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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
In the second half of 2019 alone, the PDA child abuse tracker recorded over 70 cases of child abuse. Find the infographics below:
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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 …
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…
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,…
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 —…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
“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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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,…
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,…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
“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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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.…
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…
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,…
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…
“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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 education plays a crucial role in women empowerment and has therefore bemoaned the alarming figures of girls of school going…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
“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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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:…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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,”…
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”.…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
Accra, Nov. 29, GNA – Mr Anders Samuelsen, the Danish Foreign Minister has said Ghana’s quest to develop its economy beyond aid depended highly on empowering its entrepreneurs to grow and expand their businesses. He said an expanded economy built on the back of entrepreneurs would create more jobs for unemployed young people.Mr Samuelsen…
Government’s drive to digitise the economy will be effectively complemented by the various payment initiatives the Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS) has rolled out. This will ensure that the country derives the full benefit of a digital economy. GhIPSS, since 2007 has been deploying a number of electronic payment channels, which addresses the…
A former Commissioner of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Justice Emile Short, has called for a change in the way and manner some appointments are made in order to fight against the corruption menace in the country. Justice Emile Short said, anti-corruption institutions in Ghana are not strong enough to fight graft due to…
Ghanaians must limit their expectations of the Special Prosecutor because the office cannot solve all corruption-related cases, outspoken academic Professor Ransford Gyampoh has noted. Parliament on November 14, passed the Special Prosecutor bill after it went through the necessary scrutiny in Parliament. The object of the Bill is to establish the Office of the Special…
Accra, Nov 28, GNA – A new research project aimed at tracking and reporting child abuse cases in Ghana was on Tuesday launched in Accra. The project dubbed: “Protect That Child”, which is a flagship work of Participatory Development Associates (PDA) would contribute to continuous research, fill data gap as well as create awareness and…
The Participatory Development Association (PDA), has launched a research project to track and report on child abuse cases in Ghana, using the Ushahidi online tracking platform. The move is to help create awareness and get public support for protection of child rights following reports that child maltreatment, exploitation and child marriages is on the…
Government has promised to increase funding for Research and Development (R&D) to 2.5% of GDP in the long term to boost all research programs in both Private and Public Institutions in the country. “I have also promised to increase funding for Research and Development (R&D). In the short to medium term 1% of GDP will…
US Ambassador to Ghana Robert Jackson wants the government to safeguard the public purse by holding corrupt officials accountable. While commending President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over his initiatives to make “Ghana a better place to do business,” Ambassador Jackson noted there is more room for improvement in various sectors of the economy. “We…
Climate engineering, or climate intervention, is risky but needs to be explored as a supplement – not as a ‘Plan B’ – to greenhouse gas emissions reduction, said experts at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP23), in Bonn, Germany. Climate engineering, also referred to as geoengineering, is the deliberate and large-scale intervention in the…
Stop recruiting children as land guards — COP Ampah Bennin The Central Regional Commander of the Ghana Police Service, Commissioner of Police (COP) David Ampah Bennin, has cautioned chiefs, estate developers and land owners in the Kasoa and Gomoa areas against recruiting children to become land guards to protect their lands. According to him, his…
Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, former Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has called for research into the health implications of heavy metals used by illegal miners on the various rivers in the country. He said it is not all the people staying downstream of the polluted rivers who could afford to depend on…
NAIROBI — Donors and international NGOs have not done enough to strengthen local partners, including governments and NGOs, a number of Kenya-based organizations and officials argued at the AidEx Nairobi conference this week. Local groups used the discussion on aid effectiveness to express their frustration at what they described as a disconnect between pledges and policy. High-level…
With the launch of the Free Senior High School policy by the government, Ghana seems to be pursuing a cause mooted since independence of Ghana, to improve on our country’s education. But since 1957 it has not been fully implemented till now. The program began in September will take off to a large extent the financial…
The African Union Commission has commended the Government of Ghana for implementing the Free Senior High School policy, indicating that it is a sure way of ensuring the growth of the country and Africa as a whole. Ambassador Thomas Kwesi Quartey, Deputy Chairperson, African Union Commission, who gave the commendation while speaking at an UNCTAD-organised High Level…
Do farmers really want to be paid in mobile money? To answer this question, I’ll ask you to first entertain a brief thought experiment. Imagine that your employer told you that next pay period, your company will start paying you in Bitcoin. How would you react? Sure you’ve heard about Bitcoin, but you have lots of…
Government’s flagship policy, ‘One District-One Factory’, took off last Friday at Ekumfi in the Mfantsiman District of the Central Region. The choice of the Ekumfi Pineapple Processing Factory for the official sod-cutting establishes the clearest link government wants to bring between the One District-One Factor (1D1F) programme and the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative.…
Ekumfi Pineapple Processing Factory, the first factory to be constructed under the government’s ‘One District One Factory’ project is expected to employ over 5000 people when completed by mid-2018. General Manager of the company, Daniel Kwarteng, said about $5million is expected to be invested into the project from the $2billion Exim bank Chinese loan announced…
A new study by the International Growth Centre (IGC) and the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research (ISSER) has revealed Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) lost at least GH¢200 million cedis in revenue due to dumsor between 2012 and 2015. “We also see that the crisis led to 10 percent loss in output or…
Ghanaian experts are concerned about the rising number of tuberculosis. The Ghana Health Service said 14,632 people were diagnosed with TB and put on treatment. Health experts in Ghana are urging the government to tackle rising cases of multidrug resistance tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in the country. “We need multiple TB drugs,” said Paula Fujiwara, the scientific director…
The Nigerian tech scene is booming. Last year, Lagos-based startup received $24m (£18.5m) in funding from Mark Zuckerberg. In 2015, financial technology startup Paystack – one of the first Nigerian tech companies to be accepted into renowned California-based startup accelerator Y Combinator – secured approximately $1.3m in seed investment from international investors. Within this growth, women are emerging as influential…
A planet devastated by climate change may seem like a distant future. But Earth is already experiencing effects today. Globally, the mean rate of sea level rise increased 50% in the last two decades. In 2017, temperatures have already reached their highest levels in history in some areas, from California to Vietnam. And the past three years were the hottest on record. In…
Parts of Africa could face a massive unemployment crisis by 2040, with “catastrophic” consequences for the global economy, new research has found. The report predicted a shortfall of 50 million jobs, which should serve as a “wake up call” for governments across much of the continent, as well as international donors and agencies. According to the analysis by…
Campaigns to get people cycling are focusing on girls and women, making it easier for them to get to school, helping with business and reducing sex attacks.. A teenage girl cycles down a dusty road in rural Ghana, a younger sibling balanced precariously on the back of her saddle. A dozen other cyclists are pedalling up…
ACCRA, Ghana — Gloria Hiadzi, the executive secretary of the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association, was present at one of the regular, informal gathering of Ghanaian media bigwigs in April, when the discussion turned to galamsey — the local term for small-scale miners who dig for gold and other minerals. The editors and publishers began to share…
Government’s economic policies and programmes are yielding the expected results, with macro-indicators showing a 6.6 per cent growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for first quarter of 2017 as against a 4.4 per cent for the same period in 2016. The Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, made this known in Parliament, yesterday. Mr Ofori-Atta was…
