS PDA 1 13

Child abuse cases recorded in the 2nd quarter of 2019

August 15, 2019Leave a comment

In the 2nd quarter of 2019, a total No. of 31 child abuse cases were recorded using the @pdaghana Child abuse tracker. Cases were gathered from selected newspaper and media outlets across Ghana Below are infographics showing the distribution of Child Abuse Cases                   For more information…

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Transitions from Primary to Lower Secondary School: A Focus on Equity

July 31, 2019Leave a comment

Equal access to quality education is crucial for addressing socioeconomic problems of poverty, unemployment and inequality (Reynolds et al., 2014; Browne & Barrett, 1991; UNESCO, 2017) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aptly captures this. SDG goal 4 proposes that by 2030, each country should “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning…

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CONFRONTING POLITICAL VIGILANTISM IN GHANA

July 19, 2019Leave a comment

  Click here to download   

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Formative evaluation of the ‘I Am Aware’ social accountability project in Ghana

July 8, 2019Leave a comment

Download the executive summary and Final evaluation I Am Aware project CDD-Ghana collects and archives government data on service delivery at the district level. The detailed sector data is provided on the I Am Aware website (Iamawareghana. com). Information products are also created to make the data more accessible and useful. For example, the District League…

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Jun272019
PDA ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

Research, Evaluation, and Learning (REL) – 2022

June 27, 2019Leave a comment

Community Needs Assessments in Practice It is always important, effective and cost-efficient when you actively engage community members in responding to their own needs. For this reason, PDA prioritises participatory assessments and community level perspectives in intervention designs and implementation. PDA is currently working with some of our key partners across selected cocoa communities in…

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Jun272019
PDA ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

ADVOCACY AND COMMUNICATIONS UNIT ACU – 2022

June 27, 2019Leave a comment

Dissemination of Strategic Themes The ACU has taken the lead in publicizing the recently-launched strategic themes for PDA for 2022 to 2027. Memorable infographics on each of the themes have been designed, along with a set of impactful quotes that represent the core ideals espoused by the team. Moreover, the eight strategic themes have been…

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Mar212019
PDA ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS child abuse tracker 06

Child abuse reporting and tracking (ongoing)

March 21, 2019Leave a comment

PDA’s Online Child Abuse Tracker is an online platform where cases of child abuse sourced from selected online and print media outlets, are reported. Access the platform at http://pdaghana.com/index.php/child-abuse-tracker.html

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Report on Second Annual Knowledge Sharing Workshop on Child Protection

February 22, 2019Leave a comment

Executive Summary The Second Annual Knowledge Sharing Workshop on Child Protection was held at the British Council Auditorium in Accra on 27th November 2018, as part of Participatory Development Associates’ (PDA) strategic themes for 2016-2021. The purpose of the workshop was to provide an environment to share and discuss preliminary findings of a draft Report…

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2nd Annual Knowledge Sharing Workshop on Child Protection in Ghana

October 10, 2018Leave a comment

Last year, Participatory Development Associates (PDA) organized its inaugural Knowledge Sharing Workshop on Child Protection, bringing together about 78 participants including state and non-state actors, to critically engage the existing narratives on child protection and explore avenues for effective collaboration among key stakeholders to improve the child protection system in Ghana. Among others, a key…

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UK Department for International Development IMPACT EVALUATION OF THE SADA MILLENNIUM VILLAGES PROJECT IN NORTHERN GHANA: ENDLINE SUMMARY REPORT

September 24, 20185 Comments

Background to the Millennium Villages project At a UN Summit in September 2000, world leaders adopted the Millennium Declaration, which committed nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty and address pressing challenges of hunger, gender inequality, illiteracy and disease. The MVP aimed to showcase, ‘…how effective an integrated strategy for health care,…

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Sep172018
CURRENT PROJECTS

INTEGRATED VSLA/GALS

September 17, 2018Leave a comment

Participatory Development Associates (PDA) is building the economic and social capacities of over 936 cocoa farmers in the Ashanti Region through Village Savings and Loans (VSLA) schemes and Gender Action and Learning Systems (GALS); with generous funding from Nestle Cocoa Plan and in partnership with Cocoanect and Cocoa Merchants Limited. Since its pilot in Niger…

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How to enhance capacity to transform science into policy and practice in the field of food security

September 11, 2018Leave a comment

A training course targeting young African researchers with PhDsDate: 28 Jan – 1 Feb 2019Where: Nairobi, KenyaThe Agriculture for Food Security 2030 (AgriFoSe2030) programme, a Swedish initiative, will conduct a training course for young African researchers on effective research-to-policy interaction for agricultural development. The course is a collaboration between AgriFoSe2030 and The Gothenburg Center for…

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TRIBUTE FROM PDA

September 11, 2018Leave a comment

The entire staff of PDA received your sudden demise with shock, and dismay. No one for once, ever thought this could happen at this prime time, but as the saying goes in our local parlance “owuo kuta adeɛ a nkwa ntumi nnye”.Until her death, Deborah worked with PDA as a logistic assistant. She joined the…

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PDA Child Abuse Tracker: an overview

August 23, 2018Leave a comment

As part of PDA’s objective to advocate for the protection of children in Ghana, the organization has developed an online platform that tracks cases of child abuse published in the newspapers and prominent online portals. The platform monitors progress on abuse cases and advocates for further intervention where necessary. Launched in November 2017, the platform currently…

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Aspirations matter: what young people in Ghana think about work

August 10, 2018Leave a comment

Aspirations play a vital role in shaping young people’s life choices, particularly when it comes to making decisions about education and jobs. However, youth employment programmes – which seek to provide young people with the skills and opportunities needed to secure employment and achieve higher living standards – rarely take young people’s aspirations into account. This…

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Somalia to pursue first FGM prosecution after 10-year-old girl dies

August 8, 2018Leave a comment

Somalia will prosecute a female genital mutilation (FGM) case for the first time in the country after a 10-year-old girl died from the procedure last week. Deeqa Dahir Nuur suffered complications two days after her mother took her to a local cutter in a remote village on July 17, according to media reports.Her case drew widespread…

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PSS PAID INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME

August 2, 2018Leave a comment

Are you an intelligent and ambitious tertiary level graduate looking for the opportunity to acquire 3 to 6 months valuable work experience in the world of business? Then join PDA’s Youngest Creative Unit’s PSS internship Programme ELIGIBILITY Highly motivated individual interested in target achievement and developing managerial skills. Completed first degree or HND within the…

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Why this 48-year-old woman is building Ghana’s biggest solar farm

August 2, 2018Leave a comment

For more than a decade, one 48-year-old entrepreneur in Ghana has been quietly building up a multimillion-dollar oil and gas outfit called UBI Group. Salma Okonkwo is a rare woman to head up an energy company in Africa. “I don’t stop when the door is being shut. I find a way to make it work,” Okonkwo…

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Tension in Suame as Ghanaians allegedly attack Nigerian retailers

August 2, 2018Leave a comment

There is brewing tension at Suame Magazine in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region as local retailers have vowed to evict foreigners who operate within the enclave. The leaders of the Nigerian retailers at the Suame Magazine say their members are living in fear following what they call incessant attacks on them. It has accused the local retailers…

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Akufo-Addo Swears in Jean Mensa, 3 Others 

August 2, 2018Leave a comment

The President, Nana Akufo-Addo has sworn in Madam Jean Mensa and the three other commissioners to handle affairs of the Electoral commission. Jean Mensa and the three: Head of the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana, Dr Eric Bossman, Director of Electoral Services at the Electoral Commission, Mr Samuel Tettey and corporate lawyer, Mrs…

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Prez Akufo-Addo Swears In Chinery-Hesse As New UG Chancellor  

August 2, 2018Leave a comment

President Nana Akufo-Addo has sworn in Mrs Mary Chinery-Hesse as the 10th Chancellor of the University of Ghana (UG), Legon. This makes her the first female Chancellor of the university, succeeding former UN boss Kofi Annan, who served for 10 years. Mrs Chinery-Hesse is expected to serve the university for 5 years. Speaking at the investiture in…

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‘Don’t Fall Prey To Fraudsters’…TIN Number ‘Free’ – GRA Cautions Ghanaians 

August 1, 2018Leave a comment

 The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has asked Ghanaians not to pay when registering for the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). “We have received reports of people collecting money. Nobody should fall prey to fraudsters who claim they work for the GRA. Those who want to register should go to our offices and it will be done free…

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NADMO/GNFS Sensitise Residents In Flood Prone Areas

August 1, 2018Leave a comment

The National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) and the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) in the Volta region have begun engagements with residents in flood prone communities ahead of the rainy season. The engagements were to promote preventive and safety measures to reduce casualties when the rains set in. Mr Divine Bosson, Regional NADMO Coordinator, said the Organization…

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NGO wants mental health under NHIS

July 20, 2018Leave a comment

A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) into mental health has urged government to move mental health onto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to enable such patients to access adequate care. It says free drugs for patients under the mental health programme are generally unavailable at the health centres, and therefore burden patients to pay for them. Mr Suonyir…

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Ban On Fishing To Start On August 7 – MOFAD

July 17, 2018Leave a comment

Government has imposed a one month ban on all fishing activities in the country. The ban takes effect from August 7 to September 4, this year.  Elizabeth Naa Afoley Quaye, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development announced this at a press conference in Accra, on Friday.  The Minister explained that the closed season is meant for all fleets…

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Alarm Over HIV Rates In Mozambique Army

July 17, 2018Leave a comment

Health authorities in Mozambique have expressed concern at the prevalence of HIV among the country’s militarily. They say 11.5% of the force is HIV-positive. The head of military health, Agueda Duarte, said the force also had a lower level of adherence to anti-viral treatment compared with the civilian population. The agency has introduced a rapid testing and treatment…

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Expired Malaria Test Kits On The Market – FDA Warns 

July 17, 2018Leave a comment

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) is alerting the general public to beware of an expired malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) kit being offered for sale on the market.According to the FDA, investigations have established the fact that some persons have tampered with the product information on the said expired kit. A statement issued on Friday…

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UE/R: Neglected School Uses Pit Latrine As Office

July 11, 2018Leave a comment

A neglected basic school in the Upper East region has turned a busy pit latrine into an administrative office after years of failed distress calls on successive governments. The 4-unit pit latrine, provided by a benevolent organisation, is the only valuable structure on the fenceless premises of the Azudoone Primary School, found within the eastern area…

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Jul102018
CURRENT PROJECTS

CDD I Am Aware Evaluation

July 10, 2018Leave a comment

Participatory Development Associates (PDA) is with Oxford Policy Management (OPM) to evaluate a civic accountability program implemented by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) entitled ‘I Am Aware’. The focus of the ‘I Am Aware’ project is to empower citizens to improve their awareness and engagement with service providers to increase their accountability and…

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FDA warns pregnant women against bleaching pills

July 5, 2018Leave a comment

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), has cautioned pregnant women and lactating mothers against using skin lightening agents because they could have adverse effects on their unborn babies. Delese Mimi Darko, the Chief Executive Officer of the FDA, who made the comments at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, named Glutathione as one of the…

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Aid Agencies: Tens of Thousands of Kenyans Go Hungry after Floods

July 5, 2018Leave a comment

NAIROBI — Tens of thousands of survivors of Kenya’s worst floods in recent years are living on the brink with barely enough food to eat two months after the disaster, aid workers warned on Wednesday, calling on authorities to provide increased funding and support. Incessant heavy rainfall in March and April caused dams and rivers in parts…

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Africa needs $621bn to meet UN Sustainable Development Goals

July 3, 2018Leave a comment

The Global Infrastructure Hub, a G20 initiative, has today published two reports that reveal an urgent need for infrastructure investment in 10 Compact with Africa countries, and highlight the reforms required to encourage greater investment. The first of these reports, Global Infrastructure Outlook: Infrastructure Investment Need in the Compact with Africa Countries, reveals that, unless US$621…

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Ban on tilapia import to boost local production

July 3, 2018Leave a comment

Fish farmers in Ghana are anticipating better prospects for the local fishing industry following the ban on the importation of all ornamental fishes and tilapia species. The ban, which took effect on July 1, 2018 is to control and prevent the spread of any virus. Players in the local fishing industry have in the past lamented the…

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Bird flu hits Ghana; Over 11,000 birds killed

July 3, 2018Leave a comment

An outbreak of bird flu has been reported in Ghana, leading to the killing of 11,816 birds. The affected farms have also been quarantined to prevent the virus from spreading to other areas. Out of the number, 5,431 birds have so far been killed by the flu at Boankra, near Ejisu in the Ashanti Region, while…

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No more direct posting – Health Service Director General announces

June 29, 2018Leave a comment

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has said it intends to abolish direct posting of health professionals to public health institutions after their graduation.Rather, health personnel should be allowed to search for jobs themselves, apply and attend interviews before accepting postings to health institutions.Speaking at the opening of the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) 2018…

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Akufo-Addo removes Charlotte Osei, two deputies from office

June 29, 2018Leave a comment

President Akufo-Addo has removed the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei and her two deputies, Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku Amankwaa from office. This comes after a committee set up by the Chief Justice, Justice Sophia Akuffo, pursuant to Article 146(4) of the Constitution, to investigate separate complaints brought against the three persons by Ghanaian…

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Former Vice President, Kwesi Amissah-Arthur passes on

June 29, 2018Leave a comment

Former Vice President, Kwesi Amissah-Arthur has died. An aide to the late Kwesi Amissah-Arthur confirmed the death to Citi News. Reports indicated that he collapsed at Airforce Gym on Friday morning during a workout session, and was rushed to the 37 Military Hospital. Just this past Wednesday, his wife launched her book detailing her work as Second Lady,…

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Gov’t Moves To End Poverty In Agric Sector

June 27, 2018Leave a comment

Government has announced plans to transform the country’s agriculture sector to end abject poverty among farmers in the country. Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, made this known yesterday in Accra during the Meet The Press series organized by the Ministry of Information. Dr. Akoto stressed that poverty in the sector was endemic during…

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Efficient healthcare system a collective responsibility – Health Director

June 27, 2018Leave a comment

The Municipal Health Director for Berekum in the Brong Ahafo Region, Mr. Bidema Duut, has said having an efficient healthcare  system requires the collective responsibility of health workers, the government and the general public. He said this after some participants at a Town Hall Meeting held in Berekum on Tuesday descended heavily on some nurses and…

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Garu, Tempane districts beg gov’t to complete abandoned Hospital

June 27, 2018Leave a comment

Residents of Garu and Tempane Districts in the Upper East Region are calling on government as a matter of urgency to commence construction of the abandoned Garu District hospital. The project, which stalled in 2016 is affecting residents as they struggle to access healthcare services in the area.The construction of the Garu District Hospital started in …

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‘Football coach’ remanded for sodomising 10-year-old

June 26, 2018Leave a comment

A self-acclaimed football coach has been remanded into police custody for allegedly sodomizing a ten-year-old boy at Madina. Abdul Rahman, 34, is said have given the victim GHC 5 cedis after engaging in the act. Charged with defilement, Rahman has pleaded not guilty. The court presided over by Mrs. Abena Oppong Adjin-Doku declined bail after considering arguments of…

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Pupils Learn Under Dangerous Conditions

June 26, 2018Leave a comment

The lives of teachers and pupils of the Morkordze D /A Primary School are in danger as an uncompleted three-unit classroom block on the campus is on the verge of collapse. “Considering the fact that the country is in the rainy season, a heavy rain accompanied by a storm could bring the building down. If pupils,…

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Ethiopian Conflict Disrupts School for Tens of Thousands

June 26, 2018Leave a comment

Conflict in Ethiopia’s vast Oromia region has disrupted formal education for tens of thousands of youngsters, authorities there say. Violent attacks on mostly ethnic Oromo communities have forced 159 schools in five regions to close at least temporarily in the past two years, said the Oromia Educational Bureau’s head, Tola Bariso. He said about 65,000 students —…

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Flooding cuts off access to Mankessim Hospital

June 19, 2018Leave a comment

Access to healthcare at the Mankessim Jubilee Hospital in the Central Region has come to a standstill as the entrance to the facility has been cut by flood. Nurses and patients are stranded at both sides of the stretch, as no one is able to either access the facility or visit the community from the hospital.A…

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Galamsey Activities Move To Bedrooms

June 19, 2018Leave a comment

In their quest to outwit the anti-galamsey task force (Operation Vanguard) in their operations, illegal miners also called galamsey operators have adopted a dangerous method of acquiring gold illegally. It has emerged that the Chinese galamseyers and their Ghanaian counterparts now bring the black soil (the gold bearing ore) from the galamsey sites into the communities…

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RUFORUM Young African Entrepreneurs Competition (RUYAEC) 2018 Open Awards Competition  

June 19, 2018Leave a comment

The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) is a network of 85 Universities in 35 African countries is pleased to announce the 2018 RUFORUM Young African Entrepreneurs Competition (RUYAEC). The 2018 RUFORUM Young African Entrepreneurs Competition (RUYAEC) whose overall purpose is to catalyse entrepreneurship through promotion of business innovation and provision of…

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China’s Development, Jamaica’s Reality

June 18, 2018Leave a comment

Nearly every time that a comparison is drawn with the Jamaican economy, Singapore becomes the benchmark. It has morphed into a kind of yardstick for our development, despite the fact that we are not like Singapore, whether in name nor in nature. Jamaica is what it is, a struggling democracy framed from a colonial past which…

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UN Says 6 Million Struggling to Get Food in Africa’s Sahel

June 14, 2018Leave a comment

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. humanitarian chief warned Tuesday that nearly 6 million people are struggling to get food in West Africa’s Sahel region and severe malnutrition is threatening the lives of 1.6 million children. Mark Lowcock said in a statement that these levels haven’t been seen since a crisis in 2012 “and the most critical…

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Cocoa prices tumble

June 14, 2018Leave a comment

Prices of cocoa on the international market have begun to tumble due to investors expectations of an imminent increase in production from top growing countries, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.Côte d’Ivoire, which is the world’s largest producer, is projecting a production of about 1.9 million tonnes, while Ghana is hopeful of meeting its 850,000 tonnes target…

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‘We are still at war’ with Ebola – WHO chief

June 13, 2018Leave a comment

The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday cautioned against declaring victory too early in Congo’s Ebola epidemic, despite encouraging signs that it may be brought under control.“The outbreak is stabilising, but still the outbreak is not over,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists on a visit to Democratic Republic of Congo’s…

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Private BECE provisional results out

June 13, 2018Leave a comment

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the provisional results of private candidates who took the 2018 edition of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). A release signed and issued by the Deputy Director of Public Affairs of the WAEC, Mrs Agnes Teye-Cudjoe, said the council had hosted the results online on the WAEC’s…

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Proprietor issues fake index numbers to BECE

June 7, 2018Leave a comment

The proprietor of the Redemption School Complex Junior High School (JHS), a private basic school in Ofaadaa, near Awutu Bawjiase in the Central Region, Mr Afranie Mensah, provided fake index numbers to 34 candidates he failed to register in this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE).The proprietor, after charging each pupil GH¢190, failed to register…

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Whale dies after eating more than 80 plastic bags

June 5, 2018Leave a comment

A whale has died in southern Thailand after swallowing more than 80 plastic bags, with rescuers failing to nurse the mammal back to health.The small male pilot whale was found barely alive in a canal near the border with Malaysia, the country’s department of marine and coastal resources said. A veterinary team tried “to help…

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Commercial drivers increase fares by 10%

June 4, 2018Leave a comment

Road Transport Operators have announced a 10% increase in transport fares across all categories of services, effective today [Monday]. The increase in fares comes after an agreement between the operators and other stakeholders in the transport sector including the government.They also indicated that import taxes and increase in prices of spare parts among others influenced the…

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BECE starts today, GES extends SHSs selection to 3 weeks after BECE

June 4, 2018Leave a comment

A total of 509,824 candidates from 16,060 basic schools will converge on 1,772 examination centres across the country today, Monday, June 4, 2018, to sit for the 2018 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).But even as the 263,295 males and the 246,529 females, representing an increase of 8.9 per cent over the 2017 figure of 468,060,…

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Nkoranza North pleads for fruit processing factory

June 1, 2018Leave a comment

Madam Gifty Akorsah Arthur, the Nkoranza North District Chief Executive (DCE), has expressed upset about the situation where fruits produced in large quantities in the area go to waste, something that has become a huge disincentive to farmers. The situation could not continue – there was an urgent need to establish a fruit processing factory. This, she…

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Security man remanded for impregnating minor

May 30, 2018Leave a comment

A 45-year-old security man has been remanded into Police custody for allegedly impregnating a 15-year-old girl at Adenta in Accra. Dramani Adams is said to have lured the girl and had sex with her in an uncompleted storey building. Adams charged with defilement pleaded not guilty. He is to appear again on June 12, before the court presided…

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Akufo-Addo Launches Ghana Zero Hunger Strategic Review Report

May 30, 2018Leave a comment

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, 29th May, 2018, launched the Ghana Zero Hunger Strategic Review Report, aimed at ensuring the realization of Sustainable Development Goal No. 2, which will help the country chart a sustainable path to ending hunger, food insecurity, and all forms of malnutrition by 2030. Addressing the…

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GHS introduces new vaccine to eradicate polio

May 30, 2018Leave a comment

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has introduced a new vaccine into routine immunisation with effect from June 2018.The Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) which will be available at all health facilities throughout the country, will be given to children for extra protection.According to officials, the vaccine will be given as an injection on the right thigh…

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Know where to register for your Ghana Card

May 29, 2018Leave a comment

The much-anticipated national identity card (Ghana Card) registration process is yet to begin the Greater Accra Region following some technical challenges. The registration process was to start on Monday but the National Identification Authority (NIA) says it will make an announcement as soon as it is certain the challenges are resolved. Monday’s exercise was to…

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DRC Ebola Outbreak Threatens Children

May 28, 2018Leave a comment

The UN children’s fund warned the Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo threatens the health and well-being of children, and special care must be taken to help them survive.Ebola is highly contagious, killing between 20 and 90 percent of its victims, and the UN children’s fund is engaging communities in the fight against Ebola.…

