China supports fishing port complex with $50m- University of Health and Allied Sciences, others get $16m, April 7, 2018

The Chinese government has offered Ghana a grant of $66 million for the construction of the Jamestown Fishing Port Complex and other projects.

The package comprises $50 million for the fishing port complex and $16 million for other projects, including the second phase of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS).
A signing ceremony and exchange of notes on the Jamestown Fishing Port Complex was held in Accra yesterday.
The Chinese Ambassador, Ms Sun Baohong, signed for her country, with the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, and the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Mrs Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, initialling on behalf of Ghana.
Both countries also signed a bilateral agreement on the Economic and Technical Cooperation between Ghana and China, under which the $16 million grant for the development of UHAS and other projects fall.

 The ceremony was also used to bid farewell to Ms Baohong whose duty tour in Ghana ends on April 16, 2018.

Projects
Mr Ofori-Atta explained that the Jamestown Fishing Port Complex project was expected to enhance productivity in fishing and also create about 100 job opportunities for the youth in the community.
The project comes in three parts: dredging the harbour basin and shipping channels, construction of hydraulic structures, and the construction of administration, production and supporting facilities such as office building, kindergarten, trading market and processing area.
The finance minister said the signing marked an important milestone in the bilateral relations between Ghana and China as it affirmed the commitment and determination of the two countries to broaden and deepen cooperation between them.
He noted that the government was working assiduously to ensure the macroeconomic stability necessary for creating the enabling environment for accelerated economic growth to position the country beyond aid.
Mr Ofori-Atta thanked the Chinese government for its continued support, saying “there is the need for a critical mass of resources to push the economy beyond aid.”
Enhancing bilateral cooperation
For her part, Ms Baohong said the bilateral agreement was expected to lead to more fruitful cooperation between the two countries.
The economic and trade cooperation between the two countries reached $6.67 billion, ranking sixth among 54 African countries.
While Ghana’s export to China was more than $1.5 billion, an increase of over 41 per cent in the previous year, China’s exports to Ghana reached about $5.17 billion, with its investments in Ghana totalling $123 million within the period.
She stated that China’s support to upgrade polytechnic universities was aimed at preparing the country towards industrialisation.
The Chinese government would also establish a cocoa processing company in Sefwi Wiawso in the Western Region to support the country’s industrialisation drive, she added.
“China’s aid to Ghana does not have any political strings; it is for development and we fully support the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda. We hope it will be realised with the help of foreign partners,” she stated.
Ms Baohong commended the government for the various policies and programmes it had implemented since it took over in 2017.

ECG retrieves monies from illegal power consumers in Accra, October 22, 2018, Daily Graphic

The Accra West Region of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), has retrieved GH¢4,032,855.00 from illegal power consumers.

The money was recovered from 777 customers whose illegal activities included meter by-pass, direct connections, meter tampering and unauthorised service connections.

The total amount of money retrieved translated into 3,801.726 kilowatts hour (kwh) of electricity.

Campaigns

The Accra West Regional General Manager, Mr George Appiah-Kubi who made this known, said the exercise formed part of a massive revenue protection campaign launched earlier this year to rid the system of power theft.

Illegal power connection remains one of the biggest challenges facing the ECG in the country.

System losses by the company is currently at 23.5 per cent thus causing the power distributor to lose huge amounts of revenue.

A special court has been designated to  prosecute those who steal power or engaged in such illegal connections.

Special taskforce

As part of its efforts to reduce the incidents, Mr Appiah-Kubi said a special revenue protection taskforce had been formed by the Accra West Region of the ECG to monitor the situation and retrieve all monies due the company.

“We have formed a special revenue protection task force whose duty is to inspect meters installed in the region and audit the authenticity of the electricity connections in those facilities.

 The result of the consistent monitoring by the task force is the retrieval of the money, which the company would otherwise have lost,” he explained.

The manager condemned power theft activities saying it had negative effects on the company’s operations.