ABIDJAN – Water is essential for life, and yet it is scarce in many parts of the world. Owing to the effects of climate change, Africa is experiencing its worst drought since 1945, especially in Southern Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Northern Nigeria. These fragile areas now need the global community’s support. We need to build…
TORONTO – When South African university students took to the streets in 2016 as part of the “Fees Must Fall” protest movement, the “decolonization of the curriculum” was among the movement’s chief concerns. It was a pivotal moment in South Africa’s history, as young people rose to demand quality and accessible education. But a crucial…
An annual review of the Sustainable Development Goals is underway at the United Nation’s high-level political forum in New York — but indigenous leaders attending the summit stressed the need to look beyond the U.N. for an accurate take on the health, environmental and poverty challenges facing some of the world’s most vulnerable people. “I cannot go…
A new study from the World Bank has revealed that ending child marriage would reduce population growth, boost girls’ educational achievements and increase their earnings. Each year more than 15 million girls worldwide are married before they turn 18 and experts say these child brides are more likely to be victims of sexual and domestic…
A group of eight international nongovernmental organizations are hoping that their unprecedented partnership will help draw attention and funds for the famine-like conditions endangering more than 20 million people across the globe. Large swathes of the populations in Somalia, Yemen and north-east Nigeria are hovering on the brink of famine, while a famine emergency was declared…
The United States Department of State does not currently intend to merge the U.S. Agency for International Development into the State Department, Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan told the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Monday. In a hearing that discussed State Department reorganization efforts and the State Department authorization bill, a number of senators expressed concern at having heard that…
A damning report into social mobility has concluded that successive UK governments have failed to tackle the issue for the past 20 years. But the analysis by the Social Mobility Commission (SMC) also fails on this front. Very little of its review of the past two decades is actually about social mobility. This is not really a surprise. Ever since it…
Following the intense election campaign of 2017, Labour shadow home secretary Diane Abbott spoke out about the racist and misogynistic abuse she received online. Abbott revealed that she was subject to a litany of abuse on Twitter. In a recent Westminster Hall debate, she described the comments she received as “characteristically racist and sexist”. Abbott’s…
Yesterday Zambians woke to the delightful news that the late Lucy Sichone had become the first female Rhodes Scholar to have a portrait in Rhodes House. This is the result of work by Kelsey Murrell, herself a recent Rhodes Scholar, who was disturbed to learn there wasn’t a portrait of a woman in Rhodes House,…
Addis Ababa, 03 July 2017 (ECA) – While Africa has made significant progress, the great challenge that lies before us is how to deliver on the full promise of the global 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063 for Africa and its people. The statement was made by UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed at the opening of…
Four ways to invest in Ghana’s young cocoa farmers to help rejuvenate the sector and address youth unemployment. This infographic presents a summary of the findings from the Youth Forward Learning Partnership research ‘Creating opportunities for young people in Ghana’s cocoa sector‘. June 2017 Alexandra Lowe
Cocoa production is essential to the health of Ghana’s economy, contributing 3% to its gross domestic product and supporting the livelihoods of approximately 4 million farming households (GSS, 2015). Ghana represents the gold standard for cocoa quality and is one of the world’s largest producers, yet the sector’s yields remain stubbornly low. Young people are…
By 9 a.m., the sun is already bright in Laini Saba, a village in Kibera, Africa’s largest urban slum. Moses Otieno has only been asleep a few hours, but the 24-year-old wakes up and looks for breakfast. He finds two chapatis that he buys for 50 shillings ($0.5) on the busy nearby street, full of…
The Government has identified about 8,000 basic schools that need urgent refurbishment, and would need about $200 million to renovate dilapidated basic school structures across the country. Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, the Minister for Education, who gave the figures, in Parliament on Tuesday, said the identified structures threatened the lives of pupils, and the Government…
It’s Father’s Day on Sunday, apparently (my kids ignore it completely), so here’s Oxfam’s gender guru,Nikki vander Gaag, reflecting on an impressive bit of advocacy Sharing the housework meansbetter sex. Now that I have your attention, let me explain. This was just one of the findings in the first everState of the World’s Fathersreport, published in…
An Invitation to potential investors to submit formal expression of interest for the One District, One Factory initiative.