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Registration for Ghana Card begins today

May 28, 2018Leave a comment

After multiple postponements, the registration and instant issuance for the national identity card, also known as the Ghana Card, is set to begin at 7 am today [Monday].The project is among initiatives being undertaken by the government to formalise the economy.According to the National Identification Authority, former heads of state, journalists and security officials will…

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GhanaThink leads discussion on solving unemployment in Upper East

May 28, 2018Leave a comment

Some unemployed youth in the Upper East region have networking and skills acquisition training from a Social Enterprise  (ThinkGhana) through its job camp program.The event which was held at the Bolgatanga Catholic social centre brought together over 30 youth, particularly unemployed graduates.The resource persons included Roger Laari, CEO of MOAB Properties, Akannah Saeed, an architect…

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6th International Climate Change & Population Conference on Africa

May 21, 2018Leave a comment

The Regional Institute for Population Studies (RIPS), University of Ghana is pleased to you of the Deadline for the Call for Abstracts for the 6th International Climate Change & Population Conference on Africa (CCPOP-GHANA 2018) under the theme “_THE FUTURE WE DO NOT WANT_”. Explore website for Call for Papers, Travel Grant to Conference, and visit…

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GIZ Ghana is recruiting

May 18, 2018Leave a comment

GIZ Ghana is expanding its work on #eSkills4Girls, a project that seeks to increase the participation on Ghanaian women in technology. GIZ Ghana is expanding its work on #eSkills4Girls, a project that seeks to increase the participation on Ghanaian women in technology. They’re currently recruiting:1. Technical Advisor for ICT/Training 2. Technical Advisor for Ideas Competitions/Campaigning Main project activities will…

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UN: Education, Roads Key to Withstanding Food Crises

May 16, 2018Leave a comment

 Another year in education and an extra kilometer of road for every 1,000 people could dramatically improve communities’ ability to withstand food crises, the United Nations has said.Last year, 124 million people in 51 countries faced crisis levels of hunger, mainly due to conflicts and climate disasters, and experts say the situation is getting worse.Emergency…

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Nightmare, distress; how education is acquired at Shia SHS

May 16, 2018Leave a comment

The decision to convert Shia Senior High Technical School from a day school into boarding to meet the Free SHS demand has become a nightmare for students and teachers.Shia is a commercial cocoa growing town on the Ghana-Togo border in the Volta Region.With only one classroom block at their disposal of the school, lessons are…

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Young African Women Congress (YAWC)

May 15, 2018Leave a comment

Africa’s pride is projected at YAWC.Africa’s pride is projected at YAWC.Register at www.yawcafrica.org to attend Young African Women Congress (YAWC) 2018 in Accra-Ghana.YAWC2018: Empowering Women for Continental Development

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‘OK, I’m fat – and this is how it feels’

May 15, 2018Leave a comment

Feeling good about your body isn’t always easy when you are overweight. While some people are “reclaiming” the word “fat” as a positive thing -three of them are featured in the video, below – Mellisa says she recognises that the word applies to her, and wishes it didn’t. When I stand up to do a…

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GHS issues alert over potential cholera outbreak

May 10, 2018Leave a comment

Ghana Health Service has issued an alert over a potential outbreak of cholera in the country.The service in a statement signed by the Director-General, Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare, said with the onset of the rainy season and other prevailing conditions in the country, the possibility of a cholera outbreak is high.“Cholera is one of the diseases…

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Group advocates training of more researchers to tackle HIV/AIDS

May 10, 2018Leave a comment

The Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA), has said it is critical to train the next generation of researchers who would contribute to tackling HIV/AIDs and other diseases on the African continent.The group’s newly-elected president, Professor John Idoko, commended all HIV and AIDS advocacy groups across the continent for collectively attaining a remarkable feat in…

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Illegal abortion leaves JHS 2 student’s fate in the balance.

May 10, 2018Leave a comment

A 15-year-old JHS 2 student of the Tishegu Anglican Junior High School A in the Tamale Metropolis, Northern Region who was allegedly defiled and impregnated by a trainee teacher is battling complications resulting from an illegal abortion.The girl is bleeding and experiencing lower abdominal pains but her parents and the trainee teacher, Kamal Aliu from…

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High population growth source of instability – Rawlings

May 10, 2018Leave a comment

Former President Jerry John Rawlings has described the increasing population growth rate of the country as a source of threat to the country’s stability.According to him, the high population growth rate will be a serious source of instability in the country if necessary actions are not taken to deal with the situation.“It will be a…

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Amnesty Int’l takes on UEW over blatant human right abusesAmnesty Int’l takes on UEW over blatant human right abuses

May 8, 2018Leave a comment

HUMAN RIGHTS Advocacy Group, Amnesty International, Ghana has raised red flags over alleged human right abuses against some staff members of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) by the school authorities.According to the group, the school authorities have adopted victimisation, wrongful dismissal, forceful eviction and intimidation as a mode of punishment for wrongdoing though most…

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Mother pours boiling water on son for taking her GH¢1 to buy food

May 8, 2018Leave a comment

An 11-year-old class Two-pupil at Funko in the Ahanta West District has been hospitalised with serious burns after his mother poured boiling water on him for taking her GH¢1 to buy food.An 11-year-old class Two-pupil at Funko in the Ahanta West District has been hospitalised with serious burns after his mother poured boiling water on…

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I sold all I had to go to Europe – now I’m home, and broke

May 8, 2018Leave a comment

More than 3,000 Nigerian migrants who failed to reach Europe, have been flown home by the International Organization for Migration. Many sold everything to make the trip and aren’t sure how to face their families, writes Colin Freeman.Evans William tells me he sold everything but the kitchen sink to fund his dream of getting to…

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Nana Addo leaves for US for SDGs event

April 26, 2018Leave a comment

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has left Ghana for the United States of America. The trip, according to a statement from the Presidency, is to enable the President attend a high-level event to mark the achievement of the Qatar Foundation’s commitment to enroll ten million children to receive quality primary school education.The statement signed by…

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Adopt A Bin Campaign Launched

April 26, 2018Leave a comment

The OneGhana Movement, in partnership with Citi FM, Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, Jekora Ventures and the Accra Metropolitan Authority (AMA), has launched its flagship environmental project dubbed, the RightWay Initiative-Adopt A Bin Campaign.’ OneGhana Movement is a thought leadership and social action Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that encourages citizens to discharge their civic responsibilities.…

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Biannual Learning Meeting of Youth Forward Initiative

April 26, 2018Leave a comment

The 2018 Bi-annual learning meeting of the Youth Forward Initiative was held on 19th April, 2018, in Kumasi at the Royal Lamerta Hotel. The theme for the event was Financial Inclusion and Access to affordable finance for youth. The objective of the meeting was to bring project implementing partners and youth beneficiaries together for a…

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Four Women Drown On Afram River

April 25, 2018Leave a comment

Four persons have drowned in the Affram River at Samankwae in the Affram Plains South District of the Eastern Region. The deceased persons including three women and a girl drowned when a speed boat ferrying them capsized after encountering a dreadful storm. The only survivor is the male rider who was in charge of the…

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Rural Kenyans Beat Rising Heat With Mud-brick Homes

April 25, 2018Leave a comment

KIVOO, KENYA —  Perched on a dirt tower on the edge of a bog in Kivoo village, eastern Kenya, Erastus Njiru applies finishing layers of mud to a pile of bricks. “I can sell up to 3,000 of these per week,” said the 34-year-old, inspecting his work as he dried his muddy hands with a…

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20,000 For Pollination Project

April 25, 2018Leave a comment

The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) says it will employ 20,000 Ghanaian youth this year to pollinate cocoa farms as part of measures to increase yield to meet the production target of one million tonnes. Emmanuel Opoku, Head of Cocoa Health and Extension Service Division of COCOBOD, who made the announcement, said the decline in pollinating…

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KMA Launches Dustbin Project

April 25, 2018Leave a comment

VIP Transport Ltd officials making the presentation to the Kumasi Mayor, Osei Assibey Antwi The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) will soon launch a dustbin project as part of efforts to manage waste effectively and beautify Kumasi. The Kumasi Mayor, Osei Assibey Antwi, who made the announcement, said thousands of dustbins would be placed at strategic…

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Sabre Trust’s Fast Track Transformational Teacher Training (FTTT) Programme wins prestigious UNESCO Hamdan bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Prize

April 24, 2018Leave a comment

Participatory Development Associates (PDA) Ltd wishes to congratulate Sabre Trust and GES and their partners for the recognition given to the Fast-Track Transformational Teacher Training (FTTT) programme they have been implementing in Ghana. They were awarded the UNESCO Hamdan bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Prize for Outstanding Practice and Performance in Enhancing the Effectiveness of Teachers in…

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Ga Homowo: Ban On Noise Making Starts May 14

April 24, 2018Leave a comment

The Ga Traditional Council (GTC) has placed a ban on drumming and noise-making in the traditional area starting from May 14 to June 14, 2018. The one-month long ban is a custom that precedes the celebration of the Homowo Festival of the chiefs and people of Ga Mashie. Nii Dodoo Nsaki II, the acting President…

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We will soon use drones to supply blood and essential medicines – Bawumia

April 24, 2018Leave a comment

The Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has stated that Ghana will soon use drone technology to deliver blood supplies and essential medicines. He said the country cannot allow mothers to die because it doesn’t have blood supplies or essential medicines. “We are looking at innovative ways to deliver blood supplies as well as essential medicines…

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It’s not just the oceans: Microplastic pollution is all around us

April 23, 2018Leave a comment

Chances are you’ve seen the photos of dead seabirds, their stomachs filled with scraps of plastic foraged from beaches and oceans around the world. You’ve probably also heard of the microplastics polluting our seas: pieces of plastic that have been worn down by the elements into tiny fragments, smaller than 5 millimeters, that can harm…

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Punish teachers, heads severely for sexual abuse – Child’s Right Int’l

April 23, 2018Leave a comment

The government has been urged to institute stiffer punishment for teachers and school heads who are found culpable of sexual misconduct especially with their students. Child’s Right International (CRI), the group making the call also wants reports of investigations into such activities to be made public. This, they believe will go a long way to…

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Upper Manya Kro Bank Builds Teachers Bungalow

April 23, 2018Leave a comment

Management of the Upper Manya Kro Rural Bank Limited has constructed a four-bedroom bungalow valued at over GH¢60,000 for the Akotoe Tsrebuana D/A Primary School in the Upper Manya Krobo District of the Eastern Region. Board Chairman of Upper Manya Kro Rural Bank Limited, James Kwame Otieku, said the bank took interest in supporting teachers…

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KMA starts enforcement of its sanitation by-laws

April 23, 2018Leave a comment

City authorities in Kumasi say they have begun strict enforcement of sanitation by-laws in an effort to eliminate indiscriminate littering of the streets. Metropolitan Chief Executive, Osei Assibey Antwi, says the era of verbal warning and caution of offenders is over. “Initially, it was just a caution. About 70 that were arrested initially were just…

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Boy, 6, Kills Brother, 4, With Grandpa’s Gun

April 23, 2018Leave a comment

Benjamin Tetteh, a 70-year-old retired civil servant, whose locally manufactured gun was used by his six-year-old grandson to kill his four-year-old brother, has been remanded into prison custody by the Somanya Magistrate court in the Eastern Region. The pensioner was arraigned before the court yesterday on the charge of illegally possessing firearms, explosives, ammunition and…

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International short course on Coastal Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in Coastal Areas

April 20, 2018Leave a comment

The Centre for Coastal Management (CCM) of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), and its partner Nature Today, a non for profit organisation, is offering an instructor-Led short course on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation from September 17th -21st, 2018. Participants from around the world would provide their own funding to attend the 5-day training…

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Pitch AgriHack Seeks to Promote Greater Engagement of Young Women

April 20, 2018Leave a comment

CTA has launched ‘Pitch AgriHack 2018’ a competition to support young agricultural entrepreneurs (agripreneurs) build viable businesses and boost innovation for a more sustainable agricultural sector. Winning innovations will be awarded up to €15,000, as well as mentoring and networking opportunities. The theme for this year’s competition is “Women entrepreneurs innovate for agricultural transformation in…

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Nigeria ‘sex-for-grades’ lecturer suspended

April 20, 2018Leave a comment

A Nigerian university lecturer has been suspended for allegedly demanding sex in return for improved grades. An investigation was launched by Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Osun state after a lecturer in a leaked audio recording seemed to offer a student who had failed a course an opportunity to pass if she agreed to have…

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Car Owner Arrested Over Kids’ Death

April 20, 2018Leave a comment

The woman, in whose car the bodies of three kids were found at Elmina in the Central Region, has been grabbed by the police. Shiny Amissah Dadziebo is the proprietress of Holy Wood Preparatory School at Taterim and owns a white Kia Optima saloon car registered CR 234-13. According to Joy News, Madam Dadziebo told…

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Boy 6, kills 4-yr old brother accidentally with father’s gun

April 20, 2018Leave a comment

A six-year-old boy has accidentally shot and killed his four-year-old brother at Somanya in the Lower Manya Krobo District of the Eastern Region. They were reported to have been playing with the gun, which belongs to their father, whiles their parents were out of the house. The gun is also said to have been unregistered.…

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Tweneboah Koduah SHS Head interdicted over sexual misconduct claims

April 20, 2018Leave a comment

The Ashanti Regional Education Directorate has interdicted the headmaster of the Tweneboah Koduah Senior High School, Francis Badu Agyare, following allegations of sexual misconduct involving three female students. The directive follows a petition by some teachers of the school to the Kumawu Traditional Council about his conduct. The teachers had earlier threatened a sit-down strike…

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Bongo District Hospital: Patients share beds, ‘container’ used as morgue

April 18, 2018Leave a comment

The Bongo District Hospital in the Upper East Region has no children’s ward. Both children and adults on admission are kept in the same ward,especially children and their mothers. This, the hospital administrator, Dr. William Dugu says has caused congestion compelling them to put “two or more patients on a bed” The District Chief Executive…

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Women everywhere should be able to speak freely about sex and love -Amanpour

April 18, 2018Leave a comment

Christiane Amanpour traveled the world to look at sex and love from the perspective of women who have not always been heard on these issues. When we started filming the CNN Original Series “Sex & Love Around The World,” I was both curious and nervous about what we might find. It turned out that all…

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In Libya, Migrants Fight for Survival

April 18, 2018Leave a comment

Each year, thousands of African migrants depart Libya in rickety boats and risk their lives seeking better opportunities in Europe. Many other migrants remain in the North African country, drawn by opportunities but also subjected to mistreatment at the hands of smugglers and traffickers. Libya has long-attracted migrants in search of better lives. But unresolved…

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Malaria experts fear disease’s resurgence

April 18, 2018Leave a comment

For the first time in 10 years, global malaria cases are no longer falling, sparking concerns about a resurgence of the too often deadly disease. Experts, and philanthropist Bill Gates, are urging country leaders gathering at the Commonwealth summit in London to pledge more money to fight the illness. In 2016, nearly half of the…

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Police ‘rescue’ 21 children from being trafficked, suspect in custody

April 17, 2018Leave a comment

Police in the Central Region have intercepted 21 children who were allegedly being trafficked from Ekumfi to Accra. The children are between the ages of two and 17, the Police said, adding they are made up of 12 girls and 9 boys. A 26-year-old man who was driving the vehicle in which the children were…

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He wanted sex, I wanted a job. Who had the upper hand?

April 17, 2018Leave a comment

It all started with the appointment letter. He told me, “This is your appointment letter. You only have to sign it and you are officially an employee of this company.” He showed me the sum of my annual salary. I immediately did a mental calculation to know how much I would earn in a month.…

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Within Ghana’s prison walls; the myth, the truth and all

April 17, 2018Leave a comment

“The only meal we receive in a day is gari. We once in a long while receive soup which is as plain as water. We are forced to dig pits and ordered to cover them again. Nobody is concerned about our health so death is a normal happening in Nsawam Prison. We are allowed to…

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Ban To Be Lifted Soon On ‘Galamsey’ – Deputy Minister

April 17, 2018Leave a comment

Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Barbara Oteng-Gyasi has asked for patience amongst small-scale miners, as the process to streamline operations of the small-scale mining sector is at its conclusion stage. Lawyer Barbara was speaking to the press at her residence in Huni-Valley after donating ten wheel chairs and twenty white canes to the…

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Foreign-labelled goods flood shops

April 17, 2018Leave a comment

Some supermarkets and mothercare shops in Accra and its outskirts are selling food and baby products labelled in Chinese and Spanish, in contravention of the law. Since some of the items may contain substances that may trigger allergic reactions, it is important for consumers to have full knowledge of their contents in the language they…

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Police, others ordered to immediately enforce ‘action plan’ to deal with road accidents

April 17, 2018Leave a comment

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has approved an action plan compiled by the ministers of Interior, Transport and Roads to deal with the upsurge of road accidents in the country, a release from the Information Ministry has said. The three-pronged approach involves Education, Enforcement and Engineering, said the release issued in Accra on Monday,…

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Urban Millennials Go to Farmer School

April 17, 2018Leave a comment

Doug Fabbioli is concerned about the future of the rural economy, as urban sprawl expands from metropolitan areas into farm fields and pastureland. The Virginia winery owner decided to be part of the solution and founded The New AG School, the school’s mission is raising the next generation of farmers. Farming, the hardship and joy…

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Ghana card issuance postponed again, now to begin in May

April 16, 2018Leave a comment

Ghanaians waiting to be issued with National Identification Cards this month, April, would have to wait a while longer. According to a Deputy Minister of Communications, George Andah, registration for the cards will begin in May. The Vice President, Dr. Bawumia had earlier said at a forum in Accra that the new ID card would…

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BECE candidate referred to Komfo Anokye after alleged ‘gang rape’

April 16, 2018Leave a comment

Medical officers at the Afari Community Hospital in the Atwima Nwabiagya District of the Ashanti Region have referred the 17-year old final year student of the BeneAfan International Junior High School, who was allegedly gang-raped by five young men at Nerebehi, to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. This is to enable doctors at the hospital…

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Nigerians See Little Progress in 4 Years Since Chibok Kidnapping

April 16, 2018Leave a comment

Four years ago, Nigerian activists issued a simple demand: Bring Back Our Girls. They demanded the Nigerian government rescue 276 school girls taken in the night by Boko Haram from their dormitories in the northeastern town of Chibok. As another anniversary of the mass kidnapping looms, activists say Nigeria’s government must do better. Since their…

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Google releases new Africa app to beat slow internet speeds, high data costs

April 16, 2018Leave a comment

Google is releasing an app in Africa that will help internet users overcome obstacles such as the lack of high-speed connectivity and the cost of data on the continent. The release of Google Go is the U.S. technology giant’s latest attempt to extend its reach into emerging markets such as sub-Saharan Africa, where Facebook Inc.…

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Ghana ‘galamsey kids’: Children left behind by Chinese miners

April 16, 2018Leave a comment

This BBC Pidgin documentary about Chinese miners who fathered children with local women while working and living in Ghana cracks open a problem that has escaped the illegal mining discourse. Since 2017 when anti-galamsey campaign started with force by President Akufo-Addo, the Chinese illegal miners fled, leaving their racially-mixed children behind. But all this while,…

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Akufo-Addo leaves Ghana for Commonwealth meeting in London

April 16, 2018Leave a comment

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo left Accra last Saturday to attend the 25th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London, United Kingdom.The meeting which will take place from Monday to Friday on the theme “Towards a Common Future,” will afford the heads of government the opportunity to “address the shared global challenges we face,…

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Aid Groups Seek to Raise $1.7B for DRC, Over Congo’s Objections

April 13, 2018Leave a comment

As donors prepare to gather Friday in Geneva for a major aid conference to raise $1.7 billion for humanitarian needs in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the government of the central African nation is standing firm on its refusal to attend or cooperate. The United Nations says more than 13 million people are in need…

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Night owls have 10% higher mortality risk, study says

April 13, 2018Leave a comment

If the early bird catches the worm, what is the night owl more likely to catch? According to a new study, it’s diabetes, psychological problems and an increased risk of dying. The study, published Thursday in the journal Chronobiology International, tracked almost half a million adults in the United Kingdom over an average of 6½…

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Girl ‘set ablaze’ during WASSCE prayers, dies from injuries

April 13, 2018Leave a comment

A prayer session for spiritual support during the West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), took a wrong turn when a girl was strangely set ablaze, in what appears to be a freak accident, at Breman Assikuma in the Central Region. The girl, a final year SHS student of the Gomoa Ahyiem Senior High School,…

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Akufo-Addo launches 7-year devt plan

April 13, 2018Leave a comment

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Wednesday launched the seven-year Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development policies of the government, saying the agenda for job creation, prosperity and equal opportunity for all was on course. He said a number of key initiatives captured under the agenda had been implemented and that the rest would…

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Baby’s Dad Brought GHS533 Bill 2hrs After Doc Cut Oxygen

April 12, 2018Leave a comment

It has emerged that the father of a nine-week-old baby, who died at the St. Gregory Hospital in Kasoa over a GHS533 bill, managed to rush to the health post with the money just two hours after the little patient died after a doctor had ordered that his oxygen supply be cut, correspondent Richard Mireku…

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Scientists attribute low crop yields in Ghana to substandard fertilizers

April 12, 2018Leave a comment

Scientists are casting doubts on the efficacy of fertilizers used by Ghanaian farmers cross the country as research points to consistent low yields despite fertilizer application. This was revealed at a dissemination workshop on research findings on Ghana’s Soil Fertility Management (GSFM) and Fertilizer Subsidy Programme (FSP) in Accra. The scientists presented a report on…

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PASE Board Chair to Speak at an International Workshop on Palm Oil

April 11, 2018Leave a comment

The Board Chairperson of PDA Agri-Industry and Social Enterprise (PASE), Mr. Tony Dogbe, has been invited to be one of the speakers at an international workshop in the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom (UK). The workshop which is on 1st and 2nd May, 2018 is on the theme “New Frontiers of Palm Oil: Tackling the…

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Tanzania launches early-age cervical cancer vaccine