Aside impeding prompt payment to power producers, he said it also constrained the company from regularly undertaking system improvement and expansion projects.

The manager, therefore, urged the public to desist from such acts and rather endeavour to pay their bills promptly.

Volunteer information

For his part, the Accra West Revenue Protection Manager of ECG, Ebenezer Yao Fiador, entreated the public to volunteer information on illegal activities.

He said identity of persons who provided credible information would be protected and paid a percentage of any amount recovered from such connections.

Mr Fiador gave an assurance that the revenue protection exercise would be intensified and institutionalised to achieve zero-per cent power theft in the region.

“We are collaborating with the security agencies and constantly revising our revenue protection tactics to stay ahead of the criminals,” he said.

The Accra West Region of the ECG has seven operational districts. They are Kaneshie, Korle Bu, Dansoman, Ablekuma, Nsawam, Bortianor and Achimota District.

First Ladies up against child marriage November 24, 2018, Daily Graphic

Four African First Ladies are holding a meeting in Accra to take a strong stand against early child marriages and other socio-cultural practices targeted at girls in Africa.

The meeting dubbed: “The 2nd Girls Summit on Ending Child Marriage”, featured First Ladies from Ghana, Liberia, Niger and Sierra Leone.

 Also present were gender ministers, civil society groups and technical advisors from parts of the continent including Mozambique, Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The two-day summit on the theme: “Enough of the silence”, is being organised by the African Union (AU) and hosted by the Office of the First Lady of Ghana,  and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection in partnership with Plan Ghana,  the United Nations Children’s Fund  (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund ( UNFPA).
The commitment

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the First Lady of Ghana, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, said the high-level  gathering was a clear indication of the importance attached to issues that affected girls, and the commitment to make a difference in the lives of girls and young people.

She said girls who were married off at an early age did not only suffer emotionally but were also affected psychologically and physically.

According to her, four out of 10 girls were married off before the ages of 18 years in Africa while in Ghana, the national average of girls in this category was 21 per cent.

“We all know the challenges, sometimes tragic that comes as a result of child marriage and female genital mutilation. Child brides and girls, who have been circumcised, have a higher mortality rate from complications of child birth and are at an extremely high risk of developing obstetric fistula,” she stated.

It was for this reason, she said, that Ghana had committed to fully implementing its 10-year strategic plan framework on Ending Child Marriage, which was launched in 2016 with a two-year operational plan to ensure youthful livelihood and socio-economic transformation by 2030.

By empowering girls, Mrs Akufo-Addo said, they became better positioned to contribute to national development.

She, therefore, called on all African First Ladies, civil society, the AU  and all other stakeholders to work assiduously to end child marriage.

“Let’s protect the children”

In an address, the First Lady of Sierra Leone, Mrs Fatima Maada Bio, urged parents and the general society to protect children and allow them to enjoy their childhood, and enjoy marriage at the right age.

While condemning the act of hiding behind religion, culture and power to encourage the act of child marriage, she said, children needed to be educated and empowered to become responsible future leaders and contribute their quota to the development of the continent.

Child marriage, she said, did not only affect the child involved but the mother as well.

Allocate more resources

For her part, the Commissioner of Social Affairs of the African Union Commission (AUC), Ms Amira El Fadil, said ending child marriage was a priority of the AU, which recognises it as a development, cultural, health, political and religious issue which needed to be addressed.

She said the AU launched a campaign in 2014 to end child marriage which was adopted by 24 member states.

Madam Fadi further disclosed that out of the number of member states who adopted the campaign,  30 per cent enforced and enacted laws that protected girls, while 41 per cent developed a national strategic plan.

‘Bacterial infection killed tilapia at Fujian farm’ January 10, 2019, Daily Graphic

An investigation conducted into the death of thousands of tilapia at the Fujian Fish Farm at Asutuare in the Shai Osudoku District in the Greater Accra Region at the behest of the Fisheries Commission has established that bacterial infection, coupled with environmental factors, killed the fish.