The theme of this year’s World Environment Day is connecting people to nature. There is no greater example of that connection than climate change-related displacement caused by slow-onset disasters. The world will see more frequent and more devastating natural disasters as the effects of climate change intensify. This includes both rapid-onset disasters, such as hurricanes, and slow-onset…
DEAD SEA, Jordan — Governments and NGOs need to find a better offer to make to young people in the Middle East and North Africa by supporting youth activism and enterprise if violent extremism is to be tackled, experts believe. Young people’s enthusiasm for changing their societies and circumstances can be harnessed and redirected…
Development organizations and environmental groups reacted with dismay to President Donald Trump’s decision to leave the landmark Paris Agreement, warning that the exit would weaken the United States’ standing as a global development leader, and, ultimately, derail crucial progress on climate change and global poverty reduction. “If the U.S. is not at the table in…
Development organizations and environmental groups reacted with dismay to President Donald Trump’s decision to leave the landmark Paris Agreement, warning that the exit would weaken the United States’ standing as a global development leader, and, ultimately, derail crucial progress on climate change and global poverty reduction. “If the U.S. is not at the table in…
What works in tackling modern slavery? The United Nations University (UNU) and Alliance 8.7 — a global multi-stakeholder alliance dedicated to fighting modern slavery, human trafficking, and forced and child labour — have today launched a two-year project to accelerate global efforts to generate, exchange, and ensure the uptake of knowledge that can answer that question. The initiative will…
At the start of April, Ghana’s government issued a three-week ultimatum to illegal gold miners operating in the country. They were told that they could either stop their activities or face prosecution. The threat seemed to work. By the end of the three weeks, over 500 excavators used in informal artisanal gold mining – known…
The 2017 French election was watched with great nervousness by millions across Francophone Africa. That’s because the French president remains a pivotal figure in about 20 former French colonies on the continent. Over the past 60 years France has maintained disproportionate influence over its former African colonies. This has included control over their military and currencies. Despite being…
BULACAN, Philippines — In 2013, flash floods inundated Lourdes Ijan’s home, here in northern Bulacan province, forcing her and her family to seek refuge with an aunt. When the water subsided, she had no savings to help rebuild her life. “I had to take out loans with high interest rates,” she recalled. “Some people…
Children are more often simply seen as the recipients of assistance designed by others rather than as agents of change who can help shape how their needs are responded to. It is quite rare, especially in a conflict affected country to ask children directly what their problems are and what change they want to see,…
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Upper Denkyira West, Mr Daniel Appianin, has said that Captain Maxwell Mahama who was lynched on Monday at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region, was part of some military personnel who were protecting Chinese small-scale illegal miners (galamsey) in a distant forest at Aminase. In a radio interview on Accra…
STORY HIGHLIGHTS Women in West Africa dominate the fishing value chain and often handle the finances related to fishing. Artisanal fishing is under threat, but better governance and improved surveillance systems are making a difference in some countries. Women are increasingly included in the co-management of fisheries with the support of the World Bank-funded West…
Effective training is a critical building block of any successful mobile data collection project. Data management systems require ongoing maintenance updates. Without a deep understanding of how the technology works it can be difficult for an organization to manage and sustain the solution over time. With Dimagi’s partners, we strongly emphasize CommCare app training and capacity building across…
Each year, about 15 million girls are married as minors around the world. Widely known as “child marriage,” campaigners say the practice puts girls at increased risk of violence and abuse, and impacts their health and education. Eliminating it is a target of Sustainable Development Goal 5.3. But some activists argue that the term “child marriage” fails to…
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. At least one person has died after contracting the virus in the country’s north-east, the WHO says. The Congolese health ministry had notified the WHO of a “lab-confirmed case” of Ebola, it added on Twitter. More than 11,000 people died in the…
Close to one in five people living in towns, cities and megacities across the world do not have access to a safe, basic toilet, according to WaterAid. Some 600 million urban dwellers globally rely on a humiliating and haphazard array of the only services available to them in slums: filthy and crowded communal toilets, or…
Global finance mechanisms such as the Green Climate Fund and the Global Environmental Facility must support Africa to adapt to climate change and stop the displacement of public spending caused by climate change, African Development Bank Group President, Akinwumi Adesina, told the United Nations climate conference, which ended on November 18. “Words of comfort are…
U.N. aid agencies warn the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan, already one of the biggest in the world, is getting worse as famine looms and growing numbers of refugees flee to neighboring countries. The World Food Program reports a 38-truck convoy, carrying food for about one month, arrived in the South Sudanese town of Yei…
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lifted sanctions against Zimbabwe after the southern African country settled its arrears, a report said on Tuesday. According to New Zimbabwe, the IMF confirmed on Monday that it had removed the remedial measures against the country. The IMF, however, maintained that the move did not mean that it would…
African leaders on Wednesday called for speedy action for the implementation of the commitments made at the COP21 in P