April 11, 2018Leave a comment

More than 600,000 girls in Tanzania have started receiving vaccines to prevent cervical cancer. Girls aged between nine and 14 are being targeted to protect them from developing the illness at an early age. “Prevention is better than cure, elongating lives and and reducing treatment costs,” said Dr Daphrosa Lyimo, heading the government rollout. Cervical…

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Pharmacy Council moves to stop drugs sale by unauthorised persons

April 11, 2018Leave a comment

The Pharmacy Council has stepped up its effort to stop the sale of medicines by the unauthorised and the untrained to protect the safety of the people. As part of this, it has organized training for 114 newly registered over-the-counter medicine sellers from across the 11 municipalities and districts in the Upper West Region. The…

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Planting for Food & Jobs receives €20m support

April 11, 2018Leave a comment

The government’s Planting for Food and Jobs programme has received a boost following the signing of a 20-million euro credit between Ghana and the Czech Republic Export Bank. The money will be divided into two tranches, with the first tranche being utilised for the procurement of 220 sets of compact tractors, while the second tranche…

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Guinea’s fake pregnant healer jailed

April 10, 2018Leave a comment

A court in Guinea has sentenced a traditional healer to five years in prison for conning women into thinking they were pregnant. The court found N’na Fanta Camara guilty of fraud and impersonating a doctor by giving the women harmful substances and endangering their lives. Her victims and rights groups said they were disappointed with…

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But for God, I’d have been lynched today – ‘suspended’ Wa Poly Rector

April 10, 2018Leave a comment

Prof Emmanuel Marfo-Owusu, the embattled Rector of the Wa Polytechnic has been explaining how he managed to escape a mob attack on campus on Monday afternoon.According to him, but for God’s intervention, “these people would have lynched me today,” he said.Some angry lecturers at the Wa Polytechnic chased Prof Emmanuel Marfo-Owusu out of campus with…

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Two get 66 months imprisonment for jailbreak at Kwabenya

April 10, 2018Leave a comment

The Accra Circuit Court on Monday sentenced two more of the seven inmates who escaped from the Kwabenya Police Station to 66 months imprisonment. The convicts, Kofi Darko, 25, a trader and Emmanuel Kotey, 24, a motor rider were handed the sentence after they pleaded guilty to escaping from lawful custody and conspiracy to escape…

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Agric Minister leads delegation to Agro fair in Czech Republic

April 10, 2018Leave a comment

The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto has led a Ghanaian delegation to this year’s TECHAGRO fair in the Czech Republic to learn at first hand, best practices and seek collaboration in various areas of the Agric sector to help improve food production and food security. The TECHAGRO 2018 which is to…

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MSc and PhD Scholarships

April 9, 2018Leave a comment

Applications are invited for MSc and PhD Scholarships by the Mobility for plant genomics scholars to accelerate climate-smart adaptation options and food security in Africa / GENES. GENES is funded by the Intra-Africa Program of the Education, Audio-visual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) of the European Commission. The consortium intends to: 1. Produce for Africa…

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VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT- Senior Officer, Programs and Research- AWARD

April 9, 2018Leave a comment

About AWARD African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) is working towards more inclusive, agriculture-driven prosperity for Africa. AWARD invests in African women scientists, research institutions, and the agribusiness sector by supporting the development and upscaling of agricultural innovations with the potential to bridge the gender gap in African agriculture. Four initiatives form the…

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Africa Misses Out on Taiwan’s Development Aid Due to ‘One China’ Policy

April 9, 2018Leave a comment

Taiwan says it regrets that the “one China” policy insisted on by Beijing prevents it from providing much needed development aid to most countries in Africa. Taiwan was in a relatively good diplomatic position in Africa several years ago. Taiwan’s Deputy Secretary-General for International Cooperation and Development, Pai-po Lee, says this made it possible for…

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Two Kwabenya cell breakers get 66 months jail sentence

April 9, 2018Leave a comment

Two accused persons involved in the Kwabenya cell break have been sentenced by the Accra Circuit Court for 66 months after pleading guilty. Kofi Darko was sentenced to 32 months for conspiracy and escape from lawful custody and Emmanuel Kotey also had 34 months for the same crime.   The Case Twelve suspects are standing…

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Efforts to eliminate cholera in endemic areas – Targeting hotspots with vaccines

April 9, 2018Leave a comment

It is estimated that 20,000 tonnes of waste is generated in Ghana daily. Accra, the capital city, alone accounts for 3,000 tonnes of the waste. The waste is in the form of solid, liquid, electronic and plastic, a large amount of which end up in drains, water bodies and open gutters due to poor water…

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Newmont Ghana Ahafo mine accident claims 6 lives, 4 injured

April 9, 2018Leave a comment

A fatal accident that occurred at the Newmont Ahafo Mine at Kenyasi No 2 in the Brong Ahafo Region on Saturday, April 7, 2018 has claimed the lives of six workers. The deceased have been identified by the police as Kwadwo Asare, Gideon Amankwaa, Kojo Bismarch, Ben Brako, Agyei Wale and Ebenezer Sarfo.They were workers…

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Damongo: Nurse arrested for raping patient on admission

April 9, 2018Leave a comment

A 28-year-old nurse at the Damango Government Hospital in the Northern is in police grip for allegedly raping a patient on admission.The suspect was arrested by the Damongo Police after the incident was reported to them by the complainant, an elderly woman who is an Italian national. According to the Northern Regional Police Public Relations…

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Invitation to the African Youth Agripreneur Forum (AYAF) and Agri-Pitch Competition: “Technologies and Innovations for Youth in Agribusiness”

April 9, 2018Leave a comment

The African Development Bank (AfDB), together with the Government of Côte d’Ivoire, is organizing the 2nd edition of African Youth Agripreneur Forum (AYAF) and Agri-Pitch Competition to serve as a platform for bringing together agripreneurs from across Africa and scaling up the scope and impact of their activities. The Forum is expected to attract over…

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Apr92018
CURRENT PROJECTS

SDG Kids

April 9, 2018Leave a comment

SDG Kids is a project which focuses on promoting the awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals among children and young people. The project seeks to use child centred participatory methodologies and interactive activities that help build children’s capacity in taking actions to support the attainment of the SDGs by 2030.  The goal of the SDG Kids…

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Apr92018
CURRENT PROJECTS

The Cocoa Nutrition Innovation Project

April 9, 2018Leave a comment

The Cocoa Nutrition Innovation (CNI) Project is an intervention by the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) and Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), which aims to improve the nutritional status of households in cocoa growing communities. The CNI is a behavioural change communications (BCC) strategy aimed at effecting change in the dietary diversity and hand washing…

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Lack of devt plan impeding economic growth— Prof. Gatsi

April 6, 2018Leave a comment

An economist, Prof. John Gatsi, has said the lack of a clear plan to chart the country’s development path will continue to hinder its economic growth if the phenomenon is not addressed. He said the tendency to compare Ghana to other countries such as Malaysia, South Korea and Singapore was out of place because those…

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Spy poisoning: Russia says UK is ‘playing with fire’

April 6, 2018Leave a comment

Russia has accused the UK of inventing a “fake story” and “playing with fire” over the Salisbury spy poisoning. At a UN Security Council meeting, Moscow’s UN ambassador Vasily Nebenzia said Britain’s main goal had been “to discredit and even delegitimise” Russia with “unsubstantiated accusations”. The UK says Russia is behind the attack but Moscow…

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Harrowing Revelations After Ejisuman SHS Indictment

April 6, 2018Leave a comment

It seems a Pandora’s Box has been opened following sexual abuse revelations in the Ejisuman Senior High School (SHS). A lot of the parents who called into Nhyira FM Thursday morning spoke of their children’s harrowing experiences in some schools in the Ashanti Region. The public reactions follow news that a special committee which investigated…

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Stop Sacking WASSCE Candidates Over Fees – GES Warns Schools

April 6, 2018Leave a comment

Professor Kwasi Opoku Amankwa, Director General of GES The Ghana Education Service (GES), has warned heads of senior high schools not to prevent final year students who owe school fees, or any other levies, from partaking in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) The GES in a release to head teachers said…

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Ghana has not offered a military base to US – Prez Akufo-Addo

April 6, 2018Leave a comment

“So let me state with the clearest affirmation that Ghana has not offered a military base, and will not offer a military base to the United States of America,” President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stated.  “Indeed, the United States of America has not made any request for such consideration and, consistent with our established…

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World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE)

April 5, 2018Leave a comment

Launched in 2009 by Qatar Foundation, WISE is a global, collaborative platform for debate and action to build the future of education. What makes WISE unique is its multi-sectoral approach to education that brings together those who believe that education is the best way to empower individuals and build a prosperous and sustainable future for…

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6TH INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE & POPULATION CONFERENCE ON AFRICA [CCPOP-GHANA2018]

April 5, 2018Leave a comment

THE REGIONAL INSTITUTE FOR POPULATION STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON, ACCRA Call for Abstracts for the6th International Climate Change and Population Conference on Africa (CCPOP-Ghana2018) under the Theme “The Future We Do Not want”  Date: 23rd – 25th July, 2018 Venue: Accra, GHANA   Background Climatic hazards are increasingly becoming common features of society globally…

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Cameroon Calls on Fleeing English-Speaking Citizens to Return Home

April 5, 2018Leave a comment

SABONGARI, CAMEROON  As a campfire burns in a remote village on Cameroon’s northwestern border with Nigeria, seven men and five boys roast cocoa yam for supper. The eldest among them, 45-year-old Bruno Nfor, says the group has spent at least a week in the bush after violence broke out in the town of Tadu. Armed…

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Student remanded for defiling 13-year-old girl

April 5, 2018Leave a comment

A 22-year-old man charged with defiling a 13-year-old girl at the beach near the Independence Square has been remanded into police custody by the Accra Circuit Court 5. Joseph Awuku, a student, who lives at Kwashiebu, a suburb of Accra with the help of some friends, was said to have initially helped the victim to…

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Orphanages call for an increase in feeding grant

April 5, 2018Leave a comment

Managers of orphanages across the country and other beneficiaries of Capitation Grant want the government to increase subvention per head from GHS4.80 to GHS6. They say the increase will relieve their institutions of mounting debt brought about by the high cost of running the facilities. Headmistress of Garden City Special School, Dr Roslseline Frimpomaa Agyapong,…

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Yendi water treatment plant closed as river runs low

April 5, 2018Leave a comment

The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) in Yendi, in the Northern Region, has closed its water treatment plant in the town. The shut down follows the low level of the Dakar River where raw water is taken for the production drinking water for thousands of residents. The situation has compelled the residents to buy water…

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DVLA, Passport Office yet to implement tax identification

April 5, 2018Leave a comment

The Passport Office and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) have not started the implementation of the new requirement by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) for applicants for passports and driving licences to provide their tax identification numbers (TINs) before having their documents processed. A visit to the Passport Office in Accra on Wednesday…

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Ghanaians in London dying of heart diseases

April 5, 2018Leave a comment

It has emerged that many Ghanaians living in the Greater London area of the United Kingdom are dying from heart related diseases in recent times. This has been attributed to severe pressure of work, marital issues and also pressures from back home in Ghana which results in people working long hours thereby ending up with…

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African Changemakers Fellowship Program

April 4, 2018Leave a comment

African Changemakers Fellowship (#ACFellowship) Program selects impressive African visionaries between ages 25-40years to train and empower them to change their communities positively across Africa and beyond. These committed changemakers know best how to transform businesses and their communities’ social issues–we make it possible here. African Changemakers Fellowship Program continues to develop African leadership and entrepreneurial…

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Tax identification becomes operational

April 4, 2018Leave a comment

Individuals without tax identification numbers (TINs) will not be able to access essential services at state agencies with effect from yesterday, April 3, 2018, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has said. As a result, patrons seeking services at the Passport Office, the banks, courts, the ports, the Lands Commission, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority…

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Ejisuman SHS scandal: Eight teachers guilty of ‘sexual harassment’ – Report

April 4, 2018Leave a comment

The special committee investigating allegations of sexual misconduct against some teachers at the Ejisuman Senior High School has found eight of them guilty of inappropriate sexual advances on the students. The special committee was set up by the Ghana Education Service (GES) to investigate the allegations of sexual misconduct against some teachers at the Ashanti…

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Anti-Trafficking Charity Launches Materials Aimed at Kenyan Children

April 4, 2018Leave a comment

  NAIROBI, KENYAA Kenyan charity launched a range of educational materials Tuesday to teach children about the dangers of trafficking, in a bid to combat child slavery and exploitation. Most information on human trafficking, including images, is focused on Southeast Asia, said Sophie Otiende of Awareness Against Human Trafficking, also known as HAART Kenya, and…

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Husband Files For Divorce After DNA Test Reveals 4 Out Of 6 Children Are Not His

April 4, 2018Leave a comment

A senior corporate manager from Malawi, has publicly revealed intimate details about the paternity of four of children he assumed were his. The man’s revelations come after a DNA test proved that four of the six children he had with his wife, Miriam, were not his. He broke the news to his relatives on a…

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WASSCE 2081: ‘No Leakages…’- WAEC Boss Assures

April 4, 2018Leave a comment

Head of WAEC, Rev Sam Nii Nmai Ollennu The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has assured stakeholders that the perennial exam leakages associated with the tests, will not be experienced this year. Head of WAEC, Rev Sam Nii Nmai Ollennu said they have instituted effective measures to resolve the challenge, hence no leakages are expected…

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Why we desperately need to bring back vocational training in schools

April 3, 2018Leave a comment

Throughout most of U.S. history, American high school students were routinely taught vocational and job-ready skills along with the three Rs: reading, writing and arithmetic. Indeed readers of a certain age are likely to have fond memories of huddling over wooden workbenches learning a craft such as woodwork or maybe metal work, or any one…

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Enforce sanitation bye-laws to ensure cleaner Accra – Palmer-Buckle

April 3, 2018Leave a comment

The Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Charles Palmer-Buckle, has attributed the insanitary conditions in the city to the sense of indiscipline, calling on city authorities to enforce sanitation laws and put in place proactive measures to address the menace. According to him, it behooves on city authorities to enforce sanitation laws, educate citizens and provide the…

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We also deserve a national holiday – Traditionalists

April 3, 2018Leave a comment

African Traditional Worshipers in the Volta Region are calling on the government to identify a holiday for such worshipers in the national calendar as it is done for Muslims and Christians. Speaking at this year’s Apetorku Festival held in Dagbamate in the Akatsi South District of the Volta Region, Chief of Dagbamate, Torgbui Klu Agudzeamegah…

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Mercury Rising: Gold Mining Takes a Toxic Toll on Kenyan Women

April 3, 2018Leave a comment

NYATIKE, KENYA  Scorching sun beats down on half a dozen women as they carry large sacks of crushed ore on their backs at the Osiri-Matanda gold mine near Kenya’s border with Tanzania. On wooden tables, they sieve the powdered ore into metal pans, add mercury, and heat the mixture over a charcoal fire. The air…

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Paragliding school to be established at Shai-Osudoku

April 3, 2018Leave a comment

The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Arts is to establish a paragliding school at Shai-Osudoku in the Greater Accra region. This is to help whip up enthusiasm in paragliding among Ghanaians. The sector Minister, Mrs. Catherine Abelema Afeku announced this at the 13th paragliding festival held at Atibie in the Kwahu South District in the…

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Gov’t Slashes SHS Fees By Half

April 3, 2018Leave a comment

Government has announced a fifty percent reduction in school fees for final year Senior High School (SHS) students across the country for the third term. The move is to make the students to have peaceful mind to study in order to pass the forthcoming West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) scheduled for June 1,…

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Tourism is Ghana’s future -GTA CEO

March 29, 2018Leave a comment

THE CHIEF Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Mr Akwasi Agyemang, has said the country’s economic future depends on tourism and not gold, timber or oil that are usually referred to. According to GTA boss, countries like United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Malaysia which do not have many natural resources compared to Ghana…

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Jubilee House: Akufo-Addo renames Flagstaff House

March 29, 2018Leave a comment

President Akufo-Addo has officially renamed the seat of the presidency, the Flagstaff House to Jubilee House. The decision was confirmed in a statement signed by Akufo-Addo, issued Thursday, March 29 after pictures surfaced on social media of the name being changed on the wall of the facility.This is the second time in nine years that…

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Carpenter In Court For Defilement

March 29, 2018Leave a comment

A 30-year-old carpenter has been hauled before an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly defiling a 13-year-old girl at Ashaley Botwe in the Greater Accra Region. The accused, Richard Moncho, according to the police, in March 2018 lured the victim into an unused kiosk and forcibly had sex with her. He is said to have threatened…

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Entrepreneur: ‘Anyone Can Play a Role’ in African Innovation

March 29, 2018Leave a comment

AUSTIN, TEXAS  While working for a big consulting firm in Lagos, Nigeria, Afua Osei repeatedly encountered women who wanted to advance professionally but didn’t know how. They needed guidance and mentoring. So, Osei and her colleague Yasmin Belo-Osagie started She Leads Africa, a digital media company offering advice, information, training and networking opportunities to help…

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African’s largest e-health project in Ghana completed

March 29, 2018Leave a comment

Dutch Company Delft Imaging Systems has completed the largest African e-health and tuberculosis project in Ghana known as 51 X-ray systems. The systems were installed this March across the country to accelerate Tuberculosis (TB) case detection in Ghana. This installation came ahead of World Tuberculosis Day that fell last Saturday, March 24. TB is curable…

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The #MeToo stories you haven’t heard: Meet the women speaking out in Nigeria

March 29, 2018Leave a comment

Lagos, Nigeria — Brenda Uphopho was walking up the stairs in her office when she suddenly felt someone’s hand reach underneath her skirt. It was her boss.“I screamed, and he was shocked at my scream,” Uphopho, a festival producer from Lagos, told CNN. “And I was shocked that he was shocked.”Speaking out about sexual assault…

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We are not building a military base In Ghana – US reiterates

March 29, 2018Leave a comment

The United States of America has reiterated that claims of the US building a military base in Ghana are false and misleading. The US embassy in Ghana in a statement issued Wednesday stated that the “United States has not requested, nor does it intend to request, the establishment of a military base in Ghana or…

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Planting for food and jobs policy is practically weak — Research

March 28, 2018Leave a comment

Some researchers at the University of Ghana have described the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) policy as a piecemeal initiative that lacks the potential to make the desired impact on smallholder farmers. According to them, the Planting for Food and Jobs policy looked good on paper but was practically weak because it was focused…

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Kumasi: 20 companies express interest in waste-to-energy plant

March 28, 2018Leave a comment

Twenty energy companies have expressed interest in converting waste into power in Kumasi, City Mayor, Osei Assibey Antwi, has revealed. Mr Osei Assibey Antwi told the first ordinary meeting of the Metropolitan Assembly that some of the companies have already made financial commitments. The revelation comes in the wake of challenges with the management of…

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Refugee School Gives Hope, Free Education in West Uganda

March 28, 2018Leave a comment

KYANGWALI, UGANDA  In 2005, four young Congolese refugees in western Uganda opened a school for kids like themselves, separated from their families when they fled conflict in neighboring countries. Today, the school boasts about 500 students and continues to provide free education to unaccompanied refugee children or those whose families cannot afford to pay. The…

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Authority warns

March 28, 2018Leave a comment

The Ghana Geological Survey Authority (GGSA) has warned of an imminent earthquake in the country following the tremors that have been occurring in recent times. According to the GGSA, signs picked up after earth tremors hit parts of Accra on March 24, 2018 showed that the fault lines were active, “which means that an earthquake…

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Secret world: The women in the UK who cannot report sexual abuse

March 28, 2018Leave a comment

They often fled their homelands to escape sexual abuse – but for many asylum seekers, it continues in the UK. Fear of deportation typically means they don’t tell police, but one effect of the Harvey Weinstein revelations is that they have now begun to talk about their experiences among themselves. At the age of 37,…

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‘Smoking’ elephant in India baffles experts

March 27, 2018Leave a comment

A video of a wild elephant in India blowing out ash from a fire has baffled wildlife experts around the world. Vinay Kumar, a scientist belonging to the Wildlife Conservation Society (India), filmed the 48-second video during a work trip to Nagarhole forest in Karnataka state in April 2016. He told the BBC that he…

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Resistance Continues to End Child Marriage in Northern Nigeria

March 27, 2018Leave a comment

KADUNA, NIGERIA — In a village in northern Nigeria, teen wives gather on mats spread out in the dirt just outside the chief imam’s home. They talk about their initial reactions to getting married. “I had no interest in it at the time. I was just doing my own thing. Marriage was not on my…

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Voltic educates community on water sustainability

March 27, 2018Leave a comment

Voltic Ghana Limited has organised a programme on water sustainability for Anoff Primary and Junior High School and its host community in the Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipality. Officials of the company organised the programme to coincide with World Water Day celebrated globally last Thursday, and so they were in the school to roll out their water…

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Koforidua Sports Stadium reconstruction underway

March 27, 2018Leave a comment

The Ministry of Youth and Sports has handed a boost to the development of sports in the Eastern Region following the decision to reconstruct the Koforidua Sports Stadium. According to the consultant of the project, Joe Hackman, it will cost an estimated $1.8 million to upgrade the 61-year-old stadium to a world class status. The…

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KMA decongestion team ‘fights’ hawkers on pavements

March 27, 2018Leave a comment

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), is determined to sustain the exercise to rid the streets of petty traders in its decongestion exercise. According to the KMA, measures have been instituted to ensure traders comply with directives under the decongestion exercise. Graphic Online’s Kumasi photographer, Emmanuel Baah on Monday captured the KMA taskforce struggling with one…

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Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire sign ‘Abidjan Declaration’ on cocoa

March 27, 2018Leave a comment

Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire have resolved to address the challenges of the cocoa sector, within the framework of the implementation of the Strategic Partnership Agreement which links the two countries, by signing the “Abidjan Declaration.” With the two countries responsible for 60% of the world’s cocoa output, fluctuations of cocoa prices on the international market,…

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Nigeria says Talking to Boko Haram About Possible Cease-fire