According to the commission, the bacterial infection, which weakened the immune system of the fish, and environmental factors such as high temperature and salinity of the water could have led to the death of the fish.

The Head of the Fish Health Unit of the Fisheries Commission, Dr Peter Akpe Ziddah, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic, said the fish with weak immune system could have easily been stressed by the environmental factors.
Background
In October last year, there was a scare among fish consumers when news broke that more than six tonnes of dead fish (tilapia) had been discovered on the Fujian Fish Farm, owned by a Chinese firm.

Another incident was noticed at the end of the year along the Volta Lake.
The Fisheries Commission and the Veterinary Services initiated an investigation process to find the cause of the kills.
The findings
Following the incident and preliminary observation, Dr Ziddah said there was an initial suspicion that the emerging new viral disease, Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV), was the probable cause of those deaths or a toxin introduced in the water body.
Therefore, he said, samples of the water and the fish were taken to various specialised laboratories in Ghana, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Norway to confirm the fears of a viral infection.
However, results from the samples sent to the Ghana Standards Authority and the various laboratories outside Ghana proved that there was neither toxin in the water nor the flesh of fish.
The investigation also indicated that the fish was negative for the viral infection (TiLV).
“We knew of the presence of some bacterial infections that were causing  heavy mortalities since 2014 and prominent was the strain streptococcus agalactiae 1b.
“This bacteria was contained by the use of an autogenous vaccine that was developed with the strain from the Volta Lake,” he explained.
Most of the results from laboratories abroad, he said, proved that there was a new bacterial introduction of the streptococcus agalactiae 1a.
He said the streptococcus agalactiae 1a was a very virulent (harmful) bacteria to fish.
Recommendations
Furthermore, he said, the investigations showed that the DNA of the bacteria found in the fish was of Asian origin.
He said the streptococcus agalactiae Ia might have been introduced into Ghana after someone brought in a new fish, saying “someone might have smuggled it into the country”.
“Most of the fish farmers believe that the local fish did not grow fast and so some of them smuggle some fish into the country through which some of these diseases appear,” he explained.
Additionally, he mentioned that the use of agro-chemicals along the banks of the Volta Lake was dangerous to the health of the fish and urged the public to desist from doing so.
Going forward, Dr Ziddah recommended that the biosecurity measures on fish farms and at the country’s entry points should be improved.
He further recommended the use of autogenous (local) vaccine from the strain found in Ghana to avoid recurrences.

Australian High Commission supports construction of safe home January 11, 2019, Daily Graphic

The Australia High Commission has presented an amount of GH¢197,366 to Pearl Safe Haven, a charity organisation, for the construction of a safe home for female survivors of gender-based violence in the country.

The project, which is to be established in the Greater Accra Region by the middle of this year, is an initiative of the charity organisation and will provide emergency and temporary housing for survivors of domestic violence and abuses.

Construction and operational costs of the refuge centre is estimated at $400,000.
The charity organisation will offer a three-month safe recovery environment for young victims of domestic violence and equip them with skills training for their economic independence.
Inadequate safe homes