March 26, 2018Leave a comment

Nigeria’s government is in talks with Islamist militant group Boko Haram about a possible cease-fire and the talks have been going on for some time, Information Minister Lai Mohammed said on Sunday. It is the first time in years the government has said it was talking to Boko Haram about a cease-fire. President Muhammadu Buhari’s…

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7th All Africa Conference on Animal Agriculture (AACAA)

March 26, 2018Leave a comment

The Organizing Committee is glad to announce call for papers and posters for the 7th All Africa Conference on Animal Agriculture (AACAA) to be held at the Accra International Conference Centre, Ghana, 15th – 19th October, 2018. The conference is being organised by the All Africa Society for Animal Production (AASAP) in association with the…

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School of Hygiene graduates to be employed – Ato Arthur

March 26, 2018Leave a comment

The local Government Service says it will be unable to employ some five hundred unemployed School of Hygiene graduates until it receives financial clearance from the Finance Ministry. Graduates of the Schools of Hygiene across the country on Tuesday picketed at the office of the Head of Local Government Services and demanded to be posted.…

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Paul Biya : Cameroon’s ‘absentee president’

March 26, 2018Leave a comment

Cameroon’s President Paul Biya has been in power for 35 years. But while his longevity in office is a talking point at home, the time he spends out of the country has stirred international comment – as Paul Melly, an associate fellow of Chatham House, explains. Criticised by some for a supposedly “hands-off” style of…

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“Thank you Mr President” – Teacher trainees honour President Akufo-Addo

March 26, 2018Leave a comment

The Teacher Trainees Association of Ghana (TTAG) has expressed its heartfelt appreciation to the President of the Republic, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for fulfilling his promise to restore their allowances if elected into office. The allowance of the teacher trainees was cancelled by the previous administration, citing challenges with the economy. At a colourful…

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Earth tremors shake Weija, Gbawe, Sampa Valley, Anyaa

March 26, 2018Leave a comment

Some parts of the Greater Accra Region experienced earth tremors on Saturday dawn and afternoon. Residents of Weija-Broadcasting, Sampa Valley, SCC, West Hills Mall area, Gbawe, Anyaa, amongst others, reported experiencing the first tremor while they slept at dawn. Two other tremors followed in the afternoon.Steve, a resident at Weija-Broadcasting told ClassFMonline that he first…

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Russia fire: Children killed in Kemerovo shopping center blaze

March 26, 2018Leave a comment

At least 53 people have died in a fire that tore through a shopping and entertainment complex in the Siberian coal-mining city of Kemerovo. As many as 41 children may be among the victims, officials say, and more than 10 are listed as missing. The blaze started on an upper floor of the Winter Cherry…

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Russia fire: Children killed in Kemerovo shopping centre blaze

March 26, 2018Leave a comment

At least 53 people have died in a fire that tore through a shopping and entertainment complex in the Siberian coal-mining city of Kemerovo. As many as 41 children may be among the victims, officials say, and more than 10 are listed as missing. The blaze started on an upper floor of the Winter Cherry…

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Donald Trump’s top Russia lawyer John Dowd resigns

March 23, 2018Leave a comment

US President Donald Trump’s lead lawyer for the special counsel investigation into Russia interference in the 2016 election has resigned, US media report. John Dowd, 77, is reported to have concluded that Mr Trump was increasingly ignoring his advice. Other reports say Mr Trump had lost confidence in Mr Dowd’s ability to handle special counsel…

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Africa’s farmer presidents – Namibia’s Geingob joins Buhari and Museveni

March 23, 2018Leave a comment

President of Namibia, Hage Geingob, despite his presidential schedules made time to visit his farm earlier this week. He shared photos on social media of how he spent time inspecting his maize harvest as he put it, ‘after the good rains at Farm Hadaloha. Incidentally he was fine-tuning his speech for the southern African nation’s…

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Plan your retirement while in school — SSNIT boss

March 23, 2018Leave a comment

The Director-General of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Dr John K. Ofori Tenkorang, has advised tertiary students to start preparing for their retirement even while in school, taking steps to secure a sound future for themselves and dependents. He acknowledged that many of them would be preoccupied with securing a job after…

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Car crushes on the rise – NRSC

March 23, 2018Leave a comment

Two thousand and eighty five car crashes resulting in 366 fatalities were recorded within the first two months of this year by the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC). According to the NRSC, this was a sharp increase on the 1986 road crashes which resulted in 354 fatalities, recorded within the same period last year. Giving…

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Car crushes on the rise – NRSC

March 23, 2018Leave a comment

Two thousand and eighty five car crashes resulting in 366 fatalities were recorded within the first two months of this year by the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC). According to the NRSC, this was a sharp increase on the 1986 road crashes which resulted in 354 fatalities, recorded within the same period last year. Giving…

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272 Financial Institution in distress

March 23, 2018Leave a comment

The Bank of Ghana (BoG) says about 705,396 depositors of distressed or collapsed microfinance institutions (MFIs) and rural and community banks (RCBs) are at risk of losing a total of GH¢740.5 million. The amount represent deposits currently locked up in the 272 RCBs and MFIs which were either in distress or had folded up, the…

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MWALIMU NYERERE AFRICAN UNION SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME

March 22, 2018Leave a comment

The Mwalimu Nyerere African Union Scholarship Scheme was launched in 2007 with the aim of contributing to the production and retention of high caliber African human capital for sustainable development of the continent in critical development areas, while promoting regional integration through intra-Africa mobility of students. The Scholarship Scheme is intended to enable young Africans…

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Ghana committed to free trade – Akufo-Addo

March 22, 2018Leave a comment

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says Ghana is fully committed to the success of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA), after its formal launch in Kigali, Rwanda, at an Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, on Wednesday. With the CFAT described as “the largest free trade…

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Africans told to promote vigorous intra-African trade

March 22, 2018Leave a comment

African states have been called upon to be more proactive in the quest for effective intra-African trade. Prof DeValera Botchway, an associate professor of history at the University of Cape Coast made the call when delivering the keynote address at the 3rd National Rastafari Conference in Ghana.According to Prof Botchway, intra African trade is not…

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Angry uniBank customers besiege branches

March 22, 2018Leave a comment

Scores of customers of uniBank became angry, frustrated and worried when their attempts to withdraw money from the bank’s automated teller machines (ATMs) Wednesday morning failed, after the Bank of Ghana (BoG) had handed over the management of the bank to KPMG, an accounting and auditing firm. The ATMs could not dispense money in the…

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Father of Dapchi schoolgirl says she won’t return to class

March 22, 2018Leave a comment

The father of one of the kidnapped Dapchi schoolgirls has told Focus on Africa that the kidnappers said they released the girls because they were Muslim. Adamu Gashwama added that the abductors told him that his daughter could be taken again if she returns to the school. He says without an improvement in the security…

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Water power: How one pump is helping an entire community

March 22, 2018Leave a comment

Dodging hippos along the Niger river, photographer Aisha Augie-Kuta reached the remote village of Norandé. It is here that she connected with a community that, despite its proximity to the river, faces a daily struggle for clean water. Despite the countries’ shared border, what Augie-Kuta saw was a far cry from that back home in…

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Facebook’s Zuckerberg ‘sorry’ over Cambridge Analytica ‘breach’

March 22, 2018Leave a comment

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has admitted that the social network “made mistakes” that led to millions of Facebook users having their data exploited by a political consultancy. Cambridge Analytica is accused of improperly using the data on behalf of political clients. In a statement, Mr Zuckerberg said a “breach of trust” had occurred. In a…

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US school shooting: Gunman dies after being shot in Maryland

March 21, 2018Leave a comment

A gunman who shot and injured two teenage students at a high school in the US state of Maryland was shot dead after a gunfight with a security guard. Austin Wyatt Rollins, 17, shot a 16-year-old girl, who is in a critical condition, and a 14-year-old boy. The attack happened on Tuesday morning before lessons…

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Aker Energy quickens process to start oil drilling in 2021

March 21, 2018Leave a comment

Norwegian oil company, Aker Energy, has disclosed to Citi Business News it is hoping to start its oil exploration activities in Ghana by the end of 2021. The company explains that it is working to complete the necessary processes to get clearance from the government to start operations. The CEO of Aker, Jan Arve Haugan…

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Abducted Nigeria schoolgirls ‘brought back’ by Boko Haram

March 21, 2018Leave a comment

Boko Haram Islamists who kidnapped more than 100 schoolgirls in Dapchi, northeast Nigeria, just over a month ago have returned the students to the town, two parents told AFP on Wednesday. A senior government source in Abuja and police in Yobe state also confirmed the girls’ return although it was not immediately clear how many…

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Govt signs 39 M to finance ‘Planting for Food and Jobs’ policy

March 21, 2018Leave a comment

GOVERNMENT AND African Development Fund (ADF) have signed a loan agreement to support the ‘Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ)’ programme. Ken Ofori-Atta, the Minister for Finance, last Thursday signed the agreement on behalf of the government whilst Dr Yero H. J. Baldeh, the Ghana Country Manager of the Bank, signed on its behalf. According…

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Withdraw US military base agreement- Minority

March 21, 2018Leave a comment

The Minority caucus in Parliament is demanding the immediate withdrawal from the house, an agreement by Cabinet it says will permit the United States of America to site a military base in Ghana.A statement signed by the group said the agreement should be withdrawn “pending the holding of broad consultations and a thorough national discussion…

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Bank of Ghana takes over uniBank

March 21, 2018Leave a comment

The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has taken over the management of uniBank Ghana Limited, an indigenous lender after it declared it insolvent Tuesday afternoon.The Bank of Ghana will now be in control of the day to day running of the local bank and has accordingly appointed KPMG as the official administrator to oversee the process,…

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Mar202018
CURRENT PROJECTS

Child abuse reporting and tracking

March 20, 2018Leave a comment

The research unit is gathering and reporting cases of child abuse from selected media and posting on the Ushahidi platform. NB: The reporting platform is accessible to all. Just visit https://stopviolenceagainstchildren.ushahidi.io to view reported case or report a case.

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Mar202018
CURRENT PROJECTS

Secondary Education in Africa (SEA) Project

March 20, 2018Leave a comment

The Secondary Education in Africa (SEA) Project is a study that focuses on gender and social equity in transitions and completion rates of lower secondary school, as well as the quality of education being delivered to meet the future needs of work in Africa. Participatory Development Associates (PDA) has been authorised by Mastercard Foundation to…

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Evaluation of the cocoa innovation nutrition program by IDH and GAIN (Piloting Phase)

March 20, 2018Leave a comment

Data collection comprising interviews with program tutors and beneficiaries, tuition observation and daily reporting on manner of module delivery, reaction and participation of beneficiaries (cocoa farmers) will gathered from March to June 2018.

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USAID Youth-related Challenge Awards – Apply Now or Share

March 20, 2018Leave a comment

Young Women Transform Prize: USAID is committed to empowering young women and unlocking their potential to transform their communities and the world. Through the Young Women Transform Prize, USAID will support youth in developing countries to develop their own solutions to advance the economic empowerment of young women in their communities. Prizes of $15,000 to…

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Paid Graduate Internship Opportunity

March 20, 2018Leave a comment

As part of delivering on PDA’s Strategic Theme 2: “Youth empowerment to generate positive development in their communities”, its youngest creative business support unit (PDA Support Services) is commencing a paid graduate internship programme in April 2018. The aim of the graduate internship is to support tertiary level recent graduates to gain; i. further skills…

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Stop taking naked pictures-Deputy Gender Minister advises women

March 20, 2018Leave a comment

The Deputy Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Gifty Twum-Ampofo, has advised women to grow up and stop taking naked photos of themselves to avoid becoming victims of blackmail in future. She said some wicked people always taken advantage of women who are naïve and therefore request their naked pictures when they get familiar…

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We need national policy to end teenage pregnancy – North Dayi MP

March 20, 2018Leave a comment

The Ever-Increasing rate of teenage pregnancy has provoked the National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament (MP) for North Dayi, Joycelyn Tetteh, to advocate a national policy aimed at putting an end to the menace. She expressed the belief that it is only a national policy on teenage pregnancy which would address the factors that lead…

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Xi Jinping warns any attempt to split China is ‘doomed to fail’

March 20, 2018Leave a comment

Chinese President Xi Jinping has delivered a fervently nationalistic closing speech to parliament, painting China as the rising global power. Mr Xi said “achieving total unity” was the “collective hope of all Chinese people” and any attempts to divide it were “doomed to fail”. The speech was a strong warning against any attempt at separatism…

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UN: $1.7 Billion Needed for DRC Humanitarian Crisis

March 20, 2018Leave a comment

International donors will meet next month in Geneva to address the growing humanitarian disaster in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the lack of funding for 13 million people in dire need. “Humanitarian needs, caused by internal conflict, have doubled over the last year,” U.N. Humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock told Security Council members on Monday.…

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Nana Addo justifies creation of new districts

March 20, 2018Leave a comment

President Nana Akufo-Addo has hit back at critics who say the creation of new districts and municipalities is unnecessary. The President said the creation of new districts will bring development to the doorstep of many and deepen Ghana’s democratic processes.The government has received some criticism over the creation of 38 new districts and municipalities across…

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New national ID rollout to begin in April – Bawumia

March 20, 2018Leave a comment

Vice President, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, has assured that the National Identification Authority (NIA) will begin the rollout of processes for the issuance of the new National Identification Card in April, 2018. In the latest assurance on this project, Dr. Bawumia said enough measures have been put in place to ensure a successful roll-out of the…

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“Free SHS Needs The Support Of All” – Prez Akufo-Addo

March 19, 2018Leave a comment

The President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged all Ghanaians to support the Free Senior High School (SHS) Policy of the government. The President at the 65th Speech and Prize-giving Day of Seventh Day Adventist Senior High School, in Bekwai, in the Ashanti Region on Sunday, March 18 said: “If the Free SHS policy is…

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Nigeria Skips African Summit in Blow to Free Trade Deal

March 19, 2018Leave a comment

ABUJA, NIGERIA —  Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will not attend the African Union summit in Rwanda this week, an official statement said Sunday, in a blow to plans to launch a major free trade treaty across 54 countries. The meeting in Kigali is intended to formally launch the African Continental Free Trade Area Treaty, which…

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Ethnic Violence in Congo’s Northeast Displaces 60,000

March 19, 2018Leave a comment

BUNIA, CONGO The assailants attacked under cover of darkness, slaughtering Nguli Nzafi ‘s wife and three children with machetes and arrows. The 71-year-old, who also lost all 40 of his cattle in the violence, was forced to flee on foot some 90 kilometers (56 miles) to safety in the town of Bunia. “I have lost…

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Russia election: Muted Western reaction to Putin victory

March 19, 2018Leave a comment

World leaders are congratulating Vladimir Putin on his election for a new six-year term as Russian president, but so far no Western leaders have responded to his victory. Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country’s partnership with Russia was at its “best level in history”. Mr Putin got more than 76% of the vote, official…

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570 dams to be constructed this year – Bawumia

March 19, 2018Leave a comment

A total of five hundred and seventy (570) dams are to be constructed in the three northern regions this year as part of the NPP Government’s manifesto pledge to facilitate community-owned and managed small-scale irrigation facilities across the country, popularly known as “One Village One Dam.” Feasibility studies and consultative fora have been take place,…

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Illegal gold mining boom threatens cocoa farmers

March 19, 2018Leave a comment

Kwaku Asare grabbed his machete and trekked through the bush to his cocoa farm—through winding pathways and hills, past ominous pits of muddy water, and underneath the low-hanging canopy of dried cocoa leaves. But the trees were bare. A few rotting cocoa pods littered the ground, while other stunted pods refused to ripen on the…

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Government urged to ensure passage of the Consumer Protection Bill

March 16, 2018Leave a comment

Government has been urged to give a clear timeline towards the passage of the Consumer Protection Bill, which will protect Ghanaians from inferior goods, products and services. Mr Kofi Kapito, the Chief Executive Officer of the Consumer Protection Agency (CPA), who made the call at a press conference in Accra on Thursday, challenged the present…

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Develop personal political status – Zanetor tells young women

March 16, 2018Leave a comment

 Dr Zanetor Rawlings, Member of Parliament for Klottey Korle Constituency, has urged young women to strive to discover themselves, if they are to make a difference in the world of politics.She said one lesson that politics and public life often taught people was the importance of knowing your status and stability, which will help you…

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New assemblies to give impetus to socio-economic progress

March 16, 2018Leave a comment

Juaben (Ash), March 16, GNA – The Chairman of Council of State, Daasebre Otuo Serebour II, has welcomed the creation of new municipal and district assemblies, saying, they would strengthen local governance and provide impetus to the socio-economic progress of the people. He therefore rallied everybody to give strong backing to the assemblies and to…

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Mugabe’s bare-knuckled challenge to Mnangagwa’s legitimacy

March 16, 2018Leave a comment

It was, for the most part, an exercise in bitter retrospection. Zimbabwe’s former President Robert Mugabe spent much of his first press conference since being ousted reflecting on the illegality of last November’s “coup d’etat,” and on the personal sense of betrayal that clearly still preoccupies the 94-year-old. But while some Zimbabweans, and historians, may…

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Botswana’s Ian Khama: Trump encouraging elephant poaching

March 16, 2018Leave a comment

The outgoing president of Botswana has attacked his US counterpart Donald Trump for “encouraging poaching” by overturning a ban on importing hunting trophies. Speaking at an anti-poaching summit in Botswana, two weeks before he steps down, President Ian Khama told the BBC it wasn’t just Mr Trump’s attitude towards wildlife he was concerned about, but…

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Jacob Zuma: Former South African president faces corruption trial

March 16, 2018Leave a comment

South Africa’s former President, Jacob Zuma, is to face prosecution for 16 charges of corruption, Chief Prosecutor Shaun Abrahams has confirmed. Mr Abrahams said he believed there were “reasonable prospects of a successful prosecution”. The charges – which Mr Zuma denies – include counts of fraud, racketeering and money laundering. Mr Zuma, 75, was forced…

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Our Industrialisation Efforts Must Yield Positive Results!

March 16, 2018Leave a comment

Undoubtedly, we are all inclined towards industrial society through value addition to our raw materials to satisfy our needs and for the export market, to boost our foreign exchange earnings. Certainly, this would make us competitive on the world market. By so doing we would increase job opportunities for the burgeoning youthful population, increase wealth…

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Consumers have right to quality telecoms services

March 16, 2018Leave a comment

The issue about the poor quality of services rendered to customers by mobile telephony companies in the country still rages. This is in spite of the persistent complaints made by customers of the telcos to the effect that they do not get value for money from the operators. In some instances, the industry regulator, the…

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Pass Consumer Protection Law Immediately – CUTS

March 16, 2018Leave a comment

Ghana yesterday observed the world consumer rights day in Accra with a call on government to urgently pass the Consumer Protection policy into law before the end of the year. The Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) International, who made the call is demanding that government quickly gives timelines towards the passage of the law,…

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In Western Africa, The Start – And End – Of The Americas Migrant Trail

March 16, 2018Leave a comment

The dense mountainous wilderness that spans the Colombia-Panama border has always resisted human authority. That makes it ideal for the movements of shy wildlife, clandestine paramilitary groups, and a steady stream of international migrants. For a majority of migrants headed for the United States and North America, the remote Darien Gap is a required trek.…

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WHITE HOUSE BACKS UK DECISION TO EXPEL RUSSIAN DIPLOMATS

March 15, 2018Leave a comment

The White House says it “stands in solidarity” with “its closest ally” the UK and supports its decision to expel 23 Russian diplomats. PM Theresa May said the diplomats would be expelled after Moscow refused to explain how a Russian-made nerve agent was used on a former spy in the UK. Moscow continues to deny…

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South Africa slams Australia visa plan for white farmers

March 15, 2018Leave a comment

South Africa has criticised an Australian government minister for suggesting that white South African farmers should get special visas so they can flee “horrific circumstances” in the country. Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, who oversees immigration and has drawn international criticism for heading a tough crackdown on asylum-seekers from Asia and the Middle East,…

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Libya migrants: Smuggling network arrest warrants issued

March 15, 2018Leave a comment

Libya has issued 205 arrest warrants for Libyans and foreigners suspected of being involved in a smuggling network for migrants heading to Europe. They include accusations of human trafficking, torture, murder and rape. The Libyan attorney general’s office said the network included members of the security services, migrant detention camp leaders, and officials from African…

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Forgive our cynicism, Mr. President

March 15, 2018Leave a comment

“As a start, we have to do things differently to realise this goal of a Ghana beyond aid. Business, as usual, will not do it. It cannot happen by waving a magic wand. And it cannot be achieved overnight. Indeed, the most rapid cases of economic and social transformation in history, those in South East…

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‘Shoot-to-kill galamseyers’ suggestion unfortunate – Aning

March 15, 2018Leave a comment

A security analyst, Dr. Kwesi Aning, has described as unfortunate suggestions by First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu, for a shoot-to-kill approach in dealing with illegal miners in the country. According to him, the comment puts Ghana in bad light in terms of respect for human rights. “I don’t think we should be shooting…

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Farida writes: A street child hawker’s bravery; the faith and poverty factor

March 15, 2018Leave a comment

Street hawking is nothing new to the big city of Accra and its busy roads, and very few people find something wrong with it because it is more convenient for people, than it is chaotic for roads and dangerous for the hawkers, especially children. You can cancel a few things off your shopping list while…

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Put political colours aside and combat corruption – Okudjeto

March 15, 2018Leave a comment

A member of the Council of State, Mr Sam Okudjeto has urged all Ghanaians to cast aside their party colours in order to combat the “cancer” of corruption in public office. Mr Okudjeto in a welcome address at a roundtable discussion organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs in Accra on Wednesday, bemoaned the current…

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Ghana beyond aid; why not high income Ghana @ 100?

March 15, 2018Leave a comment

In his 61st Independence Day address to the nation on Tuesday, March 6, 2018, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo shared his goal of Ghana beyond aid in more detail than ever before. He insisted that, “Ghana beyond aid is meant to be more than a slogan. It is meant to propel us into the frame…

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Sierra Leone presidential poll enters runoff

March 14, 2018Leave a comment

Sierra Leonean voters will be called upon again to cast ballots to elect a new president. The March 27 runoff date was announced by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) on Tuesday evening after declaring final results from the March 7 vote. According to the results, the main opposition Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) led the…

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Every child deserves better…

March 14, 2018Leave a comment

The man in the iron mask is a movie based on a book authored by Alexandre Dumas, arguably the most widely read French author of all times. Set in medieval France, the movie describes a corrupt and tyrant king, Louis XIV, who ruled France with an iron fist. He even had his twin brother, Philippe,…

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Mistrust in Parliament worrying (2)

March 14, 2018Leave a comment

Ghana has made reasonable strides towards promoting a liberal democratic culture. This is evident in the six successful elections that have been held since 1992. Nonetheless, there are many constraints that need to be fixed in order to consolidate the gains of democracy over the period. This is why the ongoing fracas between the Minority…

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Trust in public institutions dips — IEA

March 14, 2018Leave a comment

Public institutions play a very important role in the democratic development of every country since they represent the interests of the public. An effective and efficient public service has always been the bedrock of national development. In the past, Ghana’s public institutions were the pivot of the country’s development agenda. Performance of public institutions In…

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Quit or face prosecution – Defence Minister tells illegal miners

March 14, 2018Leave a comment

The Minister for Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, has sent a very strong signal to illegal miners known in the local parlance as galamsayers, who are polluting the country’s various water bodies, to put an end to their dastardly act or face the full rigours of the law when caught. According to him, the activities of galamsayers…

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In defense of Ghana Beyond Aid

March 14, 2018Leave a comment

Lao Tzu once said, “Knowing others is intelligence. Knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.” This piece has become necessary because of the ongoing debate about the slogan ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’. Whilst those on the side of the government feel it is visionary, opponents of the government feel…

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Don’t sabotage ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ agenda – Bawumia tells Chief Directors

March 14, 2018Leave a comment

The Vice President, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, has urged the Chief Directors of the various Ministries to support the government’s ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ Agenda. He noted that the government’s quest to build an economy independent of foreign aid and support will greatly rely on the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MMDAs. Speaking at a dialogue session with…

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PDA GHANA Participates in Innovation Forum in London

March 13, 2018Leave a comment

Tuesday 13th March 9.00-9.30 should business even care about the SDGs when developing smallholder policy? The sustainable development goals (SDGs) are a universal set of goals, targets and indicators that UN member states will be expected to use to frame their development over the next 15 years. Many of the goals laid out in the…

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Jerusalem: Where the occupier demands loyalty from the occupied

March 13, 2018Leave a comment

Last Wednesday, Palestinians in Jerusalem were hit with yet another travesty. The Israeli parliament ratified a bill that allows the minister of interior to revoke the residency rights of any Palestinian who poses a threat to Israel, or, more specifically, is suspected of a “breach of loyalty” to Israel. Palestinians in Jerusalem do not possess…

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The teen coder who wants to change the world

March 13, 2018Leave a comment

Sixteen-year-old Dea Kurti is juggling school and a social life while trying to bridge the tech gender gap and empower refugees. Encouraging more girls to study STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – is a key educational cause across the world. But based on statistics, there’s still much work to be done. According to…

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‘Incorporate all surface-mining operations into MMIP to address all mining-related problems’

March 13, 2018Leave a comment

Mrs. Hanna Owusu-Koranteng, Associate Executive Director of Wacam-a civil society organiSation, has advocated review of the Multisectoral Mining Integrated Project (MMIP) for it to be holistic and incorporate all surface-mining operations so as to ensure effectively dealing with all mining-related problems. The MMIP is a five-year government policy instrument designed to tackle the menace of…

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Education Is Bedrock of Women Empowerment – Samira Bawumia

March 13, 2018Leave a comment

The Second Lady of the Republic of Ghana, Mrs Samira Bawumia, has pointed out that the struggle for gender equality will be meaningless, unless the girl child is empowered through education. She said access to ed​​ucation plays a crucial role in women empowerment and has therefore bemoaned the alarming figures of girls of school going…

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Ensuring income security for cocoa farmers in Ghana – the case of Cocoa Abrabopa Pension Scheme Introduction

March 13, 2018Leave a comment

Introduction Cocoa Abrabopa Association (CAA) is one of the leading farmer-based organizations in Ghana that has been established to promote the socio-economic well-being of smallholder cocoa farmers. The association was established in partnership with African Tiger Holding Ltd (ATHL) to sponsor the establishment of a contributory pension scheme within the framework of the National Pensions…

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Nana Yaa Ofori-Atta writes…Three strikes

March 13, 2018Leave a comment

This is not California or any of the other 21 states in America that effect rules for habitual offenders. More is the pity. The public notice issued last week by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the emphatic public statement made by the Governor of the Central Bank, Dr. Ernest Addison and the swift suspension…

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Making a case for digital payment system for Ghana’s agribusiness

March 13, 2018Leave a comment

Almost every smallholder farmer receiving agricultural payments in Ghana is paid in cash. While cash may seemingly provide instant gratification for crop sales, cash-based transactions ultimately prove to be costly and dangerous. Cash can easily be misplaced or stolen, leaving the carrier with no recourse. When cash changes hands there is little record of the…

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Could Britain hold the answer to Europe’s woes?

March 12, 2018Leave a comment

If it commits to reversing Brexit, British Labour Party could play an important role in making Europe fairer. For over 40 years, Britain has pushed extreme, free-market policies in the European Union (EU). While the EU has delivered, for Britain, better workers’ rights, cleaner air and water, and more enforceable human rights, Britain has consistently…

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Ghana’s Climate Financing Architecture: Using Domestic Resource Mobilisation As A Sustainable Approach

March 12, 2018Leave a comment

Ghana intends to mobilise nearly US$ 22.6 billion investment from both domestic and international public and private sources towards the implementation of her Nationally Determined Contributions (Gh-NDCs) commitments. US$ 6.3 billion domestically (28.3% of total investment) is to be mobilized nationally whereas the US$ 16 billion is expected from international support. However Ghana’s ability to…

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World Bank Lauds “Ghana Beyond Aid” Policy

March 12, 2018Leave a comment

Dr Michal Rutkowski, the Senior Director of SP&J, World Bank Group, has commended the Government for its policy on “Ghana Beyond Aid,” describing it as a laudable idea. He said although it was a very interesting idea, there was the need to set targets and dates towards achieving it. “This is not possible within a…

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Akufo-Addo More Visionary Than Some Recent Ghanaian Leaders

March 12, 2018Leave a comment

US Ambassador to Ghana, Robert P. Jackson has described President Akufo-Addo as a more ‘visionary’ leader compared to some others the country has had in recent times. Speaking to Host Kwabena Kyenkyenhene Boateng on the ’21 Minutes with KKB’ show, Mr. Jackson indicated that the President’s focus on revamping the private sector for economic growth…

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Feuding parties in Togo must keep dialogue open — Akufo-Addo

March 12, 2018Leave a comment

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has underscored the need for the feuding parties in the Togo political impasse to keep the door of dialogue open, saying: “It is extremely important.” Addressing a delegation from the government and opposition parties at the Flagstaff House last Wednesday, the President said: “I don’t believe that responsible people such…

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Remembering J. B. Danquah as advocate of self-reliance – A ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’Agenda?

March 12, 2018Leave a comment

It is not generally known that Dr J B Danquah, the flower of West African scholarship, lawyer, journalist, poet and philosopher, who died 53 years ago on February 4, 1965 at the Nsawam Maximum Security Prison, did not only struggle fearlessly for the independence and self-government of Ghana;he also believed in the concept of self-reliance…

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PDA Support Services – Graduate Internship

March 9, 2018Leave a comment

As part of delivering on PDA’s Strategic Theme 2: “Youth empowerment to generate positive development in their communities”, its youngest creative business support unit (PDA Support Services) is commencing a paid graduate internship programme in April 2018. The aim of the graduate internship is to support tertiary level recent graduates to gain; i. further skills development ii. hands-on…

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‘PRESS FOR PROGRESS’…framing our future

March 9, 2018Leave a comment

International Women’s Day is March 8th. It is a day named by the United Nations. All over the world, organizations, governments, corporations and universities celebrate women with a variety of programs. Each year has a theme. This year’s theme is ‘Press for Progress’. The 2017 World Economic Forum Report declared it would take another 200…

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UN Women calls for stronger support for women

March 9, 2018Leave a comment

The UN Women has called on the global community to deliberately create stronger support for women’s political activism and a broader space for women’s civil society voices. In a statement, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN Women, for International Women’s Day, said that was necessary to combine “our efforts to target those who…

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COCOBOD to launch funding scheme to protect cocoa industry from plant disease

March 9, 2018Leave a comment

The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has outlined plans to sell bills and notes to fund a nationwide cocoa-replanting programme, in an effort to boost yields following an outbreak of disease. In late December, international media reported that COCOBOD – the industry regulator – was considering a plan to sell 182-day bills and one-year notes to…

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KAIPTC’s Women Peace and Security Institute calls for consciousness on gender progress

March 9, 2018Leave a comment

Accra, March 8th, 2018: International Women’s Day is a celebration of the economic, political, social and cultural achievements of women across the globe and a call-to-action to progression towards gender parity all over the world. The theme for the celebration this year is #PressforProgress. The Women Peace and Security Institute wants to use this day…

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Solving Water and Sanitation challenges in Africa is key to socio-economic development

March 9, 2018Leave a comment

Socio-economic growth and evolution in Africa cannot be overemphasized as the continent moves into the future. Africa has over the last decade become one of the fastest growing and attractive regions in the world, with a $1.96 trillion economy growing at about 6 percent. Yet there are also undeniably daunting challenges facing the continent. These…

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Transforming women’s life by improving Girls’ education is key to sustainability

March 9, 2018Leave a comment

Today is International Women’s Day which has been celebrated for more than 100 years and was adopted by the UN in 1975.Still being born a girl into this world seems to be a curse in too many places. Women have, and continue to suffer various degrees of injustice and inequalities spanning from cultural, social, economic,…

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Excitement and hope as Sierra Leone votes

March 9, 2018Leave a comment

Today, Sierra Leoneans have flocked to the polls to choose not only their new president, but new MPs and local councillors. The BBC’s Umaru Fofana is in Freetown, keeping an eye on developments. “I’m excited, it’s very good to have done my rights as a citizen,” one voter tells the BBC. “We expect good things…

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Mobilizing Africa’s female youth to build a continent beyond aid

March 9, 2018Leave a comment

The recent rising determination for change in women’s rights, equality and justice as demonstrated by global women movement and campaigns such as the #MeToo and #TimesUp reveals that there is more work to be done. Findings from the World Economic Forum’s 2017 Global Gender Gap Report shows that gender parity is over 200 years away,…

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International Women’s Day: Rural and Urban Women Matter and Their Active Participation is Crucial in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

March 9, 2018Leave a comment

As we join the rest of the world to Press for Progress of Women on the commemoration of the 2018 International Women’s Day, PDA Ghana and its Associates do not only wish women well, but encourage more men to rise up to the occasion of empowering their girls whiles teaching their boys to appreciate the…

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The girl who sabotaged her own wedding

March 7, 2018Leave a comment

On the morning of any wedding there’s a lot of preparation. On 4 November, Monika’s hair needed doing and her make-up had to be artfully applied. The bride needed her maroon wedding sari put on, as tradition dictated. The jewellery set aside for this special day had to be placed on her ears and nose…

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Sierra Leone votes for new president

March 7, 2018Leave a comment

Voting is under way in Sierra Leone, where more than three million people are eligible to choose a new president, parliament and local councillors. In the capital, Freetown, long queues could be seen at polling stations even before dawn. President Ernest Bai Koroma is stepping down after serving two five-year terms. His chosen successor, Samura…

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Banking at 61: Owned and controlled by foreigners, just like any other sector that matters

March 7, 2018Leave a comment

Do not get me wrong. I have no qualms against foreign participation in any sector of the economy. But one logic I agree with wholeheartedly is no country has seen sustained growth and development with foreigners at the helm or in charge of any sector – be it banking, mining, agriculture, oil and gas, education,…

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Ghana, 61 years on…Maintaining the economic narrative

March 7, 2018Leave a comment

It is easy to pinpoint Ghana’s peers when it attained independence in 1957 – South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and the like – and use that to judge Ghana as a spectacular failure in delivering much-desired economic goods for its people. Sixty-one years is a long time in a country’s development journey. Indeed, for all the…

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Detecting the real enemy; why Ghana Police needs no ‘superman’

March 7, 2018Leave a comment

As a young journalist, one of the most intriguing, important,yet unpleasant subjects I covered was crime. During this period, I have met suspects who have confessed to various degrees of crime ranging from murder to stealing. The hardened suspects were always lucky to return alive. Those who dared to challenge the police in a gun…

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Prez Akufo-Addo sets yet another timeline for anti-corruption missing link, RTI Bill

March 7, 2018Leave a comment

Prez Akufo-Addo has indicated that the Right to Information Bill, described as a key ingredient for the successful fight against corruption in public office, should be passed before the present parliament rises. Describing the RTI as “one piece of the anti-corruption framework that is yet to be put in place”, he said the passage of…

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61 years of Independence – Brong Ahafo Region the bread basket

March 7, 2018Leave a comment

As Ghana celebrates its 61st independence anniversary today, the Brong Ahafo Region stands on the threshold of being divided into three administrative regions following two petitions submitted to the President by the Coalition of Bono East Chiefs and its counterparts in the Ahafo section of the region. Should their petitions be granted and the subsequent…

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It’s time for Nkrumaists to join mother party — Prof. Delle

March 7, 2018Leave a comment

The Leader and National Chairman of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Prof. Edmund Delle, has underscored the need for all Nkrumaists to bury their ego and join the mother party – the CPP – to wrest political power from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2020 election. “This is the time for all…

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‘Ghana beyond aid’ is a rhetoric… – Bernard Mornah

March 7, 2018Leave a comment

The Chairman of the People’s National Congress (PNC), Mr Bernard Mornah thinks that the “Ghana beyond aid” mantra was a great call which is only a “rhetoric.” Ghana beyond aid is an agenda that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been championing since he assumed office in 2017 and has pledged to ensure that Ghana…

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Entrepreneurship — A solution to graduate unemployment?

March 7, 2018Leave a comment

In my secondary school days, I had the privilege of spending one long vacation with my maternal grandmother in a village called Agogo in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Something happened during that period which ignited my interest for business. I accompanied my cousin to the market one day to help him sell some baskets…

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Affirmative Action Bill must deal with all types of discrimination

March 7, 2018Leave a comment

Globally, the rights of persons with disabilities have been the subject of much attention at the United Nations (UN), at the regional and national levels over a long period of time. This awakening is informed by the open truth that there is a close connection between the limitation experienced by individuals with disabilities, the design…

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Devise own model of development – African countries urged

March 7, 2018Leave a comment

The President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Abubakar Saraki, has urged African countries to devise their own model of development if they want to be competitive on the global stage. He said such a model should see Africans focus on manufacturing goods that could be marketed to their people, stressing…

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Akufo-Addo outlines policies for ‘Ghana beyond aid’

March 7, 2018Leave a comment

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says the realisation of his vision of Ghana Beyond Aid “requires a deliberate, qualitative change in all aspects of our lives; especially, in the structure of our economy, the nature of our infrastructure, the education of our young people and acquisition of skills, and, above all, in our attitudes and…

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Samson’s Take: Sanitation, euphemism for corruption in Ghana?

March 5, 2018Leave a comment

“Is sanitation management not another euphemism for corruption in Ghana?” That’s a question a man who works with one of the big donor countries quietly asked me after I moderated an EU sponsored event last year. It became apparent at the event that local assemblies blamed sanitation for much of their spending but had very…

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Urban agriculture is the key to a sustainable future

March 2, 2018Leave a comment

When I sat in a darkened theatre in 2008(ish) watching Al Gore deliver his now famous slide show on climate change, the enormity of the challenge we were facing hit me. And then I got hungry. Very hungry. Because if I am honest, the thing that most hit home to me was the way in…

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TIME’S UP!…no playground for pedophile teachers

March 2, 2018Leave a comment

Teachers. Every day thousands and thousands of teachers in Ghana walk into classrooms where they hold young minds in their hands to nurture, develop and build. Some teachers in Ghana have turned playgrounds into pedophile hunting grounds, They use their position, authority, power to sexually harass, extort sex for grades or school fes and sexually…

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In the matter of ‘where we have reached’

March 2, 2018Leave a comment

Two weeks ago, when I read a report in this paper, that some pregnant women “are now taking skin bleaching pills in their quest to have light-skinned babies”, my immediate reaction was: ‘Unbelievable! What kind of madness is this?!’ I was even tempted to dismiss the news item as an instance of a fad practised…

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Togo’s political crisis; A ray of hope

March 2, 2018Leave a comment

The Togolese political crisis takes its roots in the soil of political confusion that followed the death of President Gnassingbe Eyadema who had ruled the country from 1967. President Eyadema became President of Togo after the death of President Sylvanus Olympio in a military takeover. The problem started when President Eyadema passed away by natural…

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My eyes still remember; Using Media as a tool for Biodiversity Conservation in Ghana

March 2, 2018Leave a comment

Africa’s rainforests are classified as part of the most important biodiversity areas in the world But these forests are under severe threats from increasing population through logging, forest fragmentation, forest conversion into plantations, and mining activities. Africa’s forest cover loss has been estimated at about 53 million hectares, accounting for about 56% of the global…

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Complexities of science and using science to overcome them

March 2, 2018Leave a comment

In Sub-saharan Africa, cassava serves as a major staple for most people; in fact, it is the third largest carbohydrate source after rice and maize. Some of the more than 500 million cassava consumers in the region eat is as often as three times a day. It’s a dependable crop because cassava grows well in…

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Ghanaians support election of MMDCEs – Afrobarometer report

March 1, 2018Leave a comment

Over 69 per of Ghanaians supports the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), the 2017 edition of the Afrobarometer report has revealed. The report, launched on Tuesday in Accra, revealed that support for elected rather than appointed MMDCEs was strong across the demographic groups, major political parties and regions. However, regional analysis…

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CPP backs elections of MMDCEs

March 1, 2018Leave a comment

The Convention Peoples Party (CPP) supports the idea of electing Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in Ghana. Professor Edmund Nminyem Delle, CPP National Chairman said the election of MMDCEs would go a long way to promote transparency and accountability at the grassroots level. He said the idea of making the MMDCEs office electable…

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Africa ‘set to miss UN development goal on malnutrition’

March 1, 2018Leave a comment

Exceptionally detailed maps of child growth and education across Africa suggest that no single country is set to end childhood malnutrition by 2030. That target was set by the UN as a Sustainable Development Goal. However, the new maps, which give detail to the level of an individual village, show that almost every nation has…

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Ghana’s SHS crisis: An elitist addiction to boarding schools and its consequences

March 1, 2018Leave a comment

Some of the reasons why the boarding component in our state-assisted senior high schools must be removed. And Now can we begin to have a calm national conversation? Ghana has never been able to afford boarding as a major component of its state-owned education system, we cannot afford it, and not wanting to admit this…

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Can mining and agriculture go together?

February 28, 2018Leave a comment

The interaction between artisanal (small-scale) mining and agriculture in Africa still needs to be carefully considered by policymakers to ensure that people’s livelihoods and the country’s export revenues aren’t threatened. It’s also important that the relationship between the two sectors is optimised to mutual benefit.Mining occurs in the same geographic areas as agriculture. It competes…

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Values, Attitudes and Law Enforcement!

February 28, 2018Leave a comment

Recently, a young single parent lady recounted her experience when she took her child to school on a Monday morning. As can be expected of an elite Ghanaian Basic School, an assortment of luxurious cars trooped in each morning to bring the children of their rich owners to school. However, what struck Jay that Monday…

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The two-state solution is still the only game in town

February 28, 2018Leave a comment

US President Donald Trump’s announcement on December 6 last year of his decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was a real shock not only for Palestinians but also for the international community as a whole. For many people, this decision was the final nail in the coffin for the two-state solution. But…

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JOB VACANCY: Scientist – Soil Management

February 28, 2018Leave a comment

Job Summary: ICBA is seeking a dynamic and motivated scientist for the position of Soil Management Scientist. The successful candidate will manage all components of ICBA’s soil management programs. The incumbent will work closely with other scientists on programs on sustainable use of soil resources for food security and ecosystem services. He/she will develop and…

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JOB VACANCY: Plant Physiologist

February 28, 2018Leave a comment

Job Summary: ICBA is seeking a dynamic and motivated biological scientist for the position of Plant Physiologist. Candidates are sought with a demonstrated ability and R&D experience in plant physiology. The ideal candidate will have a background including studies of plant reactions to physical and biological stressors. The Plant Physiologist will work closely with ICBA…

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JOB VACANCY: Senior Plant Breeder

February 28, 2018Leave a comment

ICBA is seeking a dynamic and motivated senior scientist for the position of Plant Breeder. The successful candidate will manage all components of ICBA’s plant breeding programs, including management of existing germplasm, acquisition of new germplasm, development of elite breeding lines and hybrids of salt-tolerant crops intended for marginal environments. Candidates are sought with proven…

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Nana Yaa Ofori-Atta writes…Bounty Hunting

February 28, 2018Leave a comment

The Auditor General (AudG), Daniel Yaw Domelevo must begin to practice his small talk. He announced earlier this month in Accra, that his Office had investigated and subsequently issued Disallow and Surcharge certificates for Ghc5.4 billion cedis worth of public goods and services. Some were found to have already been paid and had unilaterally chosen…

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Humanitarian aid system is a continuation of the colonial project

February 27, 2018Leave a comment

  The global humanitarian community is again in confusion. The Oxfam sexual misconduct scandal has made headlines. Policymakers and humanitarian leaders everywhere talk about the need for change. Over the last 30 years or so, there have been many scandals, and much demand for reform. However, business just continues as usual. According to Reuters, during…

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How realistic are Libya’s election plans?