At a ceremony in Accra yesterday, the Australian High Commissioner, Mr Andrew Barnes, who presented the cheque covering the amount, said the current support system for survivors of gender-based violence in Ghana was inadequate and underfunded.
He said a project like the one initiated by Pearl Safe Haven would help create a refuge “where women and children who have suffered domestic violence will feel safe to rebuild constructive lives for themselves.”
It is for that reason, he said, that the Commission was pleased to donate the amount which was raised during the 2018 annual Melbourne Cup Charity Gala organised by the Australia High Commission in Accra.
He said the fund was realised through the generosity of sponsors including mining companies in Australia, local corporate bodies, hotels, restaurants and other businesses.
Global problem
According to him, the campaign on violence against women was an important component of the Australia High Commission’s work both locally and internationally and for which reason the government of Australia had implemented policies around the world to address the scourge.
Mr Barnes acknowledged that domestic violence was a global problem and that violence against women was perhaps the most widespread and socially tolerated form of human rights violation.
He added that violence against women was a major obstacle to the fulfilment of women and girls rights and achieving the agenda 2030 of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Collaboration
The Project Director of Pearl Safe Haven, Ms Isobel Acquah, thanked the Australia High Commission and all corporate organisations that contributed to raising the fund.
Giving a background to the project, she said the safe home idea grew out of ‘The Lady Organisation’, a non-profit project aimed at empowering young girls aged 18 to 25 years to speak up against rape, sexual assault and gender-based violence, as well as make them confident to appreciate their value as women.
She said the project was also informed by the fact that there were a number of women who did not find their homes a safe place to live due to violence perpetrated against them by either their families or friends.
She said the charity organisation was working closely with public institutions such as the Social Welfare Department and the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service to ensure that the safe home project was a success.
Ms Acquah explained that when the shelter was completed, DOVVSU would help bring in the victims while the Social Welfare Department would assist in integrating them back into society after their three-month stay.
While in the home, she said, the victims would have access to medical, psychological and legal assistance and counselling and would also receive vocational training to prepare them for successful integration into society.

When do men consider women as marriageable material? February 5, 2019, Daily Graphic

Women often wait for “Mr Right” and men look out for the “bone of their bone” when it comes to settling down with a life partner. But at the bottom of all these fantasies, both sexes look out for different traits.

According to psychologists, some of the traits that men look out for in their future wives are that she should be an independent thinker, she should not be pretentious, she should be focussed and a dreamer, she should be able to spend time alone and most of all she should not be a gold digger.

Generally, men also look out for women who will help them plan their lives, pick them up when they are down and also be willing to deliver and mother their children.
The gender page set out to interview a section of men and these are some of their views.
Famous Kwesi Atitsogbe, Media and Communications Strategist

I believe it takes a matured man to see a woman who is marriage material.
That is because woman might be very good and have very good qualities termed as marriage material but the man might still be a ‘boy’ and so will not appreciate the effort of the woman.
There are very good women out there but some of the men they are dating are boys and so their efforts are not appreciated.
Nonetheless, when a man gets to a certain stage and wants to settle down, he definitely looks out for certain qualities in the woman he wants to settle down with and build a home.
Those qualities go beyond the sex, parties, beauty and others they look out for when they are in their hay days.

The man looks for someone who will support his goals and visions and is versatile. A woman who is well oriented to take care of the home and is ready to transit from being a girl to becoming a woman.
She should be someone who is poised to become a career woman, has a sense of independency, direction and is ready to partner the man to build a home and a legacy. Through conversations and dating, the man is able to detect and weigh if the woman has some of these qualities that he wants.
A woman must give a man the reason to stay, and if he really wants to say, he will.
Mr Ransford Magnusen, Teacher

Every woman qualifies to be marriage material. However, possessing certain qualities puts some women ahead of others when it comes to choosing a woman to be your wife.
For me a woman who is marriage material basically should exude most of what the Bible says in Proverbs 31.
Proverbs 31 details the attributes of a virtuous wife or ideal woman and also directs women to be industrious and to fear the Lord.
Apart from what the Bible says, I think a woman who is marriage material should know how to perform the basic household chores, should be supportive, must be religiously strong (be prayerful), must be respectful and obedient as well as eschew indecent exposure of her body.
That is not to say she should not be fashionable, but her ways which includes the way she even dresses must glorify God.
To make a good home, I believe that physical looks does not matter because beauty fades but a woman who has good training is more dependable.
Mr David Acquah, Media Consultant