February 27, 2018Leave a comment

It seems obvious that Libya is not in a fit state to hold an election, but the international community seems determined to organise one anyway, writes the BBC North Africa Correspondent Rana Jawad. Libya’s politicians, the UN, and EU member states have been talking about it for months. Presidential and legislative elections are expected in…

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Syria conflict: Women ‘sexually exploited in return for aid’

February 27, 2018Leave a comment

Women in Syria have been sexually exploited by men delivering aid on behalf of the UN and international charities, the BBC has learned. Aid workers said the men would trade food and lifts for sexual favours. Despite warnings about the abuse three years ago, a new report shows it is continuing in the south of…

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We need to change the way we talk about climate change

February 26, 2018Leave a comment

In a January 19 article about the impacts of climate change in Bangladesh, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof describes a coastal island on the verge of disappearance and farmers forced to “marry off” their underage daughters as a result of losses linked to sea level rise. This dystopic imaginary of Bangladesh in the time…

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To stop climate change, we need to open borders

February 26, 2018Leave a comment

Europe is facing its biggest refugee crisis since World War II. What is new this time around is that many of the displaced are being driven from their homes by the destructive effects of climate change. And this is just the beginning. As sea levels rise, swallowing island nations and swamping large parts of Bangladesh,…

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Rohingya crisis: a children’s emergency of the highest order

February 26, 2018Leave a comment

Fred Witteveen is a co-author of this article. He is the national director of World Vision Bangladesh. Do you remember being a child, wide awake at night, breath drawn, every creak and whisper of breeze a monster under the bed, an intruder down the hall? Then as day breaks, childish fear evaporates and the night’s…

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Prez brokers peace in Togo; feuding parties to dialogue

February 26, 2018Leave a comment

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo last Friday succeeded in getting the incumbent government and the opposition parties in Togo to put an end to all forms of actions that disturb the peace of that country and rather resort to dialogue to iron out any differences. The parties in the Togolese political impasse, who were all…

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What Atuguba didn’t say

February 26, 2018Leave a comment

In academic circles, all research is scientifically obtained – not because they are the outcome of work done in a physics, chemistry or biology science lab. They are scientific because they are the result of empiricism, governed by strict rules of conduct. The rules are such that any other researcher using the same hypotheses, sampling…

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Q&A: The reality of free education for all in Ghana

February 26, 2018Leave a comment

Two NGO workers explain why, despite free tuition, some Ghanaian children still struggle to get an education. Since gaining independence in 1957, Ghana has focused on improving access to education and achieving universal enrolment. Primary education became free in 1961 and the 1980s saw major reforms swept through the education system, including restructuring primary and…

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Lessons of February 24, 1966, Coup – Importance of loyal opposition in governance

February 26, 2018Leave a comment

24th of February 2018   Fifty-two years ago the government of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), under the leadership of the Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah, was overthrown and proscribed. The CPP consolidated its rule by winning, on the trot, three successive democratic elections between 1951 and 1956 organised under the watch of Her Majesty’s Government of…

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Cyber-crime to cost Ghana $100m in 2018

February 26, 2018Leave a comment

An information security expert has told Citi Business News that Ghanaian businesses stand to lose 100 million dollars from cyber-crime in 2018, if pragmatic measures are not put in place to minimize it. According to a Managing Partner at cyber security firm, Delta 3 International, Del Aden, the incident of cyber crime in Ghana will…

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Economic crimes must be made an extremely high-risk venture

February 26, 2018Leave a comment

I have just settled down after a hectic morning running-around and just gotten the news that Abuga Pele and Philip Akpeena Assibit have been jailed six and 12 years, respectively, over the GYEEDA rot. Now, here is my prediction of what is going to happen: within just a few days of their incarceration, these two…

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FGM resurfaces in Upper East as prevalence soars to 27%

February 26, 2018Leave a comment

The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has hinted of a resurgence of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the Upper East Region with an alarming 27% rise in the prevalence in recent times. According to the Ministry, the practice is widespread in the region especially the border town of Pusiga which is near Ghana’s…

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Bamboo charcoal production brings economic empowerment to women in Hohoe

February 26, 2018Leave a comment

A new project focused on the use of bamboo as charcoal is bringing economic empowerment to women in the Hohoe Municipality of the Volta Region. Bamboo charcoal is common in areas where bamboo plants are abundant. The bamboo is harvested after at least five years and burned in ovens to turn them into charcoal. The…

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Children ‘forced to watch rape’ in South Sudan

February 23, 2018Leave a comment

Children in South Sudan have been forced to watch their mothers being raped and killed, the UN says. A report by UN human rights investigators says that 40 officials may be individually responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity. It says civilians have been tortured and mutilated, and villages destroyed on an industrial scale.…

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Using Students Loan Trust Fund To Improve Access To Tertiary Educ In Ghana

February 23, 2018Leave a comment

The benefits of higher education to the individual, the family, the community and the State are well documented. For the individual, higher education bestows social status, access to employment and higher earnings. Many studies have established the link between higher education and better quality of life, with university graduates recording greater life expectancy than their…

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Newly created districts, municipalities to be inaugurated next month

February 23, 2018Leave a comment

The newly-created 38 Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) throughout the country will be inaugurated in the second week of next month. The Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) in charge of rural economic development, Mr Collins Augustine Ntim, who made this known in an interview, said he was impressed by the preparedness…

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24th February, 1966: Ghana’s day of Liberation

February 23, 2018Leave a comment

I have no doubt in my mind that history will ultimately judge Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Kwasi Kotoka, Brigadier Akwasi Amankwaa Afrifa, and the others who spearheaded the removal of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah Nkrumah as Ghanaian patriots. Much as their action opened the floodgates of further military interventions, which most of us today condemn, it cannot…

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Akenten Appiah Menka, Commissioner of the Constitution Review Commission

February 23, 2018Leave a comment

The Constitution Review Commission, a Presidential Commission of Enquiry, was set up in January 2010, to consult with the people of Ghana on the operation of the 1992 Constitution and on any changes that need to be made to the constitution. The Commission was tasked to look at the Constitution from the viewpoint of a…

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CPI ranking influenced by corruption claims before my gov’t – Akufo-Addo

February 23, 2018Leave a comment

President Nana Akufo-Addo has said Ghana’s poor ranking on the latest Corruption Perception Index (CPI) was “largely” influenced by corruption claims in the past regime. He said the Transparency International’s 2017 CPI, which shows a sharp drop in the performance from 2016, is an indication of the “enormity of the task ahead.” Ghana has been…

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I will treat crime as crime – Martin Amidu.

February 23, 2018Leave a comment

The Special Prosecutor, Mr Martin Amidu, has reiterated his commitment to discharge his duties without fear or favour. In his acceptance speech following his swearing in as the country’s first Special Prosecutor by President Nana Akufo-Addo at the Flagstaff House on Friday, Mr Amidu noted that he would discharge his duties with integrity and honour.…

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Don’t use Special Prosecutor office for vengeance — Akuffo-Addo

February 23, 2018Leave a comment

President Akufo-Addo has admonished the country’s first Special Prosecutor (SP), Mr Martin A.B.K. Amidu not to use his office as an avenue for vengeance against his adversaries but to use it to deal ruthlessly with the soaring state of corruption in public life. According to him, the overwhelming support Ghanaians have given to Mr Amidu…

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WONDER WOMEN! opportunity vs. opportunism

February 22, 2018Leave a comment

Women entrepreneurs. They are a crucial part of Ghana’s economic backbone. They are job creators. Their blood, sweat and tears turn initiative into employment. That initiative is not always born of vision or passion. Sometimes it is born of necessity, hunger, lack of opportunity and a need to support families. Starting that business is often…

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e-bills pay can help reduce corruption at public institutions

February 22, 2018Leave a comment

The use of e-bills pay in public institutions can reduce the human interface and help bring down corruption. E-bills pay is an electronic payment system that enables large corporate institutions to receive payment via the internet or mobile applications. It is one of the latest initiatives by Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS), the…

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Martin Amidu writes: My parting thoughts as citizen vigilante

February 22, 2018Leave a comment

The right to criticize a fellow citizen, however vigorous, cannot be defamatory of that citizen or even in contempt of court when it is kept within the limits of reasonable courtesy and good faith. As Lord Justice Salmon said in R v Metropolitan Police Commissioner; Ex Parte Blackburn at pages 155-156: “…The criticism here complained…

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Ghana falls three places in Corruption Perception Index; scores lowest since 2012

February 22, 2018Leave a comment

Ghana receives its lowest corruption perception score in four years, making President Akufo-Addo’s one year in office the worst since 2012, according to the latest Global Corruption Perception Index. The latest Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released Wednesday evening by the local chapter of Transparency International, the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), scored Ghana 40 out of…

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Let’s stop the feminists nonsense!

February 21, 2018Leave a comment

Feminism is defined by the online Oxford dictionary as a social theory or political movement which argues that legal and social restrictions on women must be removed in order to bring about equality of both sexes in all aspects of public and private life. Who is a feminist? Wikipedia explains feminism as a range of…

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Pay attention to Ghanaian languages

February 21, 2018Leave a comment

Article 39, Clause 3 of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana enjoins the state to “foster the development of Ghanaian languages and pride in Ghanaian culture”. By this constitutional provision, the state is obliged to formulate and implement policies and programmes towards the development of Ghanaian languages and cultures. It is also incumbent…

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Implementing ECOWAS integration agenda for Ghana’s development: A case for a separate Ministry of Regional Integration

February 21, 2018Leave a comment

Regionalism is regarded as crucial to the development of Ghana’s economy. A small state like Ghana with potential for rapid development needs the cooperation and integration with her sub-regional West African countries within the framework of ECOWAS. As it would be difficult to establish viable enterprises to serve the Ghana market only, regionalism is readily…

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Domestic airlines: From multiple players to monopoly

February 21, 2018Leave a comment

In January 2013, I flew from Kumasi to Accra with Fly 540 on a return journey that cost an average of $36 (GH¢ 80) that time. Similarly, Starbow had an off peak fare on the same route for a little under GH¢ 40. The period between 2012 and 2014 saw a surge in the number…

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Parliament approves Martin Amidu as Special Prosecutor

February 21, 2018Leave a comment

Parliament has approved Mr Martin Amidu as the country’s first Special Prosecutor. The Deputy Minority Ranking Member on Constitutional Affairs, Dr. Dominic Ayine, however asked Parliament to put the approval on hold, as his suit against Mr. Amidu’s nomination is still pending at the Supreme Court. Drawing on Standing order 93(1), Dr. Ayine invited the…

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President Akufo-Addo launches 10-year cashew development plan

February 21, 2018Leave a comment

President Nana Akufo-Addo has said that 500,000 farmers will be signed onto the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative of the government this year, following the first year successes it chalked. The President said not only did the programme sign on some 200,000 farmers in its first year of implementation, it also was successful “as…

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Free SHS implementation: The President’s warning and the missing link

February 21, 2018Leave a comment

In 2003, I got the opportunity to teach in a junior high school in the central region. I was given the opportunity to represent my head teacher in most of the Ghana Education Service workshops and training programmes. Most of these workshops gave me an understanding of how our school system is managed and run…

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Find lasting solution to DR Congo’s crisis – President

February 19, 2018Leave a comment

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on the African Union (AU) to urgently find a lasting solution to the perennial conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He said the depressing news of the continuing and deepening crisis in the DRC, leading to the massive displacement of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians,…

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‘Ghana needs transformational leaders who can translate words into action’ Education-President

February 19, 2018Leave a comment

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said Ghana needs transformational leaders who can translate words into action, as the country strives to join the developed economies. He said the Government could not make every citizen rich but with the political will it could create the environment for equal opportunities for all, hence the Free Senior High…

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Ghana Hosts Meeting On ECOWAS Single Currency

February 19, 2018Leave a comment

Ghana is hosting the 5th ECOWAS Presidential Task Force Meeting on the Single Currency Programme from the 17th – 21st February, 2018 at the Accra International Conference Centre. The four-day meeting is being chaired by Ghana’s President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H. E. Muhammadu Buhari; President of…

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Judiciary’s Response To Atuguba’s Research Unfortunate – Chris Ackumey

February 19, 2018Leave a comment

Private legal practitioner Chris Ackumey has described as unfortunate the judiciary’s reaction to the findings of a survey conducted by Professor Raymond Atuguba. The Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo and other judges have rebuked the Legon law professor over his latest research which concluded that judges at the Supreme Court, in times when the law is…

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Togo crisis talks set to begin on Monday

February 19, 2018Leave a comment

The Togolese government and opposition finally decided to convene on Monday for a last resort at dialogue. Discussions are expected to resolve the political crisis that has been going on for six months. Since the advent of multiparty politics in the early 1990s, some 15 dialogues and talks have been held in Lomé, without ever…

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#Homegrown

February 19, 2018Leave a comment

  On Monday, February 19, 2018 when this column will be published, the Petroleum Commission (PC), the regulator of the upstream industry and Ghana’s lucrative petroleum resources will host a meeting in Accra themed ‘Local Content Procurement Conference.’ There are more than 500 companies including joint ventures registered with the PC, along with International Oil…

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Financing, commercialisation of Ghana’s agriculture: An analysis

February 19, 2018Leave a comment

Introduction Ghana’s Agriculture has been subsistence since independence and basically depends on the weather.According to MOFA (2010), Agriculture is predominantly on a smallholder basis in Ghana and the main system of farming is traditional, with hoe and cutlass as the main farming tools. It further states that about 90% of farm holdings are less than…

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Togo: Akufo-Addo mediates first-ever formal dialogue between Gnassingbé and opposition

February 19, 2018Leave a comment

President Akufo-Addo will Monday morning mediate the political impasse between the Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé and the opposition coalition. The dialogue is part of a six-month-long attempt to end the series of protests that have claimed at least sixteen lives. The meeting today is expected to chart a credible way forward on the political future…

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Members of GLC should be facing 10-years jail term by now- Atuguba

February 16, 2018Leave a comment

A Law lecturer at the University of Ghana has not only ruffled feathers with his unconventional research on judges and their political affiliations but has suggested that members of the General Legal Council should have been in jail by now. According to Prof Raymond Atuguba, members of the GLC, the regulatory body of the law…

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The teen rescuing street children in Nigeria

February 15, 2018Leave a comment

Many of the street children helped by James (in suit) come from displaced camps In our series of letters from African journalists, novelist and writer Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani looks at how a teenager is transforming the lives of a city’s street children. James Okina is quite open about his tearaway teenage days: Shoplifting; stealing from…

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I Resign, but Not Because I Agree With You, Zuma Tells the ANC

February 15, 2018Leave a comment

Former president Jacob Zuma has avoided a motion of no confidence in Parliament by resigning as head of state – although he still disagrees with the ANC’s decision to recall him. “I do not fear exiting political office. However, I have only asked my party to articulate my transgressions and the reason for its immediate…

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Nigeria: Uproar As Senate Reverses Election Sequence of 2019

February 15, 2018Leave a comment

Abuja — Intrigues ahead of next year’s general election took a fresh twist, yesterday, with the Senate’s approval of a new sequence for the polls. The schedule released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had fixed presidential and National Assembly elections for Saturday, February 16, 2019, while governorship and state Assembly elections come up…

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Ghana may not need foreign aid if we manage corruption – Martin Amidu

February 15, 2018Leave a comment

Nominee for the Office of the Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu believes the one of the surest ways to reduce corruption and become a self-reliant country is to block leakages and slippages at public institutions. According to him building a strong public institution coupled with curbing corrupt practices at these places will breed a credible institution.…

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Turning promises into reality: – Ambitious action needed to secure the future of Ghana’s fisheries

February 15, 2018Leave a comment

In November 2013, Ghana received a yellow card from the European Union (EU) for failing to fulfil its international obligations to combat illegal fishing. The warning prompted new policies and laws, a plan of action to eradicate illegal fishing and reforms addressing management failures in Ghana’s fisheries. The yellow card was lifted in October 2015…

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Protecting our water bodies — Who cares?

February 15, 2018Leave a comment

Protecting our water bodies — Who cares?Water, they say, is life. This is a common saying but never taken seriously because we are fortunate today to access that valuable resource everywhere in the country. In December last year, I was in Sandton, South Africa, with a few colleagues from other parts of the continent at…

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Nuclear Meltdown

February 15, 2018Leave a comment

It has taken a while to establish the trend but in the silver jubilee year of the 4th Republic, many roads now lead, thankfully, to court.The Citizen Ghana Movement (CGM) secured a ruling from the Human Rights Court on Friday, February 9th 2018, compelling the Electoral Commission (EC) to insist on the constitutionally mandated requirement…

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Ghana retires @60

February 15, 2018Leave a comment

Ghana is now 60 and attained its own retirement age on March 6, 2017. She would have received a letter indicating she was to retire about six months ago and would have gone through Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) processes to begin the working out of Ghana’s Pension. We are by this assuming…

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Don’t politicise national issues — VC of UDS

February 15, 2018Leave a comment

The Vice Chancellor of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Professor Gabriel Ayum Teye, has bemoaned the over-politicisation of every national issue in the country, including education. According to him, every issue was seen in the lenses of either the National Democratic Congress (NDC) or the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and oftentimes, the real substance…

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COTVET promotes gender parity

February 15, 2018Leave a comment

The Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET), in partnership with Uniterra World University Service of Canada (WUSC), is promoting gender parity in male dominated trade areas in Ghana. Uniterra (WUSC) is a leading Canadian International Cooperation Programme that improves the socio-economic conditions of people in 14 countries in Africa, Asia and the…

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Jammeh-era media laws violated freedom of expression – ECOWAS court

February 15, 2018Leave a comment

A regional court sitting in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Wednesday found that Jammeh-era media laws violated the right to freedom of expression in The Gambia. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Regional Court of Justice thus ruled in favour of petitioners who dragged The Gambia before the court over the particular set…

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NCCE moves to rekindle spirit of self-help

February 15, 2018Leave a comment

The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has upped its effort to awakening the spirit of self-help – to get the people to do more themselves to better their living conditions. Ms. Margaret Konama, the Kumasi Metropolitan Director, said the communities could not continue to over rely on the government for their every single development…

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We’ll invest more in security for greater development – President

February 15, 2018Leave a comment

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Wednesday stressed the resolve of government to invest more in security and safety to ensure social cohesion for greater development. Government, he said, would make certain that the nation was not overrun by criminal elements with impunity, assuring that the Police Service would, in the coming months, witness a…

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Amidu is ‘fired up for the job’ but … – Bentil

February 14, 2018Leave a comment

Vice President of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Kofi Bentil, says although Mr Martin Amidu re-affirmed his firm anti-graft disposition during Tuesday’s vetting, his job as Special Prosecutor will not be a walk in the park. Although Mr Amidu is yet to be officially sworn-in as Special Prosecutor, Myjoyonline.com has gathered that legislators on…

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Corruption-free Ghana is my agenda, not status – Amidu

February 14, 2018Leave a comment

The Special Prosecutor nominee has said he turned down an invitation to become a justice of the Supreme Court in 1999, stressing taking up the appointment is not about status. Rather, Martin Amidu in his opening statement at Parliament’s Appointment Committee Tuesday stressed that his decision to accept the appointment as the country’s first Special…

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Indonesia’s Papua province children starving in a land of gold

February 13, 2018Leave a comment

A measles and malnutrition crisis has killed at least 72 people, mostly children, in Indonesia’s remote province of Papua, home to the world’s biggest gold mine. As Rebecca Henschke and Hedyer Affan report, the crisis has put the spotlight on a region closed off to journalists for decades and revealed serious government failings. Just two…

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Communiqué On The Right To Information Bill

February 13, 2018Leave a comment

We, participants at the Multi-stakeholder Anti-Corruption Strategic Meeting on the Right to Information (RTI) organised in Accra by the Right to Information (RTI) Coalition and the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) Consortium, have observed with disappointment the continuing failure of Government to submit to Parliament and ensure passage of the Right to Information (“RTI”) Bill, despite…

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Multitasking

February 13, 2018Leave a comment

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is fluent in 2 European languages; English and French. A useful skill, given that Ghana is surrounded by Francophone countries on 3 sides (La Cote d’Ivoire, Togo and Burkina Faso) and faced on its coastline, by the unforgiving Atlantic sea. We are also a nation, much divided by inherent and deliberate…

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‘Toxic waste’ from Chinese factory threatens Asutuare farmers

February 12, 2018Leave a comment

Farmers at Asuature in the Shai Osuduku District of the Greater Accra Region, and surrounding communities, risk losing their livelihoods because of a supposed toxic waste released by a toiletries and plastics manufacturing Chinese company in the area. The Osudoku Senior High Technical School has been shut down because of a harmful smoke emitted from…

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Former Liberian President Sirleaf wins Mo Ibrahim Prize

February 12, 2018Leave a comment

Former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has become the first woman to win a coveted $5m prize for African leadership. Sirleaf won the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership on Monday in recognition for her efforts to rebuild her country following two civil wars. “Ellen Johnson Sirleaf took the helm of Liberiawhen it…

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Togo: Mediators expected amid calls for change

February 12, 2018Leave a comment

International mediators are expected in Togo next week following months of protests against the government and the president. The Gnassingbe family has been in charge for 51 years, and many in Togo are demanding change. Pressure from the streets has brought a commitment by the president to enter constitutional reform talks.Few expect concrete results. Source:…

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Sleeping with the enemy

February 12, 2018Leave a comment

It was Genevan and British political theorist, Jean-Louis de Lolme (1740 – 1806), who in criticising what he observed as excessive powers of the British Parliament, wrote that “Parliament can do everything but make a woman a man and a man a woman”.Of course, in the present age when science has made sex change possible…

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Emotional democracy and dissenting minority reports and opinions

February 12, 2018Leave a comment

Yesterday, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo delivered his second State of the Nation Address to Parliament as required by our Constitution. But the address came after this column had been written and another time may be found in future to dwell on the interesting aspects of that address. My interest today is, however, on events…

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Rural women’s land right in Ghana; Reflecting on the Kilimanjaro Initiative Campaign

February 12, 2018Leave a comment

  Rural women farmers till the lands and plant seeds to feed nations. They ensure food security for their communities and build climate resilience. However when it comes to owning land, accessing agricultural inputs, financing and technologies for climate resilience, they are left far behind men. In Ghana, although a number of international conventions, protocols…

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Support parents of children with special needs

February 12, 2018Leave a comment

  The term special needs covers a wild spectrum of disabilities such as down syndrome, autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But all these have something in common. They all face physical, mental and emotional challenges that make it difficult for them to cope with everyday living. My focus is cerebral palsy because I identify with…

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Enhancing the developmental capacity of Ghana’s political parties

February 12, 2018Leave a comment

The critical conversation about “Enhancing the developmental capacity of Ghana’s political parties”, which is long overdue, was introduced at a roundtable discussion by the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG). It is a matter that should have been part of the considerations in the transition from dictatorship to democracy ahead of the promulgation and operation of…

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Agriculture policies should be responsive to gender — NETRIGHT

February 12, 2018Leave a comment

Network for Women’s Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT), an NGO, has underscored the need for policies in the agriculture sector to be responsive to gender. To achieve gender equality in the agricultural sector, stakeholders needed to ensure that, agriculture policy interventions benefitted both women and men equally, it stated.According to the organisation, women who formed the…

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Ugandans suspended over ‘refugee scam’

February 9, 2018Leave a comment

Four Ugandan government officials have been suspended amid allegations of inflating refugee figures. Uganda’s Commissioner for Refugees Apollo Kazungu and three of his senior staff are being investigated. Investigations will also consider whether officials from UN aid agencies were involved. Uganda is said to host some 1.4 million refugees – welcoming more than any other…

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Strong Men, Weak Institutions

February 9, 2018Leave a comment

Domelevo, Amidu and Despite. Three strong men navigating weak institutions. The first is an Auditor General seeking prosecutorial power to reinvigorate the state purse; the second is a Special Prosecutor with a reputation for integrity; and the third is a gender award winning businessman putting some of his fortune into better health with a children’s…

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3,000 unemployed youth to undergo digital marketing entrepreneurship training

February 9, 2018Leave a comment

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has launched the Online/Digital Marketing Entrepreneurship programme for 3,000 unemployed youth to undergo a 3 month all-expense paid training programme. The training is aimed at equipping the youth with skills to start-up their own businesses thereby reducing the unemployment canker amongst the youth in the country. Launching the programme on…

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The Commonwealth has confirmed the successful readmission of Gambia into the global bloc.

February 9, 2018Leave a comment

The West African country becomes the 53rd nation but fourth to rejoin. The Gambia referred to as “smiling coast of West Africa” joins the likes of South Africa, Fiji and Pakistan who all left at a point and gained readmission. In 2013, exiled President Yahya Jammeh pulled the country out of the Commonwealth. Jammeh at…

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FULL: THE STATE OF THE NATION DELIVERED BY PRESIDENT NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO-ADDO

February 8, 2018Leave a comment

Mr Speaker, I am happy to be here again in this august House, a place where I have experienced some of the most memorable moments of my political career, and made some cherished friendships across the political divide. I am glad too that, in accordance with protocol and convention, First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo, Vice President…

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Highlights of Akufo-Addo’s 2018 State of the Nation Address

February 8, 2018Leave a comment

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo today delivered his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Parliament. Below are highlights of his address. ECONOMY I am glad to be able to report that the Economic Management Team, under the stellar leadership of the strong, brilliant economist, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, has risen to the challenge,…

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India: The fight to end ‘virginity test’ for newlyweds

February 8, 2018Leave a comment

Pune, an industrial city in the west of India, home to many IT giants and also the first Trump-branded apartments in the country, is a cosmopolitan hub. But within this urbane city lies a deeply conservative hinterland. On January 21, three young men, Prashant Indrekar, Saurabh Machhle and Prashant Tamchikar, who were part of an…

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Nigeria’s ‘cattle colony’ problem

February 8, 2018Leave a comment

Since the New Year, more than 80 people have been killed in clashes between nomadic herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria’s central Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa states. Herders, mostly from the Fulani ethnic group, and farmers often clash over the use of fertile land. For a very long time, the Nigerian government did not offer a…

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South Sudan: More than 300 child soldiers released

February 8, 2018Leave a comment

More than 300 child soldiers have been released from armed groups in South Sudan, the United Nations has announced. The 311 children, including 87 girls, will now begin reintegrating into their communities, the UN mission in the country (UNMISS) said in a statement on Wednesday. “Children should not be carrying guns and killing each other,”…

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Raila Odinga says he wants fresh election held in August

February 8, 2018Leave a comment

Kenya’s National Super Alliance leader Raila Odinga has demanded fresh elections by August but ruled out any plans to lead a coup against President Uhuru Kenyatta. In a three minute BBC interview, Mr Odinga maintained that he did not recognise Mr Kenyatta as the President “since he does not have the legitimacy of the people”.…

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Forestry C’ssion commences reclamation exercise in mining communities

February 8, 2018Leave a comment

The Forestry Commission has commenced an exercise to reclaim 50 hectares of land destroyed by illegal miners in the Apramprama Forest Reserve, near Jacobu in the Amansie Central District in the Ashanti Region. Under the project, large and deep trenches left by the activities of ‘galamseyers’ will be reclaimed and a tree-planting exercise carried out.…

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education and the promotion of children’s rights

February 8, 2018Leave a comment

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child defines child as “a human being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier”. Children at birth take on the social and economic status of their parents and are generally subject to abuse if special…

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RTI competing with other Bills – Ama Dokuaa

February 8, 2018Leave a comment

A Deputy Minister for Information, Ama Dokuaa Asiamah Agyei, has noted that the delay in passing the Right to Information Bill, is largely because other equally important Bills are also fighting for attention. She thus explained that, the delay does not mean the Bill is not a priority, and that other bills from different sectors…

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French racism, anxiety and love for postcolonialism

February 7, 2018Leave a comment

At this year’s Paris edition of Nuit des idees (the Night of Ideas), Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie made two remarks that caused a stir. The more widely publicised one was her gentle rebuke of interviewer Caroline Broue’s question as to whether there are bookstores in Nigeria. Adichie replied, “I think it reflects very poorly…

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People’s Tribunal on Economic Crime Set to Challenge the Powerful

February 7, 2018Leave a comment

The People’s Tribunal on Economic Crime in South Africa will open its first hearings this Saturday, 3 February, at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg. People’s Tribunals have been led by citizens and civil society for over four decades to address human rights abuses and war crimes in many contexts, including Palestine and Indonesia. Importantly, the South…

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Are Grants for Losers?

February 7, 2018Leave a comment

Mark Ritchie, former Minnesota Secretary of State and former president of the Minneapolis-based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, sent Felix an email about a very interesting interview with Kevin Watkins, the CEO of Save the Children Fund (UK). The interview and commentary was by Russell Hargrave in devex: “Save the Children CEO on a…

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Jaha Dukureh: ‘Don’t sensationalise FGM survivors’

February 7, 2018Leave a comment

When Jaha Dukureh was a week old, she survived female genital mutilation (FGM) in The Gambia. When she was 15 years old, she was forced into marriage and sent to New York to be with her husband. On her wedding night, she was cut again to allow for the consummation of the marriage. The second…

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42% of Ghanaians live with ‘psychological disorder’ – GHS report

February 7, 2018Leave a comment

A recent data from the Ghana Health Service has revealed that about 41 percent of Ghanaians have some psychological disorder. Further, the data said 32.4 percent lived with a mental disease while 13 percent of persons with mental disability-adjusted have life years. The Deputy Executive Director of the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) gave…

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Let us pray, for what?

February 7, 2018Leave a comment

The meeting in the Botsio Auditorium at the Alisa Hotel started 12 minutes after the advertised time, with a prayer. I was captivated. Said invocation was mercifully short. Ghana is a secular country and I usually have no patience for public displays of virtuosity. Praying before public events is usually a signal for imminent mediocrity…

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The threats of youth unemployment in Ghana

February 7, 2018Leave a comment

The definition of “National Security” is ever changing, as its framework is based on the study of human evolution and behaviour. There have been many factors serving as contributors to the threats to states and population, including armed conflict, xenophobia, gang violence, terrorism, religious extremism and sectarian violence, which are fervently featured in the media.…

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Reckless Raila?…leadership lessons & losses

February 7, 2018Leave a comment

Raila Odinga. The People’s President of Kenya? I watched a video where Mr. Odinga inaugurated himself as a President of a nation that had already elected President Uhuru Kenyatta. Confused? Aren’t we all! What a wow! This is an extraordinary series of events. Kenya ignited global headlines when post 8 August 2017 elections, Kenya’s Supreme…

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FGM Is A Crime; Stop It – Otiko

February 6, 2018Leave a comment

The Minister for Gender, Children & Social Protection, Otiko Afisah Djaba, has served notice to proponents of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) will be prosecuted since the practice is against the laws of Ghana. As the world marks the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation on Tuesday, February 6, 2018, Ms Djaba is…

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Do we really need new regions in Ghana?

February 6, 2018Leave a comment

In recent years, there has been an outpouring of calls from chiefs and opinion leaders across Ghana for additional regions to be created. The incessant demand has forced the government to set up a commission of inquiry to examine the pros and cons of creating additional regions. Currently, Ghana is divided into ten regions, 275…

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Use your power, Madam Attorney General

February 6, 2018Leave a comment

Dear Attorney General Gloria Akuffo: During your confirmation hearings, you spoke eloquently about the tyranny of the entrance tariffs imposed on qualified students by the GLC. At the launch of the 58th annual Law week, a few months ago, you called “for the restructuring of the current legal education system in the country in tandem…

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RTI Bill: Open letter to 1st Deputy Speaker of Parliament

February 6, 2018Leave a comment

I trust this finds you very well.  I have decided to use this medium to communicate with you because I read something attributed to you which I find very disturbing. Before I get to what I read, I don’t think we as a Coalition thanked you enough for the role you played in supporting the…

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PhD Student Fellowship at MU Sinclair School of Nursing in USA, 2018

February 5, 2018Leave a comment

Scholarship Description: The Sinclair School of Nursing at the University of Missouri is accepting applications for two T32 Health Behavior Science Pre-Doctoral Fellowship. The T32 Health Behavior Science Pre-Doctoral Fellowship provides financial support (stipend, tuition/fees, health insurance, travel to conferences), mentoring and research skill development opportunities to goal-directed, full-time nursing PhD students dedicated to pursuing…

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Communication, Cultural and Media Studies (PhD)

February 5, 2018Leave a comment

Our research activity in Communication, Cultural and Media Studies focuses on a wide range of aspects of the interplay between media audiences, industries, technologies and texts. DurationThe maximum duration for a part-time PhD is 6 years (72 months) with an optional submission pending (writing up period) of 12 months. If studying on a part-time basis,…

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TUD Scholarship Program for Early-Career Female Scientists in Germany, 2018

February 5, 2018Leave a comment

The Technical University Dresden (TUD) is offering Scholarship Program for the Promotion of Early-Career Female Scientists of TU Dresden (without Faculty of Medicine) in Germany. This TU Dresden scholarship program aims to promote early-career female scientists of TU Dresden with a full scholarship for up to 3 years. The Technical University Dresden (TUD) is one…

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MBA Scholarships for Women at Berlin School of Economics and Law in Germany, 2018 FacebookWhatsAppTwitterLinkedInEmail

February 5, 2018Leave a comment

The Berlin School of Economics and Law is offering four partial scholarships every year each worth € 5,000 for a study place in the Berlin MBA programme. The Berlin School of Economics and Law is a German business school founded on 1 April 2009 through the merger of the Berlin School of Economics and the…

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British Council India 70th Anniversary Scholarships for Masters in UK, 2018

February 5, 2018Leave a comment

Applications are invited for British Council India 70th Anniversary Scholarships held at UK institutions. Indian students are eligible to apply for this scholarship. The aim of the British Council India 70th Anniversary Scholarship is to support Sustainable Development Goal to achieve gender equality and empower women and girls, women who are likely to become leaders…

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Bristol University Think Big Scholarships

February 5, 2018Leave a comment

Brief description:In 2018, Bristol University is investing £500,000 to help the brightest and best international students come to the University of Bristol. 26 Think Big Undergraduate scholarships and 26 Think Big Postgraduate scholarships are available for courses starting in 2018 University of BristolBachelors/Masters Degree Deadline: 23 Mar/29 June 2018 (annual) Study in: UK Course starts…

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Transform Together Scholarships for International and European Union (non-UK) Students

February 5, 2018Leave a comment

Transform Together scholarships are open to international students and European Union (non-UK) students applying to a full-time undergraduate or postgraduate taught course at Sheffield Hallam University in the 2018/19 academic year. Host Institution(s): Sheffield Hallam University in UK Field(s) of study: All full-time undergraduate and postgraduate taught courses offered at the University. Number of Scholarships:…

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New Zealand Development Scholarships

February 5, 2018Leave a comment

New Zealand Development Scholarships (NZDS) give candidates from selected developing countries an opportunity to gain knowledge and skills through study in specific subject areas which will assist in the development of their home country. NZDS are funded by the New Zealand Aid Programme, the New Zealand Government’s overseas aid and development programme. They are managed…

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New Zealand ASEAN Scholarships

February 5, 2018Leave a comment

The New Zealand ASEAN Scholar Awards (NZAS) recognise New Zealand’s close cultural, economic, and geographic ties with Southeast Asia. They seek to empower individuals with the knowledge, skills and qualifications to contribute to the economic, social, and political development of their region. These scholarships are offered for postgraduate level study only. NZAS are funded by…

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FELLOWSHIP IN FOOD PROTECTION

February 5, 2018Leave a comment

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT FOR THE INTEGRATED FOOD SAFETY SYSTEM The IFPTI Fellowship Program is a unique, year-long program for food protection professionals who want to make a positive impact on the profession through association membership, advocacy, and applied leadership. This Program takes a multifaceted approach incorporating three on-location weeklong sessions, periodic webinars, and a mentor-guided research…

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Odinga’s surprise package for new AU Chairman Paul Kagame

February 5, 2018Leave a comment

Last Monday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the 30th African Union (AU) Summit ended with a call for strengthening the continent’s resolve and capacity in the fight against corruption and poverty as part of actions towards the early attainment of the union’s long-term vision dubbed: Agenda 2063. Other highlights of the summit included the election of…

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”The People’s President” – A mark of intense tribal politics in Kenya?

February 5, 2018Leave a comment

The objective of Africa’s development has been seriously undermined by tribalism, which provides one of the hunting grounds to prey on Africa’s development processes. People’s behaviour and attitude that stem from strong loyalty to one’s own tribe or social group above others is tribalism. Most often than not, they are brought about by cognizance of…

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Deputy Speaker’s Comments on RTI Bill Very Unfortunate, Misleading – MFWA

February 2, 2018Leave a comment

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has read with dismay comments attributed to the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei Owusu, suggesting that Parliament does not consider the Right to Information (RTI) Bill as a priority. We are even more saddened and amazed by the Deputy Speaker’s view that an RTI Law will…

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Ghana Not Progressing In Budget Transparency – OBS Report

February 2, 2018Leave a comment

Ghana’s performance on budget transparency, has aptly been described as stagnant, following its very little progress made over the past two years, an Open Budget survey (OBS) report has said. In 2017, Ghana scored 50 out of 100 in the Open Budget Index (OBI), and this represents a fall in scores in comparison with a…

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The refugee crisis isn’t about refugees. It’s about us

February 2, 2018Leave a comment

I was born in 1957, the same year China purged more than 300,000 intellectuals, including writers, teachers, journalists and whoever dared to criticise the newly established communist government. As part of a series of campaigns led by what was known as the anti-rightist movement, these intellectuals were sent to labour camps for “re-education”. Because my…

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Gender equality at work is a matter of respect, not just money

February 2, 2018Leave a comment

Fifty years ago this spring, the sewing machinists at Ford’s Dagenham plant famously downed tools and in doing so changed history. But contrary to popular belief, the strike that nudged Barbara Castle into creating the Equal Pay Act didn’t start over equal pay. It was originally a demand for recognition, for the women who stitched…

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Kenya: U.S. and EU Criticise Odinga Oath, Call for Respect of Law

February 2, 2018Leave a comment

 The US Department of State and the European Union have slammed Nasa leader Raila Odinga’s January 30 ‘swearing-in’ and the shutdown of television stations. In separate press statements posted on their websites on Thursday, they emphasised that all leaders and the government should obey the Kenyan Constitution ad the rule of law. ELECTIONS The US…

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Human rights bodies condemn media shutdown in Kenya

February 2, 2018Leave a comment

The Kenyan authorities “violated the public’s right to information” by blocking broadcasts of TV channels that defied a ban on live coverage of the symbolic inauguration of Raila Odinga as “the people’s president”, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Wednesday. The human rights body released a statement that also highlighted the deteriorating human rights record of…

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Zimbabwe appoints female High Court judge as new head of election body

February 1, 2018Leave a comment

Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appointed High Court Judge Priscilla Chigumba as the new chairperson of the national election agency, according to an appointment letter seen by Reuters on Wednesday. The Zimbabwe Election Commission has not had a permanent chairperson since Rita Makarau resigned in December, months before a vote whose credibility is crucial to…

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Who protects the child?

February 1, 2018Leave a comment

Very often, we hear cases of child abuse which includes, emotional abuse, physical abuse and sexual abuse. It is worthy to note that most abused children have some sort of relationship with their abusers. The abusers are either, mothers, fathers, other members from nuclear and extended family and family friends including neighbours and caregivers. Sexual…

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Address loopholes in Planting for Food and Jobs – Peasant Farmers to gov’t

February 1, 2018Leave a comment

The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) has called on government to address delays to input distribution, the poor quality of inputs, as well as bureaucracies holding back smooth implementation of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) initiative. According to the PFAG, reports from its regional monitoring identified loopholes it believes could severely hamper…

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We can’t do without FDIs —Yofi Grant

February 1, 2018Leave a comment

There is the need to balance the debate around whether the country should rely more on local investment or foreign direct investment, especially as indigenous companies do not have the requisite financial muscle to drive socio-economic growth, CEO of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), Yofi Grant, has stated. “We cannot grow the economy on…

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Time to redeem Africa from corruption

February 1, 2018Leave a comment

Corruption is a major contributor to Africa’s stunted development. By corroding and weakening governance institutions and the democratic values of human rights, gender equality, justice, and the rule of law, it has hindered the continent’s progress toward peace and prosperity. A 2002 AU study estimated that Africa loses about $150 billion annually to corruption. Illicit…

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‘I was 12 when I married a 35-year-old’

January 31, 2018Leave a comment

All too often girls in countries across sub-Saharan Africa can be married off an early age, trapping them in a cycle that is almost impossible to escape. They can be held by poverty, sexual and domestic violence, and social stigma. But a charity, Camfed, is working to keep girls in school, in the belief that…

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Algerian, South African scientists scoop AU accolades

January 31, 2018Leave a comment

Algerian professor Malik Maaza and South Africa’s Professor Robert Peter Miller have been honoured with 2017 Kwame Nkrumah Scientific Awards at the just concluded African Union (AU) Summit. The accolade is awarded annually to African researchers and scientists for their research in various fields of technology and the social sciences. Maaza was honoured by the…

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Kenya govt declares Odinga’s resistance movement a criminal group

January 31, 2018Leave a comment

The Kenyan government has declared the main opposition National Super Alliance’s offshoot, National Resistance Movement (NRM) as an illegal entity. According to a special gazette notice issued today under the Prevention of organized Crimes Act, the government declared as follows: “IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by section 22 of the organized Crimes Act of…

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George Weah vows to change Liberia’s citizenship laws

January 31, 2018Leave a comment

Liberia’s President George Weah has called for the removal of a “racist” clause in the constitution which restricts citizenship to black people. The clause was “unnecessary, racist and inappropriate”, the ex-football star said in his first State of Nation since being elected president. He also pledged to scrap the law which prohibits foreigners owning land.…

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Odinga’s action is unlawful; AU must act – Chair of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee

January 31, 2018Leave a comment

Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament says Tuesday’s ceremony pronouncing Raila Odinga as President of Kenya is unacceptable. Frank Annoh Dompreh, who is also MP for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, says the action by Kenya’s opposition is out of place and should not be tolerated in the body politics of Africa. He has called on the…

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Why Rwanda’s Development Model Wouldn’t Work Elsewhere in Africa

January 30, 2018Leave a comment

Rwanda is often touted as an example of what African states could achieve if only they were better governed. Out of the ashes of a horrific genocide, President Paul Kagame has resuscitated the economy, curtailed corruption and maintained political stability. This is a record that many other leaders can only dream of, and has led…

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One-district, one-factory – Challenges of quality, globalisation and environmental sustainability

January 30, 2018Leave a comment

There is no gainsaying that the initiative by the Akufo-Addo government to transform the country’s economy from predominantly, agro raw materials-based to a more industry–lead through the one-district, one-factory is a laudable one which needs commendation and the support of all Ghanaians. However, with the history of failed industrialisation efforts from the first republic and…

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Africa: Study Shows African Migrants Are Better Educated Than U.S. Citizens

January 30, 2018Leave a comment

I’ll never forget my sister’s experience in undergrad with a Nigerian classmate that she says had an attitude with her since she stepped foot inside their medical ethics class. My sister would come home saying the classmate often threw labels at her and her friend like “ghetto” and “entitled” and my sister could never quite…

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Tanzania: Punishment Won’t Stop Teenage Pregnancies in Tanzania Because ‘Bad Behaviour’ Isn’t the Cause

January 30, 2018Leave a comment

ANALYSIS In Tanzania, if you’re a schoolgirl and fall pregnant, it could mean the end of your education. Even though successive governments have made a push for girls education, those that fall pregnant are routinely expelled from school, and prevented from returning. Most recently this punitive approach was taken to the extreme when school girls…

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Meet the woman challenging Arab notions of disability

January 30, 2018Leave a comment

It was 2008 in the Gaza Strip. When winter arrived, so did the Israeli warplanes. Reem Alfranji lived in a second-floor apartment with her husband, Mohammad, and two sons – five-year-old Aboud and Amro, a toddler. During glass-shattering uninterrupted bombardment, the family would stay at her uncle’s downstairs, where the vibrations were less aggressive. “The…

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We can still win the fight against climate change

January 30, 2018Leave a comment

As 2017 drew to an end, becoming one of the three hottest years on record, my native United States conversely experienced dangerously frigid, Arctic weather, leading to intense debate about how climate change could also be the cause of extreme cold. Although the big freeze was predictably seized upon by climate sceptics to scorn the…

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Principles of service -A lost art in public service?

January 30, 2018Leave a comment

In September 2012, the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), organised a public lecture in the run-up to the election that year. The public lecture was on the theme, “Managing political and administrative transitions: The British Experience.” The speaker, Lord Gus O’Donnel, who had retired from a long career in the civil service after becoming its…

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Rising internet shutdowns aimed at ‘silencing dissent

January 30, 2018Leave a comment

Governments around the world are increasingly shutting down internet access in an apparent attempt to silence discontent and dissent, activists say. In 2017, internet access was cut off more than 80 times around the world, up from 56 times the year before, drawing concerns from digital rights activists. “We do see this as evidence for…

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Corruption in the churches and palaces – Let’s halt them

January 30, 2018Leave a comment

In a country of 28 million multi-cultural and ethnic groupings, it is very ironic that without exception, almost to a man, we all complain daily about the negative effects of corruption and yet, we are non-committal when it comes to punishing those we know to be corrupt to root it out of society. Ordinarily, it…

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Africa dominating rising global hunger rates

January 30, 2018Leave a comment

United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has warned that hunger is on the rise across the world with Africa registering the highest rates. He was speaking during an event organised on the margins of the African Union Summit under the theme: “Renewed Partnership to End Hunger in Africa by 2025 – Five Years Later: Taking Stock…

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Tension in Kenya ahead of Odinga’s banned inauguration

January 30, 2018Leave a comment

Kenya’s main opposition coalition the National Super Alliance (NASA) says it will press on with a planned inauguration banned by the authorities. There is tension in the capital Nairobi where the event is scheduled to take place. Police have declared the venue – Uhuru Park – as “out-of-bounds” but have asked citizens to go about…

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Save our police officers

January 30, 2018Leave a comment

Police officers have been killed while performing their duties since 1821 when professional policing was introduced by the British to the then Gold Coast, now the Republic of Ghana and formalized in 1894 with the passage of Police Ordinance which gave legal authority for the formation of a Civil Police Force now the Ghana Police…

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CDD-Ghana calls on Parliament to summon A-G, Information Minister over RTI bill

January 30, 2018Leave a comment

The Centre for Democratic Development, CDD-Ghana, has appealed to Parliament to summon the Attorney General and Minister of Justice as well as the Information Minister over the delay in the passage of the Right to Information Bill. According to a senior research fellow at CDD-Ghana, Ambassador Francis Tsegah, Parliament must demand answers from Gloria Akuffo…

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‘Current Plant Breeders Bill bad for farmers’ – PFAG JANUARY 29, 2018

January 30, 2018Leave a comment

Peasant farmers have called on Parliament to undertake proper consultation before passing the Plant Breeders Bill in order to ensure that the interests of farmers are considered. According to the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), the bill in its current state is detrimental to farmers as it will not allow them to save their…

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“Fight for protection, respect for Human Rights must remain constant” – Akufo-Addo

January 29, 2018Leave a comment

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has launched the 70th-anniversary celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with a call on all to ensure that the fight for the protection and respect for human rights remains a constant one. Speaking at an event to commemorate the anniversary of the Declaration, which took place on…

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“Ratify 2003 Maputo Protocol” – Akufo-Addo appeals to 17 AU member states

January 29, 2018Leave a comment

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has urged the 17 member states of the African Union, to ratify the 2003 Maputo Protocol, which is the “Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa.” As co-Chair of the Eminent Group of Advocates on the 2030 United Nations…

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Nigeria: Herdsmen Crisis – Senators Recommend Incoporation of Naval Special Forces for Covert Operations

January 29, 2018Leave a comment

  In the light of the continuous herdsmen crisis in Benue and its neighbouring states, the Senate Committee on Defence has proposed the use of the Nigerian Navy Special Forces to stem the tide. The committee led by the Chairman, Senator Isah Misau, made this proposal during an on-the-spot assessment of the units and bases…

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Africa: Reconsidering Governance in Africa

January 29, 2018Leave a comment

If you follow debate on Africa anywhere in the world, everyone will tell you that the main problem with our countries is governance. Yet this claim is new, picked from the World Bank’s World Development Report of 1989. Now it has entered the lexicon of politics as a religion; the very reason we need to…

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Africa’s progress depends on the creative energy of its youth

January 29, 2018Leave a comment

uided Bouchamaoui, the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize Co-Laureate, has warned that Africa’s growing youth population could be a plus for Africa or a political time-bomb. This, according to her, depends on how leaders anticipate the future. In remarks she made at the African Development Bank’s Eminent Speaker Series seminar on Monday, January 22 in Abidjan,…

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Think immigrants steal jobs? Think again – analysts

January 29, 2018Leave a comment

Contrary to fears that immigrants steal jobs and threaten security, a report released on Wednesday said newcomers boost developing economies and could be far more of an asset than a drain. “Most developing countries can benefit from immigrants,” said the joint report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and International Labour Organisation. Developing…

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Raila Odinga ‘not afraid of sanctions’ ahead of ‘inauguration’

January 29, 2018Leave a comment

  Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga has said he is ‘not afraid of sanctions’ ahead of his ‘swearing-in ceremony’ scheduled for Tuesday 30th January 2018. Odinga said he has received calls and threats from different ambassadors and ‘friends abroad’ asking him not to go ahead with the inauguration, but he will do it, even it…

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Kagame takes over AU leadership, commits to visa-free regime

January 29, 2018Leave a comment

  The new African Union chairperson, Paul Kagame, has said that ‘Free Movement’ for Africans ‘is achievable in 2018’. Free Movement which is part of the African Prosperity Agenda would entail the implementation of continent-wide visa-free regimes including the issuance of visas at ports of entry for Africans. ‘‘Today we launch the Single African Air…

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A proposal to amend section 16A of the Legal Profession Act (1960)

January 29, 2018Leave a comment

INTRODUCTION What has the legislature got to do with a legislative imperfection? Is the General Legal Council insulated from the principle of due process and the duty of fair hearing? Probably, there is no legislative instrument by a military government that infringes on our entrenched Fundamental Human Rights guaranteed in the 1992 constitution than section…

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Postgraduate Training Fellowship in Medical Statistics for African Scientists

January 29, 2018Leave a comment

 Two fellowships, funded by the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) and GSK, respectively, provide support for two years training in medical statistics. For the first year the successful applicants will study for the MSc degree in Medical Statistics at the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (LSHTM). This will be followed by a one-year…

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Understanding the continued opposition to GMOs

January 23, 2018Leave a comment

CANBERRA — The debate over the use of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, in food production contains many sides and perspectives — all argued passionately by their advocates. With a food-secure future being far from certain, it is a debate that can have far-reaching impacts on the development space. Large corporations producing genetically modified seeds…

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Weah’s Investiture: It’s A Good Day For West Africa – Akufo-Addo

January 23, 2018Leave a comment

 President Akufo-Addo, has described the peaceful handing over of power from one democratically elected government to another in Liberia, and the swearing-in of President George Oppong Weah, as a good day for West Africa and Africa. “[It] is an extremely important development in Liberian history, and in West African history. For us, in West Africa,…

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Liberia’s Sirleaf issues last minute order against female genital mutilation

January 23, 2018Leave a comment

  Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has issued an Executive Order seeking to protect women against domestic violence and abolishing female genital mutilation against girls below the age of 18. The order comes as part of President Sirleaf’s closing activities with barely a day in office. According to a statement issued by the presidential website,…

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President Weah lays out his agenda for Liberians

January 23, 2018Leave a comment

  While George Weah has made global headlines since his first presidential bid in 2006, many have criticised the media for focusing on his football success and ‘Cinderella’ political story rather than the substance of his politics. Today, in his inaugural speech as the 24th president of Liberia, George Weah made known his agenda and…

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Knowledge Sharing Workshop on Child Protection

January 12, 2018Leave a comment

Transforming research into evidence-based policy and practiceHeld at Tomreik Hotel on 28th November 2017Executive Summary Recent reports from research findings stress that the social and economic wellbeing of the average Ghanaian child is dire. It is estimated that poverty affects more children than it affects adults in Ghana. Projections by UNICEF indicate that almost 3…

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Use of ICT for Agriculture & Environment

January 12, 2018Leave a comment

Inspire and Make an Impact. Be a speaker at the 10thICT4D Conference taking placeMay 8 – 10 2018in Lusaka, Zambia ​We are looking for practical case studies and presentations on truly cutting-edge applications and innovationin the use of ICT for agriculture and environmental protection Agriculture and Environment conference track leads CRS, CTA and ICRISAT encourage…

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‘Allow Qualified Ghanaians To Apply For Special Prosecutor Post’

January 6, 2018Leave a comment

Former head of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Mr Emile Short, is advocating the appointment of the Special Prosecutor to be done through an application process openned to the public. In Mr Short’s view, such a system will be more transparent and devoid of any biases, which can be associated with…

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Child Marriage: A Looming Global Danger, A Problem Too Long Ignored

January 6, 2018Leave a comment

Adolescents and young people are entitled to decent livelihoods, however, girls unlike their male counterparts, face unequal risks and distinctive consequences related to the vulnerabilities they experience. Young girls, compared to their male counterparts are also more likely to drop out of school, to marry at an early age, and to bear the consequences of…

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Abolish ‘National Farmers Day’ Institute “National Irrigation Day”

January 6, 2018Leave a comment

The annual National Farmers Day has come to stay since it’s inception in 1988, to reward our hardworking and gallant farmers nationwide. It was introduced by former President Jerry John Rawlings. In his own wisdom, former President John Agyekum Kuffuor did not abandon the Awards Day. The late former president Prof John Evans Atta Mills…

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PDA Notice Board

December 21, 2017Leave a comment
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Dec202017
FUNDING & SCHOLARSHIPS Gender in Rural Entrepreneurship Advertisement 1

Gender in Rural Entrepreneurship

December 20, 2017Leave a comment

The PhD level course targets students from Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Europe that are enrolled in doctoral studies related to gender, rural entrepreneurship, or other relevant areas of study. Through lectures, group exercises, literature review, and on the ground field study, the course aims to increase knowledge and competence around both the theory and practice…

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Judgment On ROPAA Today

December 18, 2017Leave a comment

A High Court, Human Rights Division will today deliver judgment in the case brought by five citizens over the 11 years delayed implementation of the Representation of the People (ROPAA) (Amendment) Act, 2006 [ACT 699].) The applicants are Kofi A. Boateng, Nellie Kemevor, Obed Danquah, Christiana Sillim and Agyenim Boateng, all residing in New York…

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Minority parties must be relevant in affairs of state — Dr Akwetey

December 18, 2017Leave a comment

  The Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), Dr Emmanuel Akwetey, has urged minority parties in the country to reinvent themselves to be relevant based on the powers given them by the 1992 Constitution. He said political parties were the only groups given privileges by the Constitution in Article 55 (3) to…

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ECOWAS urges Togo to have an ‘inclusive dialogue’ on political crisis.

December 18, 2017Leave a comment

West African leaders have called on Togolese political actors to hold an “inclusive dialogue” as soon as Togolese again hit the streets of Lome on Saturday to protest President Gnassingbe’s regime. Togolese hit the streets of Lomé on Saturday to protest against the regime of President Faure Gnassingbé , who chaired the same day the…

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ECOWAS Leaders Resolve To Fight Terrorism, Political Instability

December 18, 2017Leave a comment

President Akufo-Addo and his colleague ECOWAS Heads of State have resolved to continue their fight against all forms of Terrorism and Political unrest in the subregion at the regional body’s 52nd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government. The activities of Boko Haram, Al Qaeda, and Terrorist groups in the Sahel…

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‘Support developing nations to implement Paris Agreement’

December 14, 2017Leave a comment

Ghana’s delegation to the just-ended annual United Nations (UN) climate change summit (COP23) in Bonn, Germany, joined the voices of developing countries’ call for more resources to be committed to efforts at reducing the impact climate change had on Ghana, and other vulnerable nations. The 70-member delegation which was part of the G77 and China…

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Speaker debunks Pro-Israel capital claims

December 14, 2017Leave a comment

The Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye, has debunked reports that he has expressed support for the declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Prof. Oquaye explained that what he had always stated was that “the Israeli and Palestinian issue is purely a case between two brothers and, therefore, an internal issue and…

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‘Feminism’ is dictionary’s word of year

December 14, 2017Leave a comment

A leading US dictionary has named “feminism” as its word of 2017 following a surge in online searches. Merriam-Webster said interest in the term was driven by women’s marches, new TV shows and films on women’s issues and the string of news stories on sexual assault and harassment claims. The number of people searching for…

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Release of child rapists in Tanzania condemned

December 14, 2017Leave a comment

The release of two musicians who were serving life sentences for the rape of primary school pupils is indicative of the Tanzanian president’s “punitive” attitude towards children, a child rights activist has said. Kate McAlpine, director of Community for Children Rights in northern Tanzania, said she was “horrified but unsurprised” by President John Magufuli’s decision.On…

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Uganda: New, old MPs split over age limit bill

December 14, 2017Leave a comment

Nearly an equal percentage of new and old MPs said they support or oppose the proposal to scrap the presidential age limit, meaning being a senior or newcomer in Parliament has no significant impact on voting decisions. Our analysis of the MPs’ intended voting pattern based on responses collated through telephone and face-to-face interviews as…

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France largely to blame for Rwandan genocide – Report

December 14, 2017Leave a comment

The issue of French complicity in events leading to the 1994 Rwandan genocide has come up again after a U.S. law firm released a report to that effect.  The report was commissioned by the Rwandan government.The Muse Report concluded that senior French officials “were aware of and aided the actions and goals of both the…

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Open Letter to President Akufo-Addo on legal education – Prof Asare

December 14, 2017Leave a comment

Dear His Excellency: Greetings. I write to you this first day of December to urge you to set up a Commission of Inquiry to explore the future of legal education in this country. To the best of my knowledge, the last time such a commission was set up was in 1958.While the country and the…

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Building Organizational Capability of the Civil Service – A Missing Link In The 2018 Budget

December 14, 2017Leave a comment

Introduction The Minister of Finance in his presentation to parliament of the 2018 budget and economic policy of the government – titled Putting Ghana back to work, emphasized the need “ to make the SDGs flow through the DNA of Ghanaians in our efforts to meet the 2030 targets.” Without a doubt it is a…

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“We Won’t Allow Liberia To Slide Back Into Instability & Conflict” – Prez Akufo-Addo

December 14, 2017Leave a comment

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says West Africa is not prepared to contemplate the scenario of Liberia sliding back into instability and conflict. According to President Akufo-Addo, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), over the years, has made a huge investment in promoting peace in Liberia, and “we will…

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Akufo-Addo Not Interested In Removing EC Chair – Eugene Arhin

December 14, 2017Leave a comment

The Director of Communications at the presidency, Eugene Arhin, has rubbished claims suggesting that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is on a deliberate mission to have the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei removed from office. In the wake of the establishment of a prima facie case against Mrs. Osei following allegations of corruption…

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Only 15 countries worldwide have three essential national policies that support families with young children – UNICEF

December 12, 2017Leave a comment

New report says around 85 million children under five live in 32 countries that do not offer families two years of free pre-primary education; paid breastfeeding breaks for new mothers for the first six months; and adequate paid parental leave – three critical policies to support children’s early brain development NEW YORK, 21 September 2017…

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Central African Republic: The country with no teachers

December 12, 2017Leave a comment

  Rivals have been fighting in the Central African Republic since 2013. In the chaos the school teachers have quietly disappeared so now parents are going through crash courses to replace them.Farmer Apollinaire Zaoro knows a thing or two about planting. While his maize and cassava grow in the field, he is sowing seeds of…

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Nigeria: Alarm over population growth

December 12, 2017Leave a comment

  ABUJA—The Federal Government has raised a fresh alarm over Nigeria’s rate of population growth; saying if unchecked will impact negatively on the country’s economy and welfare. To this end, the Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, called for the use of Community Health Extension Workers, CHEWS, to address the problems of shortage and misdistribution…

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President Akufo-Addo launches Roadmap on Harnessing Demographic Dividend

December 12, 2017Leave a comment

Accra, Dec. 11, GNA – President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Monday launched, in Accra, the African Union (AU) Roadmap on Demographic Dividend and Strategic Roadmap for empowering the youth and tapping their expertise to develop Ghana’s economy. On January 30, 2017 the continental programme, dubbed; ‘‘Harness Demographic Dividend through Investments in the Youth’’ was unveiled…

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SDG’s implementation would transform Africa’s fortunes – President Akufo-Addo

December 12, 2017Leave a comment

Accra, Dec. 11, GNA – President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Monday underscored the need for African leaders to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) to transform the fortunes of the Continent. He said it was imperative that the Continent’s leaders committed themselves to, and acted with urgency in, the pursuit of the SDG agenda,…

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Introduce Good Corporate Governance Structures – Deputy Governor

December 11, 2017Leave a comment

Dr Maxwell Opoku Afari, the First Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, has launched the GHL Bank with the call on management to introduce good corporate governance structures into their operations. He said the Bank of Ghana would from early next year introduce a new corporate governance structure guides for the industry and it…

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Obama: Elect more women ‘because men seem to be having some problems these days’

December 7, 2017Leave a comment

  Barack Obama said he believes more future leaders should be women. The former U.S. president was in Paris over the weekend, speaking to a group of media leaders, financiers and academics known as Les Napoleons. During the speech, he announced that it was time to put more women in power “because men seem to…

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Ghana beyond aid doesn’t mean we will snub assistance – Ken Ofori-Atta

December 7, 2017Leave a comment

  Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta says the government will not reject international assistance because of the ‘Ghana beyond aid’ policy strategy. He said development assistance will continue to be welcomed but it has to be in line with the country’s development agenda.Addressing the 3rd Aliu Mahama Memorial Lecture held at the National Theatre Thursday, he…

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Complementary role of traditional institutions to nation building in Ghana – By: Clement Sefa-Nyarko

December 6, 2017Leave a comment

Prior to colonial rule in many sub-Saharan African countries, traditional political systems were the primary political authority that enjoyed enormous legitimacy among the people; but which have since been manipulated by governments and other political bodies to their advantage, without having opportunity to be transformed. Of course, chieftaincy systems in the pre-colonial and colonial times…

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The corrupt cannot fight corruption!

December 6, 2017Leave a comment

  We can always hope for the best, but the reality is inevitable and we live with the reality not hopes. Making hopeful pronouncements in beautiful speeches is good but you shall be judged by the reality and not by your tantalizing hopeful pronouncements. The NPP has constantly demonstrated obvious weakness in their fight against…

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Government Moves To Ensure Ghana’s Cyber Security

December 6, 2017Leave a comment

Government has set up an Inter-Ministerial Advisory Committee and a National Cyber Security Secretariat as Ghana begins the implementation of a National Cyber Security Policy and Strategy, the Vice President of the Republic, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has disclosed. The two bodies have been tasked to advise, devise and oversee a robust defense of Ghana’s…

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Special Prosecutor Must Lead To Prosecutions And Convictions – US Ambassador

December 5, 2017Leave a comment

Mr Robert Porter Jackson, United States’ Ambassador to Ghana, says corruption will remain a challenge to Ghana’s development if the creation of the Special Prosecutor’s Office does not lead to prosecutions and convictions. He noted that while Ghana was currently not the most corrupt nation, it was also not the least corrupt country, with corruption…

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Ghana Needs Skilled Workforce Not Aid – Hungarian Minister

December 5, 2017Leave a comment

Hungarian Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Péter Szijjártó has said Ghana does not need aid or handouts from European countries, but rather a skilled workforce. He said once there is a skilled workforce who can make their know-how available to the Ghanaian economy it will ensure rapid development. Addressing attendees at a ceremony held at…

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Promoting rights of persons with disabilities in Ghana

December 4, 2017Leave a comment

In the Government’s 2018 economic policy there was a clear intent to ensure its alignment with the SDGs. Out of the 17 SDGs, SDG 11 ( make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable) and SDG 17 (Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development) defines expectations of…

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Nabdam: Food Insecurity Scare Over HIV/AIDS

December 4, 2017Leave a comment

Development watchers have expressed concerns about deepening bite of HIV/AIDS in the Nabdam District, warning it is a major roadblock to steps being taken by stakeholders to deal with low agricultural production and chronic food insecurity in that deprived part of the Upper East region. The district recorded 52 cases of the disease in 2016…

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Norwegian MP advocates gender parity in Parliament

December 4, 2017Leave a comment

  The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Rogaland County on the ticket of the Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti), Olaug Bollestad V, has advocated the need to achieve gender parity in the Norwegian Parliament. That, to her, would help to strengthen women participation in the decision-making process both at the national and global levels.…

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Ghana’s socio-economic transformation and the imperative for equitable and inclusive development.

November 30, 2017Leave a comment

  Current debates in Ghana about sustainable development express a confluence of four important trends: 1) questioning of the growing inequalities and exclusion wrought by the dominant neoliberal economic policies and the quality of growth that has resulted; 2)recognition of the advances that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Goals (SDGs)…

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Ghana Poverty and Inequality Analysis

November 30, 2017Leave a comment

Ghana has experienced steadily increasing growth of over 7% per year on average since 2005. Following the attainment of middle income country status in 2010 and discovery of offshore oil reserves, per capita growth in the country has remained relatively high. Despite the growth recorded, inequality has been increasing in the country and poverty remains…

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Ghana’s economy beyond aid depends on entrepreneurial empowerment – Danish Minister

November 30, 2017Leave a comment

  Accra, Nov. 29, GNA – Mr Anders Samuelsen, the Danish Foreign Minister has said Ghana’s quest to develop its economy beyond aid depende