In my personal opinion, I think every woman is marriage material.
I believe every woman has the potential to be groomed to respect and manage the home.
Nonetheless, if there are women who are supposed to be marriage material then there equally has to be men who are marriage material.
This is because marriage is a union between two people and one is not supposed to enjoy more than the other.
In the Ghanaian context, I believe that when they say a woman is marriage material, they mean that she should be a virtuous woman, who is understanding, hardworking, hospitable, fertile and God fearing. She is also believed to be matured and is prepared to face the good and bad sides of marriage.
Personally, I believe that a woman who fears God is the one that qualifies to be marriage material.
All other things can be managed with time, patience and proper nurturing.
Mr Mickel Ofori Ntiamoah, Photographer
Although the woman I would want to marry must be presentable, I am not really focusing on the physical qualities of the woman because there is more to marriage than the physical qualities.
For me, one thing that I will consider in choosing a wife is how respectful, matured and humble the woman is.
I believe that a woman must respect her husband as much as he will also respect her.
I want to avoid that scene where I will be talking to my wife and she will be talking back at me and try to exchange words with me.

Although some men are also particular about a woman who can cook, I am not really bothered about that because I can help with that.
Also, I believe that in taking good care of your wife, she will become the beautiful wife that you want her to be.

Ken Agyepong must stop speaking ill of our murdered son — Suale’s Family , February 5, 2019 Daily Graphic

 

The family of the murdered investigative journalist with Tiger Eye PI, Divela Hussein Ahmed Suale, has asked the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Mr Kennedy Agyapong, to stop speaking ill of the deceased.

According to the family, Mr Agyapong’s recent actions and utterances on Suale’s death were provoking many family members and the public to respond to him in equal manner.

The family described Mr Agyapong’s decision to place a GH¢100,000 bounty on Suale’s killers as not only deceptive but also a ploy to divert the attention of the public and change the face of ongoing investigations by the security agencies.
Press briefing
At a press conference to address some assertions reported in the media on Suale’s death in Accra yesterday, a spokesperson for the family, Mr Mustapha Iddrisu, said they were offended by Mr Agyapong’s decision to offer a bounty on their son’s killers.
“It is an insult to the conscience of the family that a man who called for harm to be visited on our son will turn around a few months down the line, after that call for harm had been overly subscribed, to say he is placing a bounty on the head of those who may have acted on his call or got leads thereby to carry out the act,” he added.
Denial
He also debunked Mr Agyapong’s assertion that he had assisted in paying Suale’s school fees, saying: “At no point in the entire education journey of our son was he assisted by Kennedy Agyapong.
Our family has always had the wherewithal to fund the education of its members and Suale was not an exception.”
Mr Iddrisu further refuted claims by the MP that Suale had resigned from Tiger Eye PI and was not on talking terms with Anas, adding: “On the day of his unfortunate assassination, he was with Anas throughout and had informed some family members about the collaboration between Tiger Eye and the Attorney-General's Office to prosecute those implicated in the Number 12 exposé.
“How could individuals at loggerheads jointly secure visas to travel out of the Ghanaian jurisdiction for an assignment which was due in the first week of the month of February 2019?
“We are appealing to Mr Agyapong to allow the innocent soul of our son, father and brother to rest in eternal peace. We are confident and hopeful that the thunder spirit worldwide and the innocent soul of our son will soon haunt out those whose hands are dripping with his blood,” he added.
Mr Iddrisu further claimed that the deceased felt insecure after Mr Agyapong had splashed his photographs in the media, with the accompanying incitement of violence against him.
Background
The 31-year-old Suale was gunned down by unknown gunmen on a motorbike in the vicinity of his Madina family house at night on January 16, 2019.
Some neighbours claimed to have sighted the killers in the area a number of times before they eventually struck.
No arrest has been made yet.
In shock and disbelief, some civil society organisations and individuals accused Mr Agyapong of compromising Suale’s safety after he had displayed his pictures on his TV network, NET 2.
Last year, Mr Agyapong revealed Suale's name and the neighbourhood where he lived in, shared his pictures and exposed the journalist's most closely guarded secret – his face